Dear Football Mom,

As a single mom, I was depending on my son receiving a football scholarship to play college ball next year. He’s prepared, and we followed your advice in having him take the SAT his junior year. He nailed it. He also worked-out religiously over the summer in my basement and ran the neighborhood nearly nonstop. Now, I’m worried he won’t have a chance as his senior year is here, but today it’s just been canceled due to Covid. What are we going to do? How do we proceed with Covid virus and no football?

Dear Reader,

If ever there was a season we needed football, it is now! The Covid mess is a mess, all right. Boy howdy, is it ever.

Take heart, Mama. Your son did a great job over the summer, and it shows he has determination, self-discipline, and a never-quit attitude. These are all great qualities college coaches look for. Your son deserves a Big congrats for sticking to it. No wavering from that boy.   

Believe it or not, most of the time, college coaches have their wish lists for the next recruiting season (which is this season) finished by the end of last season. Whew. Spinning yet? College coaches will get around this stuff. They are geniuses at maneuvering manure and I do suppose this little hitch-in-the-get-along is no different.

If your son has not been offered, or if y’all haven’t had phone calls from any college coaches, my guess is, he’s on somebody’s radar somewhere. Working closely with his H. S. coach will be your best bet, and he may have an avenue y’all haven’t gone down yet. Hang tough, and be patient with his high school coach if he doesn’t get back to you right away. They are dealing with their own flies in the ointment. But, stay persistent.

Then, too, nothing wrong with calling the office of any college football program yourself and asking if all slots are full, or what upcoming positions are needed. Ask for the recruiter who covers your area, and try to speak directly to him. After all, they are in the same mess as everyone else. In fact, this may have leveled the playing field. Rest assured, football is not dead.

Then we have the NCAA who will no doubt have something to say about this year’s recruiting season. I’ve never seen a group of Macadamia Nuts come up with a bunch of rules as fast as these folks do. By cracky, they relish in rule-making. On a good day, the academicians have nearly killed college football with the silliest of rules at the drop of a helmet. Now, with C-19, geesh, what have they implemented lately to stir the pot?

My understanding the NCAA is leaving it up to each conference, to play or not to play. Isn’t that about as crazy as leaving out Tony Chachere’s in the stew? How ’bout some consistency? Hello. Same thing with high schools, to play or not to play. Some will play in the spring, others playing now. It will be fascinating.

Your son stands an awesome chance to blaze a trail of his own. He has a unique opportunity amid this mess to make something great happen. Don’t give up.