What’s Next?

Why Building Your Brand Matters

For the majority of your existence your life has revolved around sport. Practice, games, diet, exercise all focused on becoming the best possible athlete. That drive and focus helped you to continue to compete through college, pay for your education and prepare you for the next chapter in life.

This story has been true for generations. But today, along with everything else, college graduates are discovering that developing and building a personal brand is critical to creating opportunities after graduation.

As an athlete, you have an advantage. You can build a brand that is focused around what you learned competing. Your experience and commitment to be the best and fight through challenges are characteristics employers look for.

No matter what career you choose, you can show your ability to lead, your ability to perform on a team, and to overcome challenges, find solutions to problems and be successful.

But you can’t wait to get started. There’s not deadline for this, but the sooner you take ownership of your story, the more impact it can have on your success beyond competition.

Branding Basics

Keeping Your Followers Engaged

Graduation hits everyone different. Everything that was structured and familiar suddenly shifts. The group chats slow down, your gear gets boxed up, and the audience you built through sports starts to drift away.

But they don’t have to. If people followed you when you played, it should have been because they connected with you about your journey and you felt real to them. That doesn’t change just because your eligibility runs out.

After graduation your story expands. Your niche can branch out beyond sports to career, side hustles and the new experiences happening in your life.

Continue to do the things that keep them engaged in the first place. Let them in. Show them the process. Instead of workouts and game highlights, you’re talking about job interviews and time management. Offer them knowledge and value. Celebrate your new beginning.

Worth a Listen….

House Case Update

House Settlement Delayed Again

The judge overseeing the House vs. NCAA settlement pushed the final decision date to June 27th, just four days before the settlement was due to take effect.

The final stumbling block to completing the settlement is roster limits. The judge wants to reduce the impact on current athletes who will lose their spot based on the new limits on roster spots. There is also concern about opportunitities for high school recruits that may lose scholarship offers. Judge Claudia Wilken has asked for all current players to be “grandfathered” into the deal, and it seems the solution both sides have offered still doesn’t cut it.

If the settlement is not approved, the case could actually go to trial, which would not only create more chaos in college sports, but be a massive financial risk to the NCAA. If the NCAA and the power conferences lose at trial, they could be liable for up to $20 billion in damages.

Important Dates

NCAA Fall Championship Schedule

Here’s all the fall 2025 calendar of Championship finals for all divisions:

Notes & Quotes

Here’s a quote for all the recent grads out there….