<p>As a mom of two sons who played football in college (one DIII, one DIAA), there is so much to do for the recruiting process today that I can’t imagine a student not needing a lot of help from parents to guide through the process. If your son is a rising senior, he should be attending camps this summer to get “looks” by coaches at schools he is interested in. He should be working on highlight video/cd and resume of his test scores, GPA, school activities and athletic stats and awards. These should be mailed with personal cover letters to coaches at schools he is interested in—and followed up with phone calls (see NCAA rules for guidelines/timeframes). Scheduling campus visits and meetings with coaches during the fall can be challenging, so the summer is a good time to do some of these, if possible. The high school coach can be a terrific asset, but your son needs to keep him in the loop and often specifically ask him to call/advocate a college coach on your son’s behalf. All coaches–on the HS and college side --are very busy in the fall especially, when the application process is heating up for students. If your son is limiting his search to local colleges, and he is able to identify a top choice where the football fit, academic fit, and financial fit seem good, consider early decision or early action options. Many schools–and student athletes–uses these options to seal the deal when the match is good. Both my sons did.</p>