The Choice Young Men

As I opened the book of Daniel seeking the Lord about what He would have me to say, I didn’t get past the first chapter. The first thing I read jumped off the page, The Lord gave him (Nebuchadnezzar) victory over King Jehoikim of Judah. (God puts a plan in motion) Next, I read: Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect, who were good looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had the ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. Daniel 1:1,3

This next verse made me think about our signing classes. In athletics our coaches make the same request as King Nebuchadnezzar. They scout around looking for these same qualities in their next crop of kids. When they get them signed and on campus, they teach them a new language and give them new playbooks.

I have often wondered what this was like for parents and the student athletes when they narrow their choices and say yes to a school. Quite naturally I turned to my coach, the former All-American highly recruited athlete to find out how he did it. Some of his testers were: was the coach comfortable in my environment, was the coach easy to communicate with, did the coach talk at me or to me, did the coach care about my life after football, did they eat my mom’s food, how did the coach interact with my siblings, did the coach pray before eating, did the coach revere God, etc. He told me these standards came from watching his high school coaches.

As a coach’s wife I was told by a parent that the reason they decided their son should play for my husband was because of the way my coach interacted with me and our girls. This never dawned on me. I thought I was getting in the way of his recruiting and our girls were a distraction. These words opened my eyes to what I believe many parents want to see during the recruiting process, what kind of man is this coach away from football. Will this coach be a father figure for my son? Will he teach him life lessons beyond the game? Can we count on this man to help my son become a great man?

Recently, I spoke to my cousin who's son was highly recruited this year and I asked her how they made the decision and she said, “We chose the school that was most concerned about the whole person and not just the athlete. The first person we met was the team chaplain. This meeting was a clear indicator to us that this program was built around all facets of life.”

Wow-His Coaches' Wives, I believe we have an edge in the recruiting game. We are concerned with the whole person and whether we have a chaplain on our campus or not, our families have a relationship with the Father that we live out in front of our players. Pat yourself on the back and know that God is leading the best players to your husband because God wants your family to influence the whole person.

High school wives you share in these experiences as well. The culture created by your husband at his program sets the standards for what recruits are looking for in their next program. Parents have watched your family love their kids for 4 years. I believe they are supposing to receive the same conduct as they move on to college.

Father, thank You for Your great plans for us. Thank You for bringing the right people to our teams. Thank You for letting Your light shine through us so that others may see You. Thank You for wives who have decided to live different and to be a difference in the lives of others. Thank You for families that live above reproach in our sports world and lead from the heart. We honor You and we give You the glory, in Jesus name, amen.