APPROACHING SIGNING DAY THE COLLEGE CHOICE PROCESS OF HEAVILY RECRUITED STUDENT ATHLETES by SOLOMON YOUNG HUGHES (Under the Direction of James C. Hearn) ABSTRACT This dissertation examined the factors that heavily recruited high school football players took into consideration when selecting a higher education institution to attend. The model of college choice introduced by Don Hossler and Karen Gallagher (1987), proposes that students’ progress through three phases when deciding where they will attend college: predisposition, search, and choice. This study is a result of a survey conducted during the search phase of high school seniors whose success as football players afforded them the opportunity to be recruited by some of the wealthiest and most successful college football programs in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). INDEX WORDS: College Choice, Intercollegiate Athletics, Student Athlete, Recruiting APPROACHING SIGNING DAY THE COLLEGE CHOICE PROCESS OF HEAVILY RECRUITED STUDENT ATHLETES by SOLOMON YOUNG HUGHES B.A., The University of California at Berkeley, 2003 M.A.Ed., The University of California at Berkeley, 2007 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2013 2013 Solomon Young Hughes All Rights Reserved APPROACHING SIGNING DAY THE COLLEGE CHOICE PROCESS OF HEAVILY RECRUITED STUDENT ATHLETES by SOLOMON YOUNG HUGHES Major Professor: James Hearn Committee: Libby Morris Robert Toutkoushian Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2013 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank Jim Hearn for his support during my time at UGA. I also wish to thank the rest of my committee—Libby Morris and Rob Toutkoushian—who have provided great feedback and insight throughout this process. I would like to thank Doug Toma, whose passion for sports and higher education inspired me. Lastly, I would like to thank Robyn and Daniela for their incredible support and patience with me throughout this entire process. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ vii CHAPTER 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM .......................................................................1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................6 Research on College Choice ........................................................................6 College Choice and Diverse Populations .....................................................9 Big-Time College Sports ...........................................................................11 Amateurism versus Professionalism ..........................................................11 Athletic Recruitment ..................................................................................15 College Choice of Student Athletes ...........................................................20 High School Experiences of Student Athletes ...........................................23 College Student Athlete Experience ..........................................................24 Conceptual Framework ..............................................................................31 Comparing Populations ..............................................................................34 3 RESEARCH DESIGN ...........................................................................................37 Quantitative Method ..................................................................................39 Qualitative Method ....................................................................................41 Variables ....................................................................................................41 Summary ....................................................................................................51 Limitations .................................................................................................52 4 QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS ..............................................................................54 Models........................................................................................................56 Summary ....................................................................................................68 5 QUALITATIVE FINDINGS .................................................................................71 v 6 CONCLUSION……...……….…………………………………………………..75 Comparing Findings...................................................................................75 Expanding the College Choice Model .......................................................77 Implications……………………………………………………………....79 Changing Landscape ..................................................................................81 Recommendations ......................................................................................82 7 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................86 APPENDIX Athlife High School Football Player College Choice Survey .........................................101 vi LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1: FBS Conference recruiting expenditure increases ......................................................18 TABLE 2: NCAA 20 hour rule ......................................................................................................25 TABLE 3: Hossler and Gallagher three phase model ....................................................................34 TABLE 4: Correlation matrix for academic college choice factors .............................................46 TABLE 5: Correlation matrix for athletic college choice factors ..................................................47 TABLE 6: Means for academic college choice factors and advice received ................................49 TABLE 7: Means for athletic college choice factors .....................................................................50 TABLE 8:Descriptive statistics for statements ..............................................................................51 TABLE 9: Regression models for the level of importance attributed to the quality of the athletic training facilities at a prospective college as a college choice factor ............................................56 TABLE 10: Regression models for the level of importance attributed to the college football coach’s ability to prepare players for the NFL as a college choice factor .....................................57 TABLE 11: Regression models for the level of importance attributed to the competitive strength of the football team’s conference as a college choice factor .........................................................58 TABLE 12: Regression models for the level of importance attributed to the number of a college’s alumni who have played in the NFL as a college choice factor .....................................59 TABLE 13: Regression models for the level of importance attributed to the number of nationally televised games a college’s team plays as a college choice factor. ...............................................60 TABLE 14: Regression models for the level of importance attributed to the opportunity to start as a freshman on a prospective college’s football team as a college choice factor .......................61 vii TABLE 15: Regression models for the level of importance attributed to the excitement of the recruiting visit to a prospective college as a college choice factor ................................................62 TABLE 16: Regression models for the level of importance attributed to the winning percentage of a college’s football coach as a college choice factor .................................................................63 TABLE 17: Regression models for the level of importance attributed to the diversity of major choices available at a college as a college choice factor ..............................................................64 TABLE 18: Three phase model with additions for athletes ..........................................................80 viii CHAPTER 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Credible arguments exist on both sides of the debate around the relationship between intercollegiate sports and higher education. The unprecedented financial gains, however, are difficult to ignore. In Football U, Doug Toma discusses the relationship between athletics and higher education, and frames athletics as a double-edged sword. Athletic endeavors can bring attention and resources to institutions, while also conflicting with institutional priorities. This study looks in part at one half of the transaction that occurs between institutions of higher education and the personnel who are most vital to the college sports enterprise, the student athletes. This study seeks to learn more about the college choice process and how it applies to the unique and important population of student athletes. With over 4,000 institutions of higher education in the United States, the decision high school seniors make about where to attend college can be a challenging one (Kankey & Quarterman, 2007). Selecting an institution to attend is one of the most important decisions encountered in a student’s academic career