Don’t Reach for the Stars
the Star System Isn’t Flawed — It’s Failed
Every year, the specialist world is flooded with rankings and labels that don’t survive the first real test:
College Camps.
The moment the balls start flying, the gaps become obvious:
Ball flight is different
Contact is different
Consistency is nowhere close
What was labeled elite suddenly looks average.
So, let’s stop dodging the real question:
Who decided what a 5‑star actually is?
THE ILLUSION OF EVALUATION
This isn’t an attack on trainers.
Or directors.
Or the people working hard to develop athletes.
The system they operate in is the problem.
It’s built on:
Makes vs. misses
One‑day performances
Weather and field inconsistencies (Kicking Between Soccer Posts / PVC & Snapping in Gym’s)
Massive events with multiple standardization
We pretend it’s equal.
It’s not.
Evaluating a kicker in perfect conditions against someone battling wind and rain is not the same “ranking.”
It’s an event recap.
WHAT COLLEGE COACHES ACTUALLY DO
Here’s the truth:
Coaches don’t trust the stars.
They trust people.
They pick up the phone.
They ask trusted directors one question:
“Who is ____ and What am I really getting?”
Because coaches know:
A clean chart isn’t a college-ready leg
Five makes can tell Five different stories
A ball split with command is different than a ball that barely sneaks in
The current system doesn’t measure what actually matters.
THE Miss
In other positions, a 5-star means one thing:
Future NFL potential. Rare. Undeniable. Backed by measurables that translate.
It’s not handed out early.
It’s not projected loosely.
It’s earned over time and it holds up.
But in the specialist world?
The meaning has drifted.
Freshmen stamped as 4.5-stars
Before they’ve physically developed.
Sophomores labeled as 5-stars
Before their game has been tested over time.
Exposure confused with development.
Attendance mistaken for advancement.
And somewhere in the middle of all of it,
The standard moved.
Now families are chasing something that no longer has a fixed definition.
They’re investing time.
They’re spending money.
They’re traveling, training, attending event after event.
Trying to reach a label that doesn’t consistently reflect what it’s supposed to mean.
And here’s where I see it becoming a real problem:
College football is investing too.
Opportunities for specialists are at an all-time high.
Scholarships.
Roster spots.
Real roles that impact games.
Programs are committing significant resources sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars over a career, to the right specialist.
So, the question has to be asked:
Why would a College programs trust a system that doesn’t clearly define what a 5-star actually is?
Why would they invest at that level…on a label that doesn’t consistently translate when the player steps on campus?
They won’t.
And more importantly
They don’t!
That’s why coaches lean on relationships.
That’s why they verify.
That’s why they bring players in and evaluate for themselves.
Because the current system hasn’t given them a standard they can fully trust.
And when the standard isn’t trusted, it doesn’t just affect rankings.
It affects decisions.
It affects opportunities.
It affects the path for every athlete coming through the position.
This isn’t just confusing.
It’s expensive.
It’s misleading.
And it’s holding the position back at the exact moment it should be accelerating forward.
Because if the label doesn’t match the investment, then the system isn’t just flawed.
It’s disconnected.
Let’s Rebuild
To be clear. Not the people.
The system.
And rebuild it on what actually matters.
THE “OFF THE UPRIGHTS” STANDARD
A 5‑star shouldn’t be GIVEN.
Stars should be EARNED through standardized, verified, pressure-tested performance.
Stage 1: Regional Events — Separation, Not Celebration
Five regional events. Same structure. Same demands.
Kickers -You Must Kick & Punt (Colleges Want Both)
Best of 2 rounds × 12 field goal reps (Goods Only) (24 Balls)
Best of 8. 5 averaged punts count (Height/ Hang Time + Distance)
Best 3 of 5 kickoffs averaged (Height/ Hang Time + Distance)
Snappers
Best of 2 rounds LS / SS- 12 balls Accuracy + verified velocity (24 Balls)
Speed and Agility Testing
No bonus balls.
No inflation or re-do’s.
Just truth.
Top 10 advance. The rest go home.
Because not everyone is supposed to move on.
Stage 2: Top 50’s — The Reality Check
Two days. Same metrics as Stage 1. Adjust range and Strength Test for Snappers. No hiding.
But now at this event delivers what families and players actually need:
Recruiting Education
Real conversations, not recycled advice.
What coaches really look for
Why rankings don’t equal offers
How fit and timing beat labels
What families should and shouldn’t do
Live Film Breakdowns
Raw reps. Real feedback.
Ball flight
Body position
Contact patterns
Miss tendencies
Communication Training
Because talent isn’t enough.
How to speak to coaches
When parents step in — and when they don’t
How to communicate without sounding scripted
Fit Over Hype / Hard Truth
A reset every family needs:
What level actually matches the athlete
What schools make sense
What comes next in the journey
Polish off Two Days and Top 15 advance. Mailed Invitation Weeks Later. Go down the list, if you are awarded the opportunity and cannot attend it opens the spot for another.
Those outside leave with something far more valuable than a star:
Clarity.
Stage 3: WHERE THE 5 STARS ARE EARNED
Small groups.
Every rep measured.
Nothing hidden.
Powered by TrackMan, Stage 3 eliminates subjectivity.
What TrackMan Removes:
Bias
Memory gaps
Inflated interpretation
What TrackMan Provides:
Rep‑to‑rep truth
Comparable metrics
Data that travels to colleges
This isn’t charting.
It’s performance profiling.
Kickers, Punters, Kickoffs, Snappers
Every position measured exactly as colleges measure them.
And here’s the hard line / the truth:
You cannot buy a 5-star.
You cannot attend your way to a 5-star.
You either meet the standard or you don’t.
As it should be.
WHO THIS HELPS
Coaches
Cleaner boards. Fewer roster misses.
Families
Less wasted money. More direction.
Athletes
Accountability and truth.
The Industry
Credibility rebuilt on standards that translate and are supported and shown with measurable data.
THE PROBLEMS IN 10 LINES
Too many 5-stars
Too little differentiation
Too much marketing
Too few real evaluations
Stars given too early
Zero shared standard
Metrics softened over time
Coaches stopped trusting labels
Attendance mistaken for advancement
Families investing more to learn and achieve less
FINAL WORD
College football is where all of this is supposed to lead.
Right now, the translation isn’t clean.
A real 5-star should REMOVE doubt and not create it.
It should match what shows up on campus.
It should match what shows up on Saturdays.
It should match the moment everything is on the line.
Somewhere along the way, we started handing out stars before defining them.
If a star doesn’t translate to college football…
What are we measuring or ranking?
This isn’t about limiting opportunity.
It’s about aligning it.
A 3‑star who fits and develops is more valuable than a 5‑star who never translates. Ask any position Coach in College Football and the NFL.
The next generation deserves a system connected to where they’re going, not one that leaves them guessing when they get there.
Stop protecting the system.
Start protecting the standard.
CALL TO ACTION: DRAW THE HARD LINE
If you’re in this space, you have a role in fixing it.
College Coaches / Recruiters
Stop relying on labels. Demand verified data.
Directors & Trainers
Stop inflating stars. Start elevating standards.
Parents
Stop chasing labels. Chase fit and development.
Athletes
Stop collecting stars. Start collecting proof.
Share this.
Challenge the model.
Expect better answers.
Protect the next generation.
The standard won’t rise on its own.
We have to raise it.
Remove the stars.
Build the standard.
Let truth decide.
