College football recruiting has never been simple. But with NIL, the transfer portal, roster management, collectives, agents, and changing recruiting strategies now playing major roles, the process has become more complicated than ever.

For athletes and parents, understanding how the system actually works can be just as important as having the talent to play at the next level.

In this episode, Preston Jackson sits down with former college football assistant coach Will Glover to break down what is really happening behind the scenes in college football recruiting. The conversation goes beyond star ratings and scholarship offers to explore how coaches evaluate prospects, manage rosters, navigate NIL, and build relationships with athletes and families.

One of the biggest takeaways is that recruiting is built on relationships. Coaches are evaluating more than athletic ability. They are looking at development, character, communication, academics, positional needs, and whether a prospect fits what they are trying to build.

At the same time, athletes and families need to understand that recruiting conversations can involve many different people. Coaches, agents, collectives, advisors, and other representatives can all influence decisions. That makes honest communication and clearly understanding what is being offered extremely important.

But there is another layer families need to understand.

NIL has created new opportunities for college athletes, but it has also introduced financial and legal responsibilities. An NIL deal is not simply free money. Athletes may need to consider taxes, contracts, deliverables, representation, and the long-term implications of accepting certain agreements. Understanding the business side of college sports is becoming part of athlete management.

The transfer portal creates another complicated decision point.

Transferring can provide athletes with new opportunities, but there can also be pitfalls involving roster availability, communication with coaches, eligibility, academics, and transcript transfers. An athlete should understand the consequences of entering the portal before making an emotional decision.

And this is where recruiting strategy becomes especially important.

College programs are constantly managing roster needs. Recruiting rooms are built around specific positions, numbers, scholarship availability, development timelines, and immediate needs. A coach may love a prospect but still have limited room for that player based on the current roster.

That reality is easy for families to overlook.

The biggest stage in college football involves a lot of moving parts. Understanding those moving parts gives athletes and parents a better opportunity to make informed decisions.

The recruiting process is evolving quickly, but one principle remains important: build relationships, communicate honestly, understand the business, and never assume that an offer or promise means the same thing to everyone involved.

For athletes pursuing college football, recruiting is no longer just about getting noticed. It is about understanding the system once you get noticed.