When we tell high school or AAU coaches that our website, College Prospect Network, is completely free for their athletes, many of them are skeptical and say something along the lines of, “I’ve heard this before. You may not charge them to join the site but you WILL ask for money in the future.” We understand the skepticism because there are other websites out there that claim to be free but they charge money to promote paying athletes ahead of athletes with a free profile.

We don’t do that and we never will. College Prospect Network is truly different and we are here to help athletes and the college programs that need them.

We believe that you will understand why the service is free for athletes and their parents once you get to know us a little better. You may have read our Vice president’s story about what inspired him to start the site and now we would like to share our CEO’s inspiration: his brother.

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I played football in high school but I was under no misconceptions about my level of talent. I was good enough to start on varsity for St. John Vianney of New Jersey but I knew that was as far as my football-playing career was going. My brother, on the other hand, was a tremendous football player and could have definitely contributed at the next level.

His name is Pat and he was every bit the athlete that I was not. As a high school junior he was 6’1″ and already weighed 225 pounds. He played all over the offensive line, mostly at center, but the defensive side of the ball was where he truly flourished.

Throughout his time on varsity, he played every position on the defensive line, inside and outside linebacker and both safety spots. He basically did everything except play cornerback. He was a three-year letterman, two-year starter and Team Captain his senior year because of his leadership, work ethic and unbelievable motor.

Every weekend I would leave college and drive to wherever he was playing because it made me proud to watch him play. I remember thinking, “Man, this kid has it all. He’s the total package. Why aren’t colleges beating the door down to sign him?”

The answer was pretty obvious now that I know more about the recruiting process. While Pat did have it all on the field and in the classroom, there was a lot that he did not have. Namely: game film, highlight tapes, a recruiting profile, college coaches’ contact information and a clear idea of how to get his name out to coaches and scouts. The thing is, his natural position was Defensive End but, at 6’1″, he was a little under-sized for top-tier Division I programs to pay much attention to him. The schools that needed to see him were the same schools that didn’t have the budget and manpower to get out to Holmdel, NJ to find him.

Once he graduated I stopped thinking about the fact that he should have been recruited. He has done pretty well for himself so it was never a big deal to me. But then I had a revealing conversation with my father about some of the things he missed about having his family all under one roof. Surprisingly, watching Pat play football was one of the first things he mentioned.

It turns out that my father was just as proud of Pat when he played football as I was but for very different reasons.

My father, who came over from Italy when he was a teenager, never knew much about football and never really cared to learn about it. He went to all my games but it still didn’t resonate with him until Pat started playing. As I mentioned earlier, my brother had tremendous heart. He was one of the most intense, fierce competitors I have ever seen on a field, court or pitch. My father didn’t need to know much about the rules of game to appreciate Pat’s near-maniacal competitiveness; he simply loved to watch my brother attack ball carriers and blockers with everything he had. No matter the play or the score, Pat played as if it was his last time to be on a field.

When I told Pat about the conversation with my father, he agreed that he would have liked to continue his playing career for another four years. It is highly unlikely that he had any potential to play professionally but just having those four additional years would have been great for him. And for my father.

– Dominick Lombardi, CEO – College prospect Network

If College Prospect Network would have been around in time to help Pat increase his exposure to college coaches and scouts, we believe he would have had a solid, rewarding playing career in college. The good news is: it’s here now and your athletes/sons/daughters/friends don’t have to go unnoticed anymore. We are growing every week and so is our capacity to help an ever-increasing number of athletes and colleges.

I’m not going to post my email address here to avoid spam but, if you want to contact me, please use the Contact Us page on our website. Also, if you want to share your story, please leave a comment and we will let you know how to do so.

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