Curtis Lester, Senior Recruiting Specialist
Eastern Illinois University
(312) 610-6118
NCSA Recruiting
Going through the recruiting process was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I remember growing up and watching other athletes sign their National Letters of Intent, and I would think to myself how I couldn’t wait until it was my turn. When I got my first letter from the University of Illinois, I immediately thought, it’s my turn now, and instantly, a lightbulb went off. I started training harder and eating better, and I even began to research different supplements that I could take that would allow me to get more out of my workouts. Along with working out, I put more time into my classwork, staying after school for additional help if there was something I didn’t understand. Everything I could do I did. Getting an athletic scholarship can be challenging because every high school football player wants one, and I was not about to leave any stone unturned.
Slowly but surely, all of that additional time eventually led me to being selected to an All-Conference team and an All-Area team, and I even made the All-State team. Who would have thought that someone could go from getting benched freshman year receiving all of these accolades? My hard work was finally paying off, and with a lot of help from my coach and parents, I was fortunate to receive my first full athletic scholarship offer from Eastern Illinois University. This was probably the best moment in my life up to this point because everything I put in was finally coming back.
Now, as a recruiting specialist, my No. 1 goal is to make sure that every parent and student-athlete committed to playing college football will know exactly what to do to experience this same feeling.
