Dirk Stanger, Senior Recruiting Specialist
(312) 610-6085
I was a three-year varsity starter as a quarterback at a smaller private high school in the Chicago area. When my high school career ended, I was among the top 50 career passing yardage leaders in the state of Illinois. Football became my passion, and I determined it was something I wanted to continue to play at the college level.
I was recruited by colleges from all over the country, including SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and PAC 10 schools. My parents and I really didn’t know what we were doing when it came to the recruiting process, though. As a result, despite a lot of interest from colleges, I did not receive any scholarship offers. I ended up as a walk-on at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I appreciated the opportunity Coach Barry Alvarez and Coach Brad Childress gave me to play college football. Through hard work and dedication, I became a scholarship player entering my junior year.
I had a phenomenal experience playing college football at one of the best schools in the country. Our teams went on to win the Big 10 Championship and Rose Bowl (1994), Hall of Fame Bowl (1995) and Copper Bowl (1996). The experience and coaching I had was what propelled me into becoming a coach when my playing career was over.
I first started coaching youth football right out of college as a favor to a high school coach of mine. My efforts resulted in me becoming a high school coach in 2003. I have been a high school coach ever since. In my career as a high school coach, I have mentored many successful student-athletes, including more than 80 that have gone on to play at the collegiate level and 15 of those were Division I student-athletes.
In 2012, I was hired at NCSA. Since coming on board, I have been fortunate to help thousands of student-athletes through their recruiting journeys. With each student-athlete I speak with at NCSA, it takes me back to when I was at the same stage in my life. I enjoy helping each individual family understand the process better and provide the guidance needed so that their son or daughter can make their dreams become a reality.