Matthew Putnam, Recruiting Specialist
Southern Utah University
(312) 638-4493
NCSA Recruiting
After losing my opportunity to play for the University of Utah on a scholarship offer, my dreams of playing Division 1 football for the Utes were over. I did not know about the NCAA Eligibility Center qualifications. In my mind, all I had to do was perform on the field, have a decent GPA and everything else would take care of itself–boy was I wrong! I was still offered a walk-on opportunity from Utah but would not be eligible for a scholarship until I had received my associate’s degree. At this time in my life I had made the decision to not walk-on at the University of Utah and instead take the scholarship I was blessed to receive from Snow Junior College, where the Badgers and I went undefeated to play in the National Championship at Rio Tinto Stadium. I started as a true freshman strong safety and eventually made the transition to wide receiver the following year.
After finishing up my sophomore season with Snow College, I had no idea if I would be suiting up for another school or just finishing my degree. I was fortunate enough to have a father who took it upon himself to see that I didn’t make the same mistakes I did in high school, and he made sure my talents would be utilized going forward in my football career. My father found NCSA and decided to enroll me after he saw the success other student-athletes were having. Though I didn’t get started with NCSA until late in my career, they were able to find me a full-ride scholarship to the University of Wagner in New York. Being from Utah, I decided to respectfully turn down the offer and take a recruiting trip to Southern Utah University.
After falling in love with the red rocks and tall mountains, along with the culture that surrounded Southern Utah University, I knew this was where I wanted to play. I took a preferred walk-on spot in the spring of 2010 and earned a scholarship by the fall of 2011. I played wide receiver and also started on special teams. I studied kinesiology/coaching and was awarded honors for attaining a 3.6 GPA.
To be blessed with the opportunity to help families understand the recruiting process and be able to use the resources NCSA provides truly gives me purpose in life. I am extremely passionate about the game of football and the lessons it has distilled in me. I know there are student-athletes who are going through the same struggles I went through. To share my story and help families not make the same mistakes I made is a dream come true.
