What is the Average Day of a College Athlete?

The average day of a college athlete looks a lot different than that of a regular student. You will have responsibilities from sunup to sundown. Keep in mind it varies slightly between every sport and school. This article is intended to destroy any myths and get down to the truth.

The Morning:

Wake up at 5:15 am. Get dressed, brush your teeth, then head to get breakfast. After eating head to the weight room five minutes early for a 6:00 am lift/conditioning. Training ends, but now it’s time for a quick shower. Get dressed and grab a quick bite to eat before your 9:00 am class.

You are in classes for a few hours until it is time for some lunch. This gives you a nice little break to refuel and gather yourself. You feel as if your day should be over, but it’s just getting started.

Afternoon:

After this, it’s time to head back to the locker room to get ready for practice. Make sure you are fully dressed, taped, and mentally ready. Practice goes from around 3:00 – 5:00 pm and the intensity is off the charts. From the moment the head coach shows up until the second he leaves you are being observed. Positional Film might be after or before practice depending on the day and the circumstances.

After practice or film, you get a few extra reps in and head back to the locker room to undress. You take a shower and joke around with your teammates for a little bit. By this point your stomach is ready for a big meal so you head to the dining hall for a nice feast.

Evening:

You will enjoy the food and social aspect but must be at study hall by 7:30 pm. At study hall you get your hours in for the week or meet with a tutor. You are there until about 10:00 pm and are really starting to get tired by this point.

From study hall you grab another quick bite of food and head back to your dorm to relax. Here’s where you have free time to play video games or hangout with friends/significant others. You do this for a little, but soon head to bed as you must get up early again tomorrow. You accomplished a lot in one day and will do it all again tomorrow and the day after that.

The average day of a college athlete is demanding yet rewarding. It will look slightly different for everyone but will entail most of what was described above. Make sure to ask questions about the daily schedule when going through the recruiting process.

Are YOU ready for this type of commitment?