Sports parents have an almost universal fixation on two common recruiting myths.

Myth No. 1 is that a scholarship offer is the only acceptable result of the recruiting process.

Myth No. 2 is that, because your kid is receiving tons of letters, phone calls and school visits from recruiters, he’s a lock to get a scholarship offer – maybe several.

The facts are: All those cards, letters, calls and visits prove only that your child is one of several thousand around the country who’ve caught the eye of that college’s recruiters. A scholarship football program may offer 20 to 40 scholarships a year to a recruiting class that starts with more than 1,000 prospects and often grows larger before shrinking. It is a numbers game, folks.

But the good news is, a recruiting experience can be very successful without ending in a scholarship offer. It may result in an Admission Offer to a prestigious school that your child might otherwise never get into. That, alone, can be an enormous benefit.

Let’s drill a little deeper into these myths, so you can better understand how to help your child meet his academic and athletic goals in college.

Most parents understand that recruiting is a sales game. Recruiters try to sell their schools to athletes, and athletes try to sell themselves to schools.

To succeed, both parties need to target appropriate "customers" for their sales pitches.

For example, a college that plays Division III football and offers no sports scholarships won’t waste its time recruiting players that are a good bet to get full ride offers from scholarship schools. They’ll seek out guys a bit below that level -- players with good grades and high SAT or ACT scores, who are committed to playing college football and have demonstrated that they can perform at an above-average level on the field.

Likewise, a 5’ 9" running back who weighs 172, runs a 4.9 40, and gained 660 yards on 170 carries his senior year, shouldn’t hold his breath for schollie offers from Miami, USC and Penn State. If he’s smart, he’ll set his sights on some smaller schools that play more modest schedules, just in case.  Such schools rarely offer athletic scholarships. But they can be pretty creative with their Admissions Policies and Financial Aid packages. The kid’s willingness and ability to play football will likely elevate him above other applicants who have no interest in extracurriculars – especially if the football coach sees his tape and likes it.

But let’s say that running back is a real bluechipper with big-time potential. He’s getting letters, phone calls, free tickets to college games … And, of course, his parents are telling their friends about all his "offers."

As ESPN analyst and former Indiana football coach Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend."

Before wallpapering your bathroom with the school’s logo, make sure your youngster really did get an offer -- and not just an expression of admiration.

A scholarship offer sounds like this: "We’d like to offer you a full scholarship to play soccer here at Kickem University." (Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have to be in writing.  Verbal offers are perfectly valid.)

An expression of admiration sounds like this: "We really like your son. He’s one of our top recruits."

Many a sports parent has mistaken the latter for the former, and then accused the school of being dishonest when the offer didn’t materialize. If you didn’t get an offer, don’t assume you did. If you’re not sure, ask. "Are you offering my son a scholarship?" Any answer but "Yes" means … "No."

All those letters your child is getting are not scholarship offers. They’re sort of like credit card promos. They’re designed to get your interest (OK, bad pun, but you get the point). If they want your business, you have to apply and they have to evaluate you. Only after much scrutiny will you be offered an actual credit card. And even then, it may not carry the credit limit and interest rate you were hoping for. In which case, there’s always another offer to consider.

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