When I was seven or eight years old, I decided that I wanted to play football in the National Football League. As I got older, I realized the unrealistic nature of my childhood dreams, but playing collegiate football still was of great interest. 

Now, after countless hours watching film and lifting weights, I am faced with the part-time job of getting college coaches to know my name.

 Goldens Bridge, New York is certainly no Dallas, Texas or Gainesville, Florida. And getting recruited out of New York is a much different process for me than it is for athletes from those parts of the country.

Standout athletes in those states easily grab the attention of college coaches. But in New York, even a strong-armed quarterback playing at a strong football school has to go to the coaches—they do not come to you.

So began my process.

Throughout my sophomore year I was told that I should begin the recruiting process "now." I started by writing letters to coaches, sending videos of practice film, as I had no game film yet. It was much more complicated than it sounds.

There are hundreds of NCAA rules about when and how coaches are able to contact athletes. For example, a coach cannot even respond to an email until September 1 of an athlete's junior year. Coaches are not able to talk to athletes on the phone until May of junior year, when they can only place one call.

Yet the athlete can call a coach whenever he wants,—even my nine-year- old brother can begin the recruiting process (but the coaches just wouldn't be able to respond for another seven years).

Now that I am a junior, the selection process begins. It is a long year for most students between, SAT, ACT, AP exams, and coursework. It is even a longer year for prospectus collegiate athletes.

The phone calls begin in May and a big portion of recruitment continues through August. Since I will not have a year of being the starter under my belt, college camps is where I will have to make a name for myself. The select coaches who are interested in me (I have to be interested in their school, of course) will ask for updates on how my year is going, including film highlights from each game.

Then comes the easy part. After coaches have (hopefully) decided to make an offer, I begin selecting which schools to officially visit. Official visits are visits paid for by the school. I choose the one I like best, and resume a normal life (at least until fall of 2012).

Over the summer I was able to visit the campuses of Lehigh, Lafayette College, Georgetown, and Tufts. I was very impressed, as they are all great schools. I was able to tour the athletic facilities and speak with coaches about their programs and what they stand for.  

But even though focusing on college early can prove beneficial, I'm going to take the coaches' advice to "focus on today, not tomorrow," to heart. As important as the future is, if I take care of my work on the field, and most importantly in the classroom, by my senior year, I think everything will work out okay.

Well at least that's the idea.