The fall of the year is full of exciting things like school starting and football. It is important that we remind our players that student comes first in student athlete. With the extra practices and games, school and studies can be pushed to the end of the list of things to do. Here are a few tips to help your student athlete make the most of his school year.

1. Be Involved- You show up to games each week. You make sure he is at practice. But you need to make sure he is doing his homework too. If you have questions or concerns, call the teacher. It is better to call and know than for him to fail and be ineligible for other sports or worse for graduation. Parent- teacher nights are a great way to touch base and get to know his teachers.

2. Expect the Best- You expect him to perform on the field, so why not expect it in the classroom? Tell him up front that football is part of his life at school, but to learn is the main reason he is in school. He needs to know that grades come first and football second.

3. Be a Fan- Your child's biggest fan should be you on and off the field. You tell him how good he did or didn't do on the field. Remember that with his grades. When he does well, remember to tell him you are proud of him for grades and football.

4. Take a Stand- Be willing to take a stand for his education. If he doesn't take his education serious, then you may have to make the hard decision to remove him from the team. He needs to know up front that this is a possibility if he is not doing what he needs to do to better himself off the field.

As a parent, we have to do what is best for our children. It is important that your student athlete know that grades come first. If football is a goal for the future, he needs to know that colleges are more likely to take a student who needs work in the athletic department if he has good grades and stays out of trouble. It is harder to find a school willing to take a "problematic" athlete these days and players need to be reminded of this often.