@JucoDad posted:Curiosity is the key to success in just about everything. The desire and ability to understand, not just execute makes all the difference...
Most of the comments in this thread are about playing the sport and on-field performance and rightly so, as that's how this thread started. I would add that the curiosity, especially for transferring athletes or even for incoming freshmen, needs to also extend to "what courses and academic performance do I need to achieve to be eligible, and/or be accepted for enrollment at this college/university."
We've heard from too many athletes this year across various sports that they aren't/weren't eligible this year or are crossing their fingers for a waiver because they didn't ask the right questions or enough questions about what it would take to be eligible at their new school.
That ranges from a softball player who unfortunately was attending a small rural high school that had not updated their core course listing with the NCAA since 2015, to athletes transferring as walk-ons to D1 programs who aren't asking the coach "please have my transcript reviewed by your academic staff as soon as possible so I'll know that I have the right number and mix of transferable courses to be eligible this year."