The first time I stepped onto a Division 1 football field during preseason camp, the sheer scale of everything hit me like a linebacker blitz. It wasn’t just the 80,000-seat stadium or the fact that our strength coach had us tracking body fat percentages down to the decimal—mine was 9.7% at my peak, though honestly, I think the machine was being generous. It was the mental shift, that switch from high school standout to college athlete, where every drill, every film session, and every meal felt like it carried the weight of a championship. Over my years playing and later coaching, I’ve come to realize that success in Division 1 football isn’t just about raw talent or physical prowess. It’s a relentless, almost obsessive focus on what’s ahead, a mindset that one of our team leaders captured perfectly when he said, “We can’t worry about the last six games that already passed because it’s in the past. So now, we just have to focus on the next six games coming ahead.” That quote isn’t just locker-room talk—it’s the DNA of every player who thrives at this level.

Let’s talk about the physical demands first, because they’re brutal, and I don’t use that word lightly. In Division 1, you’re competing against athletes who are, frankly, freaks of nature. I remember one offseason where our conditioning tests required us to run 16 110-yard sprints, each under 15 seconds, with just 45 seconds of rest in between. Fail that, and you’d be running alone at 5 a.m. until you got it right. And the numbers don’t lie—the average Division 1 offensive lineman now benches around 225 pounds for 20 reps or more, and skill players often clock 40-yard dashes in under 4.5 seconds. But here’s the thing: everyone at this level has those physical tools. What separates the successful ones is how they handle the grind without burning out. I’ve seen incredibly gifted players wash out because they couldn’t sustain the effort, while others with less natural ability carved out roles by embracing the daily process. For me, it was about breaking it down into small chunks—focusing on the next rep, the next practice, the next game. That mindset, echoed in that quote about not dwelling on the past, is what turns potential into performance.

Mentally, the game is even tougher. The pressure to perform is insane, especially when you consider that only about 1.6% of college football players ever make it to the NFL. During my sophomore year, we started the season 2-4, and the negativity from fans and media was suffocating. I’ll admit, I spent too much time reading comments online, and it affected my confidence on the field. But our coach sat us down and drilled into us that we had to let go of those losses—exactly as that quote suggests. He’d say, “The past is a lesson, not a life sentence.” We started treating each week as a clean slate, and it transformed our season. We ended up winning five of our last six games, including a bowl game that nobody expected us to be in. That experience taught me that mental resilience isn’t some abstract concept; it’s a skill you practice daily, whether it’s through visualization, meditation, or just leaning on your teammates. Personally, I found that talking through mistakes with my position group right after games helped me move on faster. We’d dissect what went wrong, learn from it, and then literally shake it off—no carrying that baggage into the next week.

Then there’s the off-field component, which I think is the most underestimated part of Division 1 success. Balancing 20-plus hours of football each week with academics and a social life is like juggling chainsaws. NCAA data shows that athletes spend roughly 35 hours per week on their sport during the season, and if you’re not careful, it can consume you. I’ve seen players flunk out because they prioritized football over everything else, and honestly, I almost fell into that trap myself freshman year. My GPA dipped to 2.3 that first semester, and it was a wake-up call. I started using time-management apps, blocking out study sessions between practices, and even sacrificing parties—though I won’t lie, it stung to see my non-athlete friends having fun while I was in the film room. But that discipline paid off; by senior year, I was named to the Academic All-Conference team with a 3.6 GPA. It’s all about that forward focus again—you can’t dwell on the party you missed or the grade you bombed last week. You have to keep your eyes on the next assignment, the next exam, the next opportunity to improve.

Looking back, what made the difference for me and the teammates I admired wasn’t just talent or luck—it was that unwavering commitment to the present and future. Division 1 football is a marathon of moments, each one demanding your full attention. Whether it’s recovering from a fumble, bouncing back from a loss, or pushing through exhaustion in the fourth quarter, the ability to reset and focus on what’s next is non-negotiable. That quote about the “fresh start” and the “next six games” isn’t just words; it’s a blueprint for survival in this sport. If you’re aspiring to play at this level, my advice is simple: train like a pro, think like a champion, and never let yesterday’s failures dictate tomorrow’s success. Because in Division 1 football, the only thing that matters is the next play.