Athletic academic advisors can suggest a Blackburn mentor for a student-athlete who needs weekly follow-through between advising meetings. Mentoring happens by video anywhere in the United States, so sessions move with the team’s travel schedule, with text and phone contact in between. The athlete or family reaches out, and with the athlete’s written permission the mentor shares progress with you.
What a mentor adds between advising meetings
You carry a lot for each athlete: building a class schedule around practice, tracking progress toward degree, watching grades against eligibility standards, running study hall and fielding the emails when something slips. What you cannot do is sit with every athlete on Sunday night and plan the week.
A mentor can. The athlete works with one dedicated mentor weekly or several times a week. Together they turn your plan into steps that fit around lifts, film, practice and games: when each paper gets drafted, which office hours to attend, what has to be submitted before the bus leaves. The mentor does not change your plan or give academic advice; they help the athlete carry it out. Our guide to time management for college athletes shows the kind of planning involved.
Working around travel and the season
Video mentoring is built for schedules that will not hold still. Sessions are scheduled in the athlete’s local time zone, wherever they are that week, and they work just as well from a hotel room as from a dorm.
- Before a road trip: list every class and deadline the trip touches, follow your office’s process for notifying professors, and move work earlier where possible.
- During travel: a short 30 minute session or a text check-in keeps the plan alive when a full session will not fit.
- After travel: catch up on missed material through the professor or tutoring your department arranges, then reset the week.
- In season and out: the plan changes with the calendar. Off-season weeks are a good time to get ahead and build habits for the next season.
Athletes who often benefit
- First-year athletes adjusting to college workload and a full sport schedule at once
- Athletes whose grades are putting eligibility at risk and who need a weekly plan to recover (see how athletic eligibility works)
- Injured athletes whose routine has fallen apart without practice to anchor it (see staying on track while injured)
- Athletes thinking about leaving their sport or preparing for life after college sports
- Younger athletes in academies or high school programs balancing training and school (see academy athletes and school)
How referrals and permissions work
- Check your department’s policies. If your athletics department has rules about outside services, confirm with your compliance office before suggesting one.
- Suggest it. Share our number, (888) 305 5422, or the five-minute assessment with the athlete. Families can also reach out on the athlete’s behalf.
- Intro call. Our team reviews the assessment personally and sets up a free intro call. For a high school athlete, a parent or guardian is always on it.
- Matching. The athlete is matched with one dedicated mentor.
- Coordination, with permission. Most college athletes are adults, so the athlete decides in writing who receives updates, including you and their family.
Mentoring is arranged with the athlete or family, not the department. Step-by-step details are on our refer a student page.
Where the mentor’s role stops
- Course selection, degree progress and eligibility decisions stay with you, the registrar and compliance. Rules vary by athletics association and institution, so the mentor never interprets them.
- Content help stays with tutors and faculty; a mentor does not tutor or edit papers.
- Coaching decisions, recruiting and transfers belong to the athletic staff and the athlete.
- Mental health care belongs to licensed professionals. If an athlete is struggling with mood, anxiety or substance use, refer them to the counseling or sports medicine resources your department uses. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Where a mentor helps
The best fit is an athlete who knows what needs to happen and loses the thread somewhere between practice and travel. See mentoring for student-athletes, career planning for student-athletes and all of our pages for education professionals.
Related
- For education professionals
- For college advisors and student support staff
- Athlete transition mentoring
- College success guides
Common questions
Can sessions really happen during the season?
Yes. Sessions are by video and scheduled in the athlete’s local time, so they work from home, campus or a road trip. Shorter 30 minute sessions help on heavy weeks.
Does a mentor monitor eligibility?
No. Eligibility and degree progress stay with your office and compliance. The mentor helps the athlete keep up with the weekly steps that protect their grades.
Who receives progress updates?
Whoever the athlete names in writing. For adult athletes that can include you, their family or both.
Can a family start mentoring without the department?
Yes. Families and athletes contact us directly; a referral from you is a suggestion, not a requirement.
Get started
Thinking of an athlete who could use steady weekly support? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.