Coaching Student-Athletes and Their Families
Janae McCullough-Boyd’s new venture was sparked by her son’s recruiting process
By Tabitha Ervin
Of Fort Wayne Ink Spot
There are approximately 590,000 college athletes playing at NCCA, NAIA, and NJCAA schools across the country. While Division I athletes in football and basketball get the most press, athletes for smaller schools also have a chance to earn scholarships and grants in aid. It’s not an easy process. Additionally, only 7% of high school athletes play sports in college.
Janae McCullough-Boyd is the founder and CEO of More Than Athletics, LLC, a new business designed to educate student-athletes through the process. Her academic and corporate credentials aside—a Master of Science in Accounting from Ball State University and 20 years as a noted corporate tax accountant. She’s also the mother of two talented student-athletes. Janae is also someone who has lived the recruiting journey as her oldest son was being courted by colleges. Finding the right fit means students and their parents need to understand how the system works—from initial contact through signing a national letter of intent.
“Basically, looking for the best fit school takes hustle and grit, which consists of time, effort, becoming educated on the process, and a lot of patience for the student-athlete and their family,” it says on her company’s website, www.morethanathletics.com.
I recently spoke with Janae about her new venture.
Q: Recently you did a fun countdown on Facebook to announce some exciting news. I was one of the people excitedly watching your page each day to see what the news was. So let us know what you announced on Friday, Feb 12th.
Janae: Well along with the encouragement of my husband and sons, I have started a business called: More Than Athletics, LLC which is a college counseling agency for student-athletes. As I went through the recruiting process with my oldest son Jonathon, or most people know him as Jonny Mac, this past fall 2020, I realized how complex the process was as we navigated his desires in a school which included his academic interests in criminal justice-law enforcement, a great football program that was competitive in its conference plus he wanted a school with a diverse student body as well as a connection to his interest in being involved in ROTC in the future.
As I worked with him through the process of finding the right school for him based on his desires it became exciting to research and my husband felt like I really enjoyed the process. After some conversations, I started seriously considering the idea of supporting other student-athletes through their process of finding the right school for them.
Q: So tell me how you got to this point?
Janae: Well, people may or may not know but I have been an accountant for the past 20 years, the last 12 in the tax department at Steel Dynamics and the other 8 in Public Accounting. If you’d have said to me 6 months ago that I’d leave my accounting career to start my own business, I may have laughed. This process has literally come together in the past 3 months and God has truly blessed everything to be aligned from my logo design from a local minority-owned business, to the creation of my website by a minority-owned company in Indianapolis all the way to my completion of an 11 part series for student-athlete advisors to a current certification I am pursuing through the University of California Irvine online for my Independent Educational Consultant (IEC) Certification.
I’ve learned in the process that students all over the country have this opportunity of support by way of IECs but the Midwest has been a little slower to support students in this way. Even within my class, I’m the only aspiring IEC that will focus on student-athletes and the recruitment process with an academic focus first.
Q: Ok so tell me about the process of a family or student connecting with you and your business.
Janae: First, all college-bound students are welcome! I will interview students on their intent to play a sport at the next level and their passion and commitment to the process.
The best process is for a family to start their student as a freshman or sophomore so we can build out the entire process over time as they figure out colleges and begin to build relationships with coaches and focus on their academics to meet the standards of the NCAA and NAIA.
We will also do an academic survey to determine how they learn and their interests as we seek the right college or university. Over time, I will also support as needed with tutoring assistance, essay writing, proofreading, and the college application process. I will help with athletic camp recommendations, player profiles, and film as well. I am an added resource and advocate for the student-athlete, just like their high school counselor, high school coaches, and club coaches. Each process will be specific to the individual student.
Q: This all sounds awesome so what is your pricing like and how do families get connected?
Janae: I think my prices are reasonable, but this is an investment in the future success of the student-athlete. Students will have to put in the time and effort as there are no guarantees but as we work together through the process there will be a higher probability for success for students who are committed to doing the work.
Our website is www.morethanathletics.com. We are available on all social media platforms @MTAthleticsLLC or More Than Athletics, LLC. I can be reached at both: info@morethanathletes.com or 260.204.3377. I am excited and passionate about his new venture and can’t wait to work with some of our local students.
