Athletic Recruiting · Athletic Scholarship Corporation

Former D1 Track Star on "Recruiting the Female Student-Athlete."

·38 min·3 clips

Christian went from zero offers to Alabama calling in 15 minutes after ASC set up her profile.

This episode features host AJ Hodel, CEO of the Athletic Scholarship Corporation, in conversation with former Division I track athlete Christian Johnson. Johnson, a former top-distance runner from Ohio, now works as a chiropractor and rehabilitation coordinator. The discussion centers on her personal journey through the college athletic recruiting process as a female student-athlete. Johnson explains she initially received only generic recruitment mail despite being a top runner in Ohio. Her high school athletic director connected her with AJ Hodel's service, which created a detailed athletic profile for her. Immediately after the profile was active, she was inundated with calls and emails from major universities like Alabama. She ultimately chose Coastal Carolina University after taking five official visits, the maximum allowed. The conversation highlights the ongoing relevance of Title IX and the challenge for universities to find academically qualified female athletes. Johnson details the demanding dual life of a D1 athlete, balancing intense track commitments with a nationally-ranked academic team. A key insight is Johnson's assertion that female athletes generally receive less recruiting attention than their male counterparts. She credits the professional profile and active marketing by Hodel's company for unlocking her opportunities. Johnson shares a memorable moment when her high school coach predicted she would finally run a sub-five-minute mile at the state meet, which she did with a time of 4:59. She estimates her athletic scholarship was worth roughly $120,000 over four years, covering annual costs of about $30,000. Her best advice to young athletes is to persistently work on their craft and avoid distractions, particularly romantic relationships, during high school. Johnson emphasizes that college competition is a completely different level where "everyone is good," requiring constant peak performance. She notes athletic scholarships were renewed annually based on performance, creating a continuous evaluation process. A surprising claim from Hodel is that many recruitment letters are merely marketing tools and do not guarantee actual scholarship funds. Johnson advises prospective recruits to ask coaches specific questions about academic support, scholarship renewal policies, and injury protocols. She also recommends speaking candidly with current team members during visits to understand the program's true culture. The tone is a casual, conversational interview between two people who share a past professional connection. The style is advisory and anecdotal, blending personal storytelling with broader recruiting insights. This episode is ideal for high school female athletes, particularly in track and field, and their parents seeking a firsthand account of the recruiting process. Listeners interested in the business realities of college sports scholarships and Title IX's modern implications would also find it valuable. Those seeking a highly structured, data-heavy analysis of recruiting statistics might find the personal narrative focus less useful.

As heard by us

Recruiting advice that stays grounded in lived experience rather than hype.

The discussion works because it stays close to something real: how much harder the jump from high school to college can feel once everyone around you was also a standout.

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Why you'd press play

You want recruiting advice from someone who made the jump from Ohio track to college.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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