Recruiting · NIL · Athlete Development · Atlanta, GA

From Middle School Drills to Division 1 Offers.

Daddy Ball Consulting is the recruiting roadmap built by someone who's lived it on both sides — a former D1 and pro athlete, now a D1-football dad. Insider knowledge, honest guidance, and a proven game plan to help your young athlete earn opportunities at the next level.

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Former D1 Athlete· Former Pro Basketball· Dad of a Tennessee D1 Football Player
@daddyballshow THE DADDYBALL SHOW
D1
Offers Delivered
PRO
Played at the Top
NIL
Strategy Built-In
ATL
Based in Atlanta
Travis Smith, Founder of Daddy Ball Consulting — former Division I athlete and professional basketball player
TRAVIS SMITH · FOUNDER
The Founder

I've Been On Every Side Of This Game.

I'm Travis Smith — former Division I athlete, former professional basketball player, and the dad of a D1 football player at the University of Tennessee.

I've sat in the recruit's chair. I've sat in the parent's chair. I've shaken hands with college coaches as a kid being recruited and as a father pushing for my own son. That dual perspective is the whole game. Most consultants have one side. I have both.

"Talent gets you noticed. Strategy gets you signed. The kids who make it have a parent who knew the playbook — let me be that voice in your corner."

Daddy Ball Consulting turns 30+ years of insider knowledge — across recruiting, NIL, training environments, and the politics of high school and AAU sports — into a step-by-step roadmap your family can actually run.

Former D1 Athlete Former Pro Basketball D1 Football Parent · UT Vols NIL Strategy Specialist
What We Do

Pick Your Lane.

Eight ways to work together — from a free first call to a fully-managed recruiting + NIL campaign. Whatever stage your athlete is in, there's a starting point.

Start Here

Free Recruiting Audit

Complimentary · 20 min

One call. Honest read on where your athlete actually stands and whether D1 is a realistic target right now.

  • Honest position assessment
  • Timeline review
  • Next-step plan
Book Audit
★ Most Booked

The Blueprint Session

90-Min Strategy Intensive

A custom recruiting roadmap built around your athlete — sport, grade, position, GPA, geography, NIL angle. You leave with a written plan.

  • Target school list (reach / match / safety)
  • Coach outreach scripts
  • Highlight reel structure
  • 12-month action calendar
Reserve Session
Full Service

The Recruiting System

6-Month Coaching Engagement

Hands-on. Weekly. Together. I manage the chess game — recruiting + NIL — while you focus on training and academics.

  • Weekly 1:1 strategy calls
  • Coach email & DM management
  • NIL deal evaluation
  • Offer negotiation
Apply
Quick Win

Highlight Reel Audit

Coach-Grade Feedback in 48hrs

Send your current reel. Get back a marked-up review with the exact edits to make it actually convert coaches.

  • First-7-seconds analysis
  • Shot order & pacing notes
  • Position-specific clip selection
Send My Reel
High ROI

Camp & Showcase Selector

Per-Event Evaluation

Camps, combines, 7-on-7's, showcases — which ones are worth your $1,500 and which are exposure theatre? I'll tell you straight.

  • Event ROI ranking
  • Coach-attendance intel
  • Pre-event prep checklist
Get Calendar
2026 Essential

NIL & Personal Brand

Strategy + Deal Review

NIL changed recruiting forever. Build the brand college coaches AND brand partners want — without losing eligibility or your kid's voice.

  • Brand identity workshop
  • Content calendar foundation
  • NIL deal contract review
  • Compliance guardrails
Build Brand
Group

Parent Workshops

Monthly Live Cohorts

Small-group webinars covering recruiting + NIL quarter-by-quarter. Cheaper than 1:1, still gets you the playbook.

  • 4 sessions per month
  • Live Q&A with families
  • Resource library
Join Cohort
For Teams

Speaking & Clinics

Custom Engagements

Book Travis for your AAU program, high school team, league, parent night, or league event. In-person or virtual.

  • Custom curriculum
  • Travel-flexible (ATL based)
  • Recorded session option
Request Date
How It Works

Four Steps. No Guesswork.

Every family follows the same proven path — adjusted for the athlete's sport, grade, current standing, and NIL potential.

01

Audit

Free 20-min discovery call. Honest read on where your athlete is and where D1 actually fits.

02

Blueprint

Custom written roadmap — target schools, outreach scripts, highlight reel structure, NIL strategy, 12-month plan.

03

Execute

You run the plays. I'm on the sideline with weekly check-ins, coach intros, and course corrections.

04

Sign

Coaches start calling. Offers come in. We evaluate, negotiate, and pick the right fit together.

The Honest Truth

Six Mistakes That Cost Scholarships.

Recruiting failures don't usually look like failures — they look like normal parenting decisions that quietly close doors. Here's what we see most often.

Waiting Until Junior Year

By the time you start "thinking about recruiting" in 11th grade, the kids getting D1 offers were on coach radars by 9th. The calendar matters more than talent.

The Wrong Showcases

Spending $2,000 on a tournament with zero D1 coaches in attendance — while skipping a $200 regional camp where 18 are watching. Exposure isn't the same as exposure.

Highlight Reels That Hurt

Most reels lose coaches in the first 7 seconds. Wrong opening clip, wrong music, wrong shot selection — and the coach closes the tab before your kid touches the ball.

Generic Coach Emails

"Dear Coach, my son is a great athlete…" goes straight to spam. Coaches recruit specific positions for specific systems, and your outreach has to speak their language.

Ignoring Academics

A 2.7 GPA closes more D1 doors than a slow 40 time. The kids who slip through are the ones whose parents treated academics as the second priority.

Mishandling NIL

One bad NIL deal — wrong contract, wrong partner, wrong compliance — and your athlete's eligibility, brand, and offer sheet all take a hit. NIL is a privilege, not a free-for-all.

▶
The Show

The Daddyball Show.

Weekly conversations with parents, coaches, current college athletes, and NIL professionals who've actually been through the recruiting maze. Real stories. Real strategy. Zero recycled YouTube fluff.

📷 Instagram ▶ YouTube 🎧 Spotify 🎙 Apple Podcasts
Receipts

Real Families. Real Signings.

Testimonials below are placeholder copy — Travis will populate with real family quotes + signing announcements before launch.

Travis told us my son's reel was the cleanest the coach had seen all season. Two months later he had three offers on the table.
MJ
The Johnson FamilyFootball · QB · Class of '26
We were guessing. Now we have a calendar, a target list, and a NIL plan. Already heard back from two assistant coaches this week.
TW
The Williams FamilyBasketball · SG · Class of '27
I'm a dad too — I needed someone who'd shoot me straight, not sell me a $10k course. That's exactly what Travis delivered.
RD
The Davis FamilyBaseball · OF · Class of '26
FAQ

Real Questions. Real Answers.

My athlete is still in middle school — too early to talk?

Not at all — it's actually the best time. The earlier we get the academic + showcase + brand strategy right, the more options your athlete has senior year. We have a starter audit specifically for 6th–8th grade families.

What sports do you specialize in?

Primarily football and basketball — the sports Travis personally lived through as both an athlete and a parent. We also work with baseball families. If your athlete's sport is outside our lane, we'll tell you straight and refer you to someone better.

Are you guaranteeing a Division 1 offer?

No. Anyone who guarantees a D1 offer is selling you something. What we guarantee is a real strategy, real coach exposure, and a clear answer about what level your athlete is actually being recruited at — and how to maximize it.

How is this different from a paid recruiting service?

Most paid services blast your athlete's profile to thousands of coaches. Coaches ignore those emails. We do targeted, one-by-one outreach to coaches who actually recruit your athlete's profile — and we handle the NIL angle most services ignore entirely.

Do you really know NIL?

Yes. NIL changed recruiting in 2021 and Travis has been working in it ever since — both as a parent of a D1 athlete navigating real NIL decisions and as a consultant for families building their athletes' personal brands. Compliance, deal review, content strategy — it's baked into every engagement.

Where are you based? Do you travel?

Atlanta, GA. Most consulting is done by phone, video, or text. For workshops and clinics, Travis travels regionally and selectively nationally.

How do I get started?

Book the free 20-minute Recruiting Audit at the bottom of this page. We'll talk, Travis will be honest about whether he can help, and we go from there. No pressure, no pitch.

Stop Hoping. Start Recruiting.

The first call is free. The roadmap is custom. The kids who get signed had a parent who did this work — let Travis be the one in your corner.

Book Your Free Audit →
Let's Talk

Reach Out. First Call Is Free.

Coach Up.

Phone / Text
(404) 936-3476
Based In
Atlanta, GA · Available nationally