SAI (Student Athlete International): OUR STORY

How SAI Got Started- By: Stephen Wiggins

Success in America is often described as a meritocracy. Work hard. Perform well. Get noticed. Earn your opportunity. But sometimes, even excellence is not enough.

SAI was born out of that realization.

My daughter was a nine-time state champion in track and field. She didn’t just win—she dominated. Year after year, she stood on podiums, broke tape at finish lines, and proved herself against the best competition in the state. Off the track, she was just as disciplined. She carried above a 4.0 GPA, consistently taking honors classes throughout high school. She balanced elite athletics with academic excellence in a way that required maturity, time management, and relentless focus.

By every measurable standard, she was the type of student-athlete colleges claim to want.

Yet she was NOT being recruited.

There were no steady calls. No campus invitations. No scholarship discussions. No meaningful engagement from college coaches. It was confusing. Then it became concerning. And eventually, it became clear.

Talent alone doesn’t guarantee visibility. Performance doesn’t automatically translate into opportunity. And in the world of college athletics, recruitment is not passive—it is strategic.

I realized something that changed everything: if we waited to be discovered, we might be waiting forever.

That was the moment SAI began.

SAI was not born in a boardroom. It wasn’t created from a business plan or investor pitch. It started at a kitchen table, with ME looking into my daughter's eyes, and promising her that I would do everything in my power to help her achieve her goals.

I made spreadsheets, highlight videos, and researched, with vigorous determination. I began studying how college recruiting actually works—deadlines, contact periods, roster needs, scholarship allocations, academic eligibility requirements. I researched programs across the country, not just the high-profile schools everyone talks about, but programs at every level: Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior colleges.

I learned that recruiting is about fit, timing, exposure, and communication. Coaches are overwhelmed. They don’t have time to find everyone. Athletes must present themselves clearly, professionally, and persistently.

So, I took the reins.  We built an athletic résumé that was concise and compelling. We created performance profiles. We sent structured introduction emails. We followed up strategically. We tracked responses. We organized unofficial visits. We learned how to communicate not just as hopeful parents, but as prepared professionals.

And then....something powerful happened.

Responses from college coaches began to come in.

Conversations opened up. Coaches who had never heard her name were suddenly reviewing her times, her transcripts, her character references. Doors that seemed invisible before started to appear.

Through that process, I realized something even bigger: we were not alone.

My daughter received over 100 offers from schools across the country.  Ultimately, she graduated Cum Laude with her Masters degree from the University of Florida. Athletically, she was an All-American, an All Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection, and a Conference Champion!

Because of this journey, I realized that there are thousands of talented student-athletes across the country who fall through the cracks—not because they lack ability, but because they lack exposure, guidance, or advocacy. Families assume that excellence will automatically lead to recruitment. But the recruiting landscape has changed. It’s competitive, data-driven, and often impersonal. Without a plan, even extraordinary student athletes can be overlooked.

SAI was created to solve that problem.

It stands for Strategy, Advocacy, & Initiative. SAI exists to empower families to take control of the recruiting process instead of waiting passively. It is built on the belief that HIGH CHARACTER student-athletes deserve a structured pathway to opportunity—one that highlights not just athletic performance, but academic excellence and character.

What began as a father fighting for his daughter evolved into a mission to help other student athletes avoid:

• being invisible
• having to rely on apathetic high school coaches who don't know or don't care how to get student athletes to college
• missing opportunities to graduate college and play collegiate-level sports

SAI is proactive ownership. It represents learning the system instead of complaining about it. It represents turning frustration into action. And most importantly, it represents believing that when opportunity doesn’t knock, you build the door.

My journey with my daughter taught me that recruitment is not about being the loudest—it’s about being seen. Not about hoping—but about positioning. Not about entitlement—but about preparation and persistence.

SAI started because excellence deserved exposure.

And because sometimes, the greatest opportunities begin when a parent decides, “If no one else will advocate for my child, I will.”

Let me help you...through SAI! 

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