For over 100 years, college athletes were eligible only for scholarships as compensation for their dedication to their sport. They were "amateurs" by the rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and did not benefit from any profit their colleges generated by selling tickets or media rights to games. A decade of change culminated in the summer of 2025 when most of the settlement terms of the class-action lawsuit, House vs. NCAA, went into effect.

It was the latest milestone propelling college athletics toward a professional model—where student-athletes can more easily seek transfers between teams, at their own initiative, with no eligibility penalties; pursue and profit from endorsement deals marketing their name, image, or likeness (NIL); and are eligible to receive direct revenue-sharing payments from their Division I schools, with each school able to pay up to $20.5 million annually in total to their athletes.

These changes have reshaped the college game for athletes, coaches, and administrators alike. Rising to the challenge are three US alumni—a track and field athlete at The Ohio State University, the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Fairmont State University, and the General Manager of Player Personnel for Duke University’s football team. Their paths differ, but they draw from the same strong foundation in navigating these changes: a US education where they learned success requires focus and agility; effective leaders build community with care and discipline; and character matters as much as skill and talent.

From kindergarten through his freshman year, Brian Kellon's school years followed a steady rhythm, like running laps around a track—imagine some hurdles scattering the oval to represent challenges and excitement, but more or less predictable. These years were all spent at US, and beginning in the Middle School, were filled with year-round school and travel sports: soccer, basketball, and baseball. Though not actually track…yet. 

Brian switched it up sophomore year—he started playing football as a wide receiver and was gaining notice. He recalls, "I wanted to get recruited for football. So I chose to work on my speed and agility in the off-season, and that is how I got into track." Over his junior and senior years, he achieved preferred-walk- on status on football teams at several Division I colleges. During this time, in track and field, he began specializing in the triple jump, competing in the event for the first time in the winter of his senior year. Something clicked, and he shifted focus again to his newest sport. "My dad and I drove to Michigan three times just to get experience at indoor meets that winter." It paid off. That March, Brian won the Division I Indoor State Long Jump and Triple Jump Titles, and now he was being recruited for track. 

Ultimately, he decided on track and field in his college search. He felt his potential was higher, and the school options were a better fit. He spent nearly every weekend in spring of his senior year on a college visit. His schedule was so packed, he forgot he had applied  for an academic scholarship at The Ohio State University—a school not among his top choices at the time— because his sister told him he should. 

Brian earned a full-tuition academic scholarship to Ohio State and an athletics scholarship to cover room and board. With academics and athletics aligned, Brian became a Buckeye. During his college search, the revenue-sharing rule had not yet gone into effect, and for now, it has little impact on sports outside of Division I football and basketball. But Brian has benefited from other aspects of the evolution. The Supreme Court decision in NCAA v. Alston (2021) was one of the first cracks in the amateur college athletics model, and allowed schools to give athletes benefits "related to education," including graduate school scholarships, paid internships, and cash academic achievement awards. Brian received about $1,000 per year in "Alston money" on top of his full scholarship during his first two years at Ohio State. 

Brian is a Biochemistry major and plans to attend dental school—and he’s leaps ahead there, too. He took seven AP courses at US and all the credits transferred. This is one key to the balance he has found in college, he explains, "I can take fewer credit hours each semester and focus on those courses, my training, and staying healthy." Through his experience of changing sports and shifting his goals while continuing to excel academically, Brian learned that adaptability can be a student-athlete's greatest strength. He shared, “There are tons of different ways to get where you want to go. Look at schools that fit your strengths, and you will be able to find something that works out.”  

When Tim Koenig ’02 was a freshman and in his first year at US, he forgot to bring his notebook to Dr. Robert "Doc" Thomas' history class. The consequence of such an oversight, everyone knew, was an immediate dismissal from class, no questions asked.

So, Tim finds a spot on the steps where upperclassmen would hang out, and sat, resigned to his fate. Soon, senior and standout athlete Prince Ogbogu ’99 rolls up, all 6'5" of him. He said, "What the *heck* are you doing here, Tim?" Tim told the truth. Prince said, "If you miss a Doc Thomas class, you'll fail. Get your notebook and get back in there." Tim smiled recalling this moment. "I think that story encompasses my US experience. A senior looking out for a freshman? There was a culture where it was cool to work hard. That environment is what I try to build now."

Today, Tim is in his seventh season as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Fairmont State University in West Virginia, where he led the Falcons to a Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship title last season. His first head coaching job was at Notre Dame College in South Euclid (now closed), where he coached until 2019. Though both are Division II programs, the contrast in setting is stark—at NDC, just outside Cleveland, he often had to convince people that the school had a basketball team. In West Virginia, where there are no nearby professional franchises, fans are devoted. “There’s a group of folks in their 70s and 80s that come to every single one of our practices,” he said, noting the team also offers free admission to all K–12 students in town. Tim relishes the team’s role in the local community and works to foster the same sense of support within it. His title hasn’t changed, but between the new setting and the changes across the NCAA since he left Ohio, it's an entirely different ballgame.

Tim was up for the challenge. He said his time at US, where he had to “hang” academically with many Ivy League-bound students and face some of the most competitive baseball and basketball teams in the state, was key to his career. 

One highlight: a memorable game at the University of Akron’s JAR Arena against St. Vincent–St. Mary High School and its star…a player named LeBron James. He said, "It gave me a level of confidence, it inspired a level of work ethic. But the biggest thing I learned is that I don't have all the answers; no one does. And if you don't ask for help, you're going to be left behind." 

Tim looks for that same level of humility when recruiting players. As head coach at a smaller school, he is very active in recruiting, evaluating high school athletes and those in the transfer portal, and strategizing about roster management, or how to most effectively distribute scholarship money to build the best team possible each year; and on top of all that, being a coach and mentor to his players. 

The Fairmont State basketball team has been very successful on the court with Tim at the helm, and he is equally proud of his players' academic achievements. The team consistently has the highest average GPA and the best graduation rate in their league. Maintaining high graduation rates has become increasingly challenging with the explosion of the transfer portal—athletes can transfer more easily than their credit hours.

It’s a different game than when he started, but Tim’s philosophy hasn’t changed. He builds his team the same way he built his confidence as a Prepper, "We teach our guys good attitudes lead to good behaviors—and that drives performance, on and off the court."

For John Garrett ’83, a career in football seems predetermined. His father, Jim, worked for 38 years as an NFL coach and scout, and John, like brothers Jason ’84 and Judd '85, played football at US, in college, and professionally. Judd continued as a coach and personnel executive in the NFL, and Jason— who spent eight seasons as backup quarterback for, and later nine seasons as head coach of, the Dallas Cowboys—is now a color commentator and studio analyst for NBC Sports. Even their eldest sibling, also Jim, spent 24 years as head coach or offensive coordinator for a certain high school team in Hunting Valley. But to today's students, he is better known as Mr. Garrett—Upper School English teacher, department chair, and poet. Having taken the road less traveled by the Garrett men, he has been inspiring the writer's spirit in US boys for the last 43 years. Completing the family lineup are mother, Jane; and sisters, Jane, Jennifer, Janine, and Jill, all bound by the commitment to family, football, and the letter J. 

Though his love for football began at home, John's US experiences were equally formative. As a freshman, he played football for coach Cliff Foust in his first year coaching at US. Coach Foust, John recalled, took the team to a higher level, and the team won their third straight Interstate Championship title in John's senior year. He said, “Coach constantly worked to give us an edge. His preparation reinforced the example I experienced at home and instilled that even the most experienced individuals can always learn more.”

Today, John brings his decades of experience playing, coaching, and scouting to his latest role at Duke University, where he is General Manager of Player Personnel, one of the first Division I schools in the country to have such a position. "I like how we have it set up," he said, "There are some GMs that do it all—handle the roster, negotiate NIL, talk to the agents. At Duke, we work collaboratively. I handle evaluation—high school recruiting and the transfer portal. Our chief football strategist handles the NIL deals and revenue-sharing numbers, which is very much like the salary cap job in the NFL. The head coach runs the team and has the final say, and with these different strengths, we construct a team considered from many angles."

This triumvirate is key to keeping pace today. "You used to bring in a class and develop them for three or four years," John said. "Now, with the transfer portal, you're basically building your team twice a year. What's become so important now is player retention." Players have more freedom to seek opportunities on other teams than in the past, so teams must work hard to keep them.

For John, retaining players starts with who they recruit in the first place. The attributes John and his colleagues look for in student-athletes are very much aligned with those of US students and alumni: strong academics and character, work ethic, grit, and competitiveness. These qualities also helped propel John throughout his career and in his latest endeavor. He reflected, "College football does not look the same as it did for the last 50 years. It's very exciting, and it can be frustrating. But you have to adapt to be successful." 


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