THE CHAMPIONSHIP RECRUITER NEWSLETTER UPDATE – September 2026

A Quick Note from Dr. Steve Brennan

Welcome new coaches.
This is your “Best Practices” site for educational resources to make you the best recruiter at your school!

Note:  My new contact phone number is 531-777-0432.  Email remains with steve@thebestcollegerecruiter.com

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Women’s collegiate flag football is the fastest growing of Emerging Sports for Women.  There are over 400 varsity and club teams playing in NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III.  In addition, NAIA and junior college teams increase the number of participants.

The growth has been so impressive that the NCAA Board of Governors has approved funding to support a national championship and a sport committee in women’s flag football, moving one step closer to establishing a National Collegiate Championship ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Flag football is an Olympic sanctioned sport.

The allocation of funding will be for a Division I flag football championship. The NCAA noted that the funding approval marks another step in the continued growth of women’s flag football across the NCAA membership.

In January, the three divisions voted to pass resolutions to add women’s flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program, which took effect for the 2026 spring season.  According to a report from Collegiate Flag Football, hours after all three divisions added the sport, the University of Nebraska announced plans to establish a varsity team, becoming the first Power 4 school to do so.  Now, more than 20 D-1 programs have announced intentions to launch teams by 2028.

The NAIA started the flag football movement in 2021.  Hundreds of schools participated, with Warner University in Florida winning the national championship.

When the NCAA adopted the recommendations of the Gender Equity Task Force in 1994, one of the recommendations was the creation of the list of emerging sports for women to help close the participation gap between men’s and women’s sports. Nine sports were on the original list.

Since then, eight sports have become national championship sports: Beach volleyball, rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling, women’s wrestling, acrobatics and tumbling, and stunt.  In 2024-25, emerging sports accounted for nearly 7000 participation opportunities for student-athletes based on NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates data, an increase of over 20% from 2023-24.

The University of Nebraska hired twin sisters with NAIA championship connections to coach the team.  Liz and Katie Sowers won five national championships at Ottawa University in Kansas.  They have built a 21-player roster and will begin competition in spring 2027.

The Husker flag football team was also invited to participate in the inaugural College Football Playoff Flag Football Showcase in Las Vegas in January 2027. The other D-I varsity teams invited to play include Manhattan University, Eastern Michigan and Cal Poly. USC, Cal, Oklahoma, UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State will all take part in the club division.

I’m thrilled to see added female teams to collegiate athletic departments. It’s been a long time coming since the passing of Title IX legislation in 1973.  I’m also proud of my alma mater adding flag football as the 25^th varsity Husker sport.  You can bet that Husker fans will show up in droves to watch the games. Plus, all players are guaranteed full athletic scholarships.  Not bad for a new emerging sport.

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My newly emboldened website, www.thebestcollegerecruiter.com, is meeting the recruiting needs of all coaches in every sport. You need to see the most popular choices of what your competitors are redeeming.

To redeem your Special Offers, go here:
https://www.thebestcollegerecruiter.com/product-category/special-offer/

To redeem your Free Stuff, go here:
https://www.thebestcollegerecruiter.com/product-category/shameless-bribe/

To redeem your special E-Books, go here:
https://www.thebestcollegerecruiter.com/product-category/e-books/

To redeem your unique recruiting and coaching books, go here:
https://www.thebestcollegerecruiter.com/product-category/books/

To obtain Sport Psychology resources, go here:
https://www.thebestcollegerecruiter.com/mental-toughness-training/

To obtain Specialty Services, go here:
https://www.thebestcollegerecruiter.com/specialty-services/

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One of my critical websites, the scientifically-validated Success Factors Scales®-Athletics Edition [www.successfactorsscales.com], is giving coaches extraordinary feedback on the mental strengths of their players.

ANALYTICS has been a big buzz word in athletic competition for a while now.  The focus of Analytics is to quantify subjective elements associated with player performance.  Think of the Success Factors Scales®-Athletics Edition as Analytics of the Mind.

The Intangibles of Winning traits that coaches and recruiters seek in their players are Cohesiveness, Competitiveness, Confidence, Coping with Pressure, Injury rehabilitation, Integrity, Leadership, Maturity, Mental Toughness, and Motivation. The Scales quantify these traits for you.

How well do you know your players?

• What player has the proper mindset to sink that free throw in the final seconds of your championship basketball game?
• What player has the proper mindset on your football special teams that will wreak havoc on your opponents?
• What player has the proper mindset to perform flawlessly on your penalty-killing unit in ice hockey?
• What player has the proper mindset to be your closer in baseball and softball?
• What player has the proper mindset to score during a shoot-out of a championship soccer match?

You know, it may not be the player you think it is.  It could be someone you never thought had it in them.

It sometimes takes coaches years to find these special individuals on their teams.  But you can discover the Intangibles of Winning in your players within minutes by utilizing the proper scientific instrument.

Research indicates that “clutch players” and members of championship teams, both male and female, exhibit the qualities that are measured in the Scales.

As coaches, you’re always talking about the “intangibles” of winning with your players.  Now you can get scientific proof of how mentally strong your players really are. This is the kind of information a coach builds champions with.

This is a ONE-TIME INVESTMENT that will give you and your players valuable team-building and personal development information.  Now is the time to make your team the best it can be!  Contact me for possible team discounts.

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With www.thebestcollegerecruiter.com now active, my newest Best-Seller publication, SECRETS of the Five-Star Recruiter, is available in three formats at the website.

This is the resource you need in your professional and personal library. Do you want to know…
1.  SECRETS how to persuade, influence, and attract recruits to your school? Read Chapter 2.
2.  SECRETS to using social media in the recruiting process?  Read Chapter 9.
3.  SECRETS to recruiting the parents/guardians?  Read Chapter16.
4.  SECRETS how to recruit the “Portal”? Read Chapter 19.
5.  SECRETS on how to handle sensitive recruiting topics?  Read Chapter 24.
and much, much more!

What the Experts Have to Say…

“Recruiting is the lifeline to any team. Recruiting is changing more rapidly than ever. Dr. Brennan has written a book that will give any coach an edge in the recruiting game today.”

                                                                                                                                               —John Cook
                                                                                          Head Volleyball Coach University of Nebrask
2017 AVCA Hall of Fame Inductee

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I will keep you updated regarding future events that will be helpful to you as a college recruiter. During that time, I hope you will check out www.thebestcollegerecruiter.com  and see how it can help you recruit the best student-athletes to your school.  Thank you to the coaches who continue to purchase my products.