> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Becoming a COLLEGE - URL: https://www.smdp.com/becoming-a-college/ - Published: 2008-02-02T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T23:11:03.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import *isn’t so easy ATHLETE Student jocks have a long road to stardom* SAMOHI It was a future that started with a lofty dream. For Ryan Katz, they were dreams of blue and gold, being the field general for UCLA at the Rose Bowl, images of Cade McNown and Cory Paus in mind. While the Santa Monica High School quarterback won’t be suiting up as a Bruin next year, his dreams of playing at a major college program will come true on Wednesday when he along with hundreds of seniors across the country will cross the T’s and dot the I’s, signing their Letters of Intent on an annual event known as “National Signing Day.” Katz will be among the quarterbacks competing for a starting role on next year’s Oregon State University squad. “I’m anxious to get up there,” Katz, who graduated in the fall semester, said on Thursday. “It’s going to be a new challenge and that’s going to be good.” While Katz will soon head to Corvallis, Ore. in a few months for spring practice, the course to becoming a college athlete wasn’t without obstacles. For many high school students with similar aspirations, the process to secure an athletic scholarship to play at the next level is time-consuming, with mornings spent in the gym and on the court or field, honing their skills. Afternoons were spent buried in textbooks, adding muscle to their brain. Playing in college is a dream for many high school athletes, who grew up idolizing the likes of Michael Jordon and Tom Brady, and playing at the next level could be a step toward becoming a professional athlete. But for others who don’t have the financial means to pay for college, becoming a student athlete is a ticket to receiving higher education. It’s a process that for many students begins during their sophomore and junior years of high school. Katy Keating, a power forward on the girl’s basketball team at Samohi, started getting noticed by recruiters after her freshman year when she spent her summers in the club circuit, playing in tournaments that are highly attended by college coaches. Her teammate, shooting guard Daisy Feder, started receiving letters from colleges during her sophomore year, but did-n’t begin responding until her junior year. By the summer before her senior year, the calls started rolling in from coaches and the Samohi senior, with college on the horizon, began changing her dietary and work-out habits, keeping track of everything she ate, getting more rest, and spending more time in the gym. Next year, Feder will play at the University of California at San Diego while Keating will join the University of San Francisco’s women’s team. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about doing since I was a little kid,” Feder said. The course that high school student athletes take to secure a spot on a college team, whether it be a Division I or II program, depends on the particular sport and level as each is restricted by different guidelines under the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Many athletes grab the attention of recruiters through their play in off-season club leagues, traveling in the summer through various tournaments that are often highly attended by recruiters. Such was the case for Katz who was already highly touted before his junior year because of his performance in several summer camps, according to Samohi football Coach Zach Cuda. This past summer, Katz participated in summer camps at both Oregon State University and its rival, the University of Oregon. Cuda and his brother both worked in the Oregon State summer football camp and took their young quarterback with them, performing for the Beavers’ coaching staff. “They loved him and by the end of the camp, they offered him a full-ride scholarship,” Cuda said. Offers from Oregon and the University of Washington followed soon after. High school coaches will often sit down with their players during their sophomore or junior years and ask them to compile a list of schools for whom they would like to play, after which point the coach will send out a highlight tape of the athlete to the colleges of choice along with the student’s transcript. Marty Verdugo, the girl’s basketball coach at Samohi, said after evaluating a player’s athletic and mental ability, he will call college coaches to notify he has a topnotch player, inviting them to watch the girls in action at an upcoming game. Just the other night, a recruiter from Cal State Fullerton came to watch Ellesse Brandis play against Inglewood High School. Samohi’s football coach undergoes a similar process for his athletes, helping them create highlight tapes and reviewing a possible list of schools for them to attend and compiling a package that includes the tape, a transcript and test scores. After a series of phone calls and campus visits, the scholarship offers come rolling in, usually during the end of the players’ junior year or beginning of their senior year. Next year, at least four Samohi football players are expected to play in college — linebacker Max Monbouquette who might end up at a Division III school; wide receiver Taylor Wright, who is close to committing to the University of San Diego; and Al-rilwan Adeyemi, a wide receiver and defensive back who is also being recruited by the University of San Diego as well as the Air Force Academy. “This time of year is insane because recruiters are coming by almost daily,” Cuda said. The initiation goes both ways. Nina Matthies, the women’s volleyball coach at Pepperdine University, scans the entire country for potential volleyball players, keeping a close track of their database of players they have watched for years. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/020208-09_01.jpg) ON THEIR WAY: Santa Monica High School’ Katy Keating (left) has committed to the University of San Francisco. (Photo: Photos by Alexis Hawkins) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/020208-09_02.jpg) ON THEIR WAY: Santa Monica High School’ Katy Keating (left) has committed to the University of San Francisco. (Photo: Photos by Alexis Hawkins) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 2, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/020208.pdf?ref=smdp.com)