I’ve seen many families who’ve gotten their hearts broken by the college athletic recruiting process. Most of them made one or both of two common mistakes:
1. They hung their hopes on the student’s athletic ability somehow leading to an admission to their dream college.
2. They misinterpreted a college coach’s positive words to mean that the coach would exercise admissions influence on behalf of the student.
Both of those mistakes are much easier to avoid if you become familiar with the college teams and recruiting rules surrounding your sport. And this page on the NCAA’s website is the best place to start.