Abstract
Division I football student-athletes face persistent challenges in career development due to the commercialization of college athletics, extensive athletic time commitments, and inconsistent institutional support. This dissertation examined the relationship between athletic identity transition and career readiness among Division I football players to enhance institutional programs’ effectiveness and post-athletic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify and understand factors influencing players’ preparedness for careers beyond the playing field, including time demands, academic clustering, commercialization, and limited campus engagement. Research and theory were analyzed to assess how these factors shape players’ professional growth and long-term success. Super’s (1990) lifespan, life-space theory was applied to aid understanding of the process of identity transition through life stages and how it can shape career readiness. Based on research, theory, and best practices discovered, strategies and resources were recommended for Division I athletic departments to better support their football players in career preparation.