Based on interviews 21 with black student-athletes, this qualitative study identifies critical factors that help African American football players to adjust academically, socially, and emotionally to university life. The participants were members of two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. The study focuses on why black student-athletes are experiencing difficulty transitioning on predominately white campuses and simultaneously rejecting current mentor programs aimed to help them adjust successfully. The study uncovers the reason behind black players dismissal of mentor programs and call for a redevelopment of mentor programs with younger actors, focused on community engagement in order to decrease the graduation rate gap. Compared to black student-athletes who lacked effective mentors, black student-athletes with mentors they embraced fared better.
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