Inside the Mind of a Champion: How Mental Performance is Revolutionizing Recruiting

by Scott Garvis NHSACA Executive Director of Finance & Partnerships

When Caitlin Clark pulls up from the logo, or a college quarterback drops a dime in the fourth quarter, we marvel at the skill. But behind those moments is a mental edge—an invisible factor now becoming quantifiable. In the latest episode of Bound for Greatness, host Scott Garvis welcomed Dr. Tiffany Jones, certified mental performance consultant and president of X-Factor Performance, alongside Eric McCulley, founder of Get Highlighted, to explore the psychology powering elite athletic performance.

This wasn’t just another sports talk session—it was a master class in the future of athletic recruiting.

From “Do You Have Game?” to “What’s Your Mindset?”

Traditionally, the recruiting process has obsessed over speed, stats, and highlight reels. But as Dr. Jones explains, “At the highest level, the separator is mindset.” Through her work with national champions, Olympians, and Division I athletes, she’s discovered a truth that college coaches are just beginning to grasp: mental readiness is as essential as physical metrics.

The game-changer? The integration of a “C5” mental performance profile into Get Highlighted—the first recruiting platform to offer both objective athletic and psychological data.

This profile measures five key traits: Commitment, Conscientiousness, Cooperativeness, Control, and Competitiveness. These attributes give athletes, coaches, and recruiters unprecedented insight into what makes an athlete tick—and whether they’re mentally built for the pressure of the next level.

A Data-Driven Advantage for the Mind

"Most kids don't know what’s really holding them back,” says Dr. Jones. “They might be fast or strong, but under stress? The mind melts." With the C5 profile, student-athletes can now identify mental gaps and begin developing the tools to close them. The test even tracks authenticity, meaning it knows if a student is gaming the system.

It’s not about labeling athletes. It’s about providing them with a blueprint to grow.

"That growth," Eric McCulley adds, "is now visible to college coaches. They can see not only where a kid starts but how they evolve—what their trajectory looks like."

It’s the kind of insight once reserved for professional sports psych teams and pre-draft interviews. Now? It’s available for high schoolers in small towns.

The Recruiting Cheat Code

“Attrition is one of the biggest challenges college coaches face,” says McCulley. “They don’t have the luxury of misses.” The mental performance profile acts as a kind of cheat code. Coaches no longer have to rely solely on gut feeling or anecdotes. They can analyze resilience, consistency, and how likely a player is to stick with a program—even if they’re not starting right away.

What’s more, Get Highlighted makes this resource accessible, not exclusive. Through partnerships with the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA), even the most under-resourced programs can access these tools—free of charge.

A Call to Coaches: Lean In

As Jones notes, “Coaches are the constant.” Athletes rotate in and out, but coaches remain—and their ability to foster mental skills can make or break a team. She encourages coaches to lean into the discomfort of not knowing it all.

“You can’t be great at everything,” she says. “Bring in the experts. Create practices that mimic pressure. Let kids fail—then help them reflect.”

That reflection, she adds, is more powerful than any pregame speech. It's in the debrief. The pause. The conversation that teaches kids not just how to play—but how to think, cope, and lead.

The Future: Mental Metrics as Core Curriculum

Both Jones and McCulley agree: this is just the beginning.

As analytics reshape every level of sport, so too will mental metrics. Imagine a world where recruiting classes are shaped not just by verticals and 40-yard dashes, but by grit scores and adaptability indexes. Where athletes get recruited not because they’re flawless, but because they’re self-aware and committed to growth.

“It’s not about being perfect,” says Jones. “It’s about being coachable, intentional, and prepared to evolve.”

And perhaps, that’s the most exciting part of this new frontier. The curtain is being pulled back. What once made champions quietly great—grit, control, composure—is now out in the open, ready to be developed, measured, and celebrated.

Final Whistle

As Garvis signed off, he left listeners with a reminder: “Greatness isn’t just measured in stats or scores. It’s measured in the impact you make—and your willingness to grow.”

Thanks to leaders like Dr. Tiffany Jones and innovators like Eric McCulley, the next generation of athletes may finally be seen for everything they bring to the field—mind and body.