Former Division I college athlete and NCSA founder Chris Krause found his path to success by nearly missing a life-changing opportunity. As an award-winning high school athlete for North Chicago High School with a lifelong dream of playing college football on a scholarship, he almost fell through the cracks of the college recruiting process, despite the fact that his undefeated freshman team was full of varsity-level talent. It was only through persistence and educating himself about the recruiting process that he was able to secure a full football scholarship to Vanderbilt University.
“As a sophomore and junior, I received letters from hundreds of colleges. However, by my senior year, I realized I had little understanding of how the recruiting process actually worked,” he said. He began calling coaches and writing letters, hoping to get the right college’s attention. “When I began calling coaches who had contacted me, many told me they did not know whether I was interested in their schools. They encouraged me to send a highlight video.”
With the help of his father, Krause created a highlight tape and mailed it to interested college sports programs. After Vanderbilt University expressed mutual interest, he enrolled there, joining its College of Arts and Science. But his experiences during the recruiting process left him wondering if there was a better way. “The experience highlighted significant gaps in recruiting information and communication, reinforcing my belief that the process needed improvement,” he observed.
Krause committed these experiences to memory as he entered Vanderbilt University as a pre-med student, hoping to become a physical therapist or athletic trainer. However, his interests soon diverged after he was advised to transfer into the college’s Human and Organizational Development (HOD) program, where he learned business skills such as communication, marketing, corporate culture, small group dynamics, conflict resolution, and organizational behavior. He also interned with the automotive sales training company Dynamics Incorporated, improving his skills as a salesman.
These lessons would stick with Krause as he became involved in college recruiting himself after seeing an ad in the Los Angeles Times looking for someone interested in helping athletes obtain college scholarships. He returned to Chicago with a new skillset and some much-needed perspective on what student athletes need during the recruiting process.
When it came time for him to found NCSA, his own college recruiting company, he had obtained the skills needed for managing a company, the experience needed to succeed in the recruiting industry, and the ideas needed to make his brand of recruiting unique in the field. Remembering his experience writing letters and sending highlight tapes to coaches, he realized that the college recruiting industry needed to digitize. Thus, NCSA became an early pioneer of digital athlete profiles, online highlight videos, and recruiting databases.
Furthermore, he applied his knowledge from studying small group and organizational communication to NCSA’s “Athleadership” initiatives, which built the company’s culture on values such as “Make Your Mark,” “Team First,” “Lead by Example,” “All-Out Work Ethic,” “Give Back,” “Education Always,” and “All-In Attitude.” He also bolstered the company’s team spirit by giving out company “jerseys,” which are color-coded lanyards identifying employees as part of the team. Other opportunities for the formation of corporate culture include the company’s cross-functional “Dream Team” accountability groups, company-wide lunches, wellness programs, and regular culture assessments at executive meetings to ensure its values remain strong.
Krause has since stepped back from day to day involvement with NCSA, having led three exits: a majority stake sale to The Raine Group for $40 million in 2014, followed by the $200 million sale of NCSA to Endeavor/IMG in 2021, and culminating in the 2026 sale of NCSA subsidiary RCX to Brand Velocity Group for more than $60 million.
Though no longer in day to day operations, Krause still serves as founder and consultant and stays connected to NCSA as the original architect of its vision. He keeps in touch with the executive team, sends congratulatory videos to employees, and created a video for the company’s 25th anniversary last year. His journey shows that the skills he gained as an athlete, student, salesperson, and leader were the same ones that allowed him to build a company that made a significant impact in college recruiting. What began as one athlete’s struggle to navigate an unfamiliar process became the foundation for a company that reshaped how generations of student athletes pursue their futures.
