The Players’ Corner

Jack Kossoudji didn’t get flooded with college offers. He didn’t play for the top club in high school. He didn’t even expect to start before stepping onto campus for his freshman year at Capital University. What he did have was a belief that if he worked hard enough, he would carve out a role.

Four years later, that belief carried him all the way from a single Division III offer to becoming All-OAC, All-OSCA, and OAC Forward of the Year – and eventually becoming a playmaker at a Division I program.

Jack’s journey is a guide for any aspiring college athlete. It’s proof that confidence, persistence, and selflessness achieve dreams. His story will leave you inspired, while also detailing essential guidance.

This is how Jack Kossoudji bet on himself…and won.

Choosing Development over Ego

Jack didn’t view playing on a lesser-known club team as a setback. Instead, he saw an opportunity. An opportunity to get a lot of playing time, to be the guy to make it happen, and to be a leader.

Jack said, “For your ego you want to make the top team . . . But how I look at it now is you’re not always going to start at the top.” He added, “My development came from being on those teams and being a leader and being the guy that had to make it happen . . . having to navigate the team as the top guy was something I took pride in.”

He said younger players and parents should shift their focus from making the top team to focusing on development, “I train some of my friends’ younger brothers and they always tell me they want to make this team and that. For me at such a young age, I think the biggest part about development is just getting reps and getting the most amount of playing time as you can. If I was a dad, I’d rather my son be on the B-team and playing every single minute than be on the top team.”

I asked Jack how he would advise a player who’s between playing at a higher level college with the risk of not playing, or choosing a smaller school first. He admitted his bias but said, “I would advise people that are in between and the coach doesn’t offer them what they want, to go DII or DIII and prove yourself. In the world of the transfer portal, go somewhere where you can push yourself and prove yourself.”

Sometimes making a decision that doesn’t carry immediate hype is best for the long-term. Jack’s career is a testament to how setting your ego aside can build confidence and development.

Adapting to His Role

“Once you get on the field that’s when you can start turning up,” Jack said – a mindset that defined his college career.

He understood early on that playing time was everything. He was willing to do whatever it took to earn minutes, even if it meant stepping out of his comfort zone. At Capital, that meant shifting from midfield to outside back, a position he had never played before. “Instead of being like, ‘Why am I playing this random position?’ I took it as a challenge,” he recalled.

That adaptability quickly paid off when a teammate’s injury opened a hole at winger. In his first two games back on offense, Jack buried a goal in each, rocketing his confidence and fueling his breakout career at Capital.

When he transferred to Seton Hall, he faced a new challenge: coming off the bench. “At first when the coaches told me I was going to come off the bench and provide for us I was unhappy,” he admitted. But he quickly shifted his perspective, “But then I was like I gotta make the most of it because I’m going to be done playing after the season. Understanding the role and what the coaches wanted me to do, which was to come off the bench and be an impact player, I took pride in it.”

Through it all, Jack’s adaptability and selfless attitude didn’t just get him on the field, they gave him an opportunity to prove himself.

Emphasizing Fitness

What was Jack’s training key to success? Running sprints in the mornings with his old high school soccer team.

In his summers he spent 3 mornings a week running with his old high school team and he shared, “I was the fittest at Capital every year and I think that’s key going into your college season. That will set you apart from day one.” He said this level of fitness catches the coaches’ and teammates’ attention, while also building confidence.

Jack mentioned standing out in fitness particularly benefits guys at the Division III level, and almost certainly earns playing time at that level. But regardless of division, it’s something that’s going to help you earn a positive reputation as a player.

His Support System

Jack emphasized the importance of a strong support system. He explained having people to push you, but also truly want what’s best for you is crucial for the ups and downs of sports.

After Jack’s junior high school soccer season he contemplated his future in soccer. He was coming off a season where he didn’t play as much as he hoped. He expressed, “It took a toll on me just not being able to contribute to the team. It was hard.” What helped him stick around was one of his teammates’ continued encouragement. Jack said he owes a lot to him for this.

His support system included having coaches in his corner. When explaining how he found success at Seton Hall he credited the coaches, “Having a coach that I trusted, that believed in me, and was open with me gave me confidence.”

Jack’s climb wasn’t a solo mission. Family, friends, teammates, and coaches were a part of the journey.

Playing with Confidence

Multiple factors fueled Jack’s collegiate ascent, but one stood above the rest: confidence. “When I have confidence I’m able to just play freely,” Jack said. Athletes know that feeling when you’re not thinking, instincts take over, and the game slows down. This is the feeling Jack searched for.

At Capital, Jack’s confidence skyrocketed early on, and he never looked back from it. He continued to chase bigger goals each season and used an internal dialogue to not distract him from the player he knew he was.

At Seton Hall, his play didn’t take off out of the gates like he hoped. He admitted his nerves got the best of him in his first game against Florida International. His heart raced when he stepped on the field. When he pressed, he got beat off the dribble, grabbed the kid’s jersey, and snagged himself a yellow card. Jack thought he might have just ruined his opportunity to earn minutes after a poor showing in his eyes. But he didn’t let his play snowball.

I asked Jack how he stopped the negative thoughts from taking over. He said, “I’d remind myself that I’m here for a reason and to just flush the bad games. Everyone has bad games. Just moving on instead of dwelling and having short-term memory was huge.”

A couple of weeks later, Jack went on a run that earned him Big East Conference Player of the Week. In a three-game stretch, Jack tallied an assist in all three and capped it off with a goal too. Jack credits this run to just playing confidently and freely. He said he didn’t let the fact he was coming off the bench or had a bad debut bother him. He knew his role was to be a spark plug off the bench, he knew he had one year of soccer left, and he knew what he was capable of.

Looking at Jack’s career from the outside, it’s easy to see a lot of times when he could’ve gotten down: when he didn’t play a ton as a junior in high school, when he only received one college offer, when he was told he would be coming off the bench, and when he didn’t play well in his debut. But Jack never let any of that get to him. He continued to tell himself what he was capable of.

Jack chased after his dream of following in his dad’s Division I footsteps. While he might not have started there, it’s where he ended. Jack continued to bet on himself. And in the end, he won.