This study investigated the potential causes behind a drop in student athlete recruitment and graduation at a NCAA Division III school (hereafter referred to as "Collegiate U"). Collegiate U has historically enjoyed success on the football field as well as in the classroom, but recruiting and graduating successful student athletes has diminished since the school elected to join NCAA Division III, which prohibits schools from awarding financial aid based on athletic ability. This lack of successful student athletes ultimately poses a negative effect on the program's success, academic engagement, individual student retention, and graduation. Bandura's self-efficacy theory guided this correlational quantitative study, which investigated this problem by identifying various skills that have contributed to the academic and athletic success of current and former Collegiate U student athletes. To achieve this goal, the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory, a survey that measures the attributes associated with success in athletes, was administered to 53 current players and successful program alumni. The preliminary results showed statistically significant correlations between high self-efficacy scores and student athletes achieving a 3.0 GPA and earning post-season athletic awards. Further data analysis using Pearson Correlation Coefficients created a template of self-efficacy skills that can predict the success of current and potential student athletes. The project was designed to promote positive social change by providing Collegiate U the means necessary to recognize, recruit, and retain quality student athletes who will be successful on the field as well as in the classroom. If implemented, other Division III colleges across the nation could also achieve the same benefit from this cost-effective template created by Collegiate U. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]