Santia Deck launches recruitment app for high school athletes
Professional athlete, entrepreneur and former college track star, Santia Deck is rewriting the playbook for high school athletes looking to get recruited and get paid in the United States.
Her recently launched AI-powered app, Winning Your Way, is designed to help high school athletes, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, secure college recruitment opportunities, and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals.
The app is a first-of-its-kind AI-powered platform that combines recruitment, NIL education, and brand-building tools into one powerful solution for high school athletes. Available for $15 per month, the app allows high school athletes to connect with hundreds of college coaches across the U.S. track.
Announced on June 30, 2025, the app addresses the challenges Deck faced as a teenage athlete navigating the recruitment process without connections or guidance, aiming to level the playing field for young athletes.
Deck remembers the struggles of trying to get noticed in college while aspiring to run track at Texas A&M-Kingsville. With no centralized system to guide her, she spent hours crafting highlight reels, sending cold emails to coaches, hoping anyone would give her a chance.
“When I was a high school athlete, I wanted it so badly. To get seen. To get a shot,” she shared in a post on Winning Her Way, her media company focused on women and girls in sports. “But there wasn’t a roadmap. I had to figure it out on my own.”
The app shows which coaches have opened subscriber’s emails or viewed their highlight reels. It also generates personalised, AI-generated messaging suggestions to enhance communication and outreach. The app offers an equalizer for athletes who may not have access to elite programs or expensive consultants. It also provides critical NIL guidance, something Deck said is sorely needed in today’s evolving sports.
“Millions of kids dream of playing college sports, but only 7% ever make it,” Deck said in a video shared on Instagram. “I’ve seen incredibly talented athletes get overlooked because they didn’t have the right tools. I’ve watched parents become overwhelmed by the process. I’ve seen athletes lose eligibility or endorsement deals because they didn’t understand the NIL rules. So I built this app for them.”
Deck emphasized that the platform isn’t just for athletes in high-profile sports like football or basketball. It’s built to serve those in underrepresented or non-traditional sports like flag football, beach volleyball, equestrian, and more, where recruiting pipelines are less developed and resources even scarcer.
The app also includes educational resources to help athletes and their families better understand compliance, branding, and monetization strategies under NIL rules, empowering them to make informed decisions and avoid costly missteps.
“This is everything I wish I had when I was younger,” she said. “It’s more than an app. It’s a movement to make recruiting accessible, fair, and empowering for every young athlete chasing a dream.”
Deck is a trailblazer in women’s football, notably the first woman to sign a professional contract in a men’s football league with the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019. She also played in the Women’s Football League Association (WFLA) and has been a prominent figure in flag football.
She is known as the “Queen of Abs” for her fitness prowess and nearly 3 million social media followers. Deck founded TRONUS in 2020, becoming the first female athlete to own a sneaker company. She is a two-time bestselling author, with works including The Struggle, which addresses child abuse, and a certified fitness trainer offering online programs.
Written by Kweku Sampson, edited by Abeeb Lekan Sodiq
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