When I was asked to write about supplements from a college athlete's perspective, my first thought was simple: 

I don't take them. 

That might sound surprising. I train daily. I lift, condition, practice, recover, and then do it all again the next morning. Like most athletes, I care deeply about performance and recovery. But as a drug tested athlete, I've made the personal decision to avoid supplements altogether. 

Not because I don't believe in them. But because I don't fully trust them. One failed drug test, even accidental, can cost a college athlete eligibility, playing time, and future opportunities. That's not an exaggeration. It's something we all understand from the moment we step onto campus. 

What makes it complicated is that the supplement industry isn't regulated the same way prescription medications are. Products can reach shelves without pre-approval, and athletes are still held fully responsible for whatever shows up in their system. 

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) makes it clear: student athletes are accountable for everything they consume, regardless of intent. That's a huge responsibility. 

College athletes want safe supplement options 

What people outside of college athletics might not realize is how many athletes are in the same position I am. We want safe options. We want transparency. We want to trust what we are buying. But many of us hesitate.

We see teammates using pre-workouts. We see marketing everywhere promising better performance and faster recovery. But in the back of our minds is the same question: Is this worth risking my season? 
For many athletes, the answer is no. 

And that means there is a large, overlooked group of disciplined, motivated consumers who are waiting for brands to truly meet their needs. 

An opportunity for retailers and brands 

From a brand perspective, college athletes represent a powerful consumer base. We are consistent. We are loyal. When we find something we trust, we stick with it and recommend it. 

Brands that commit to third-party testing, clear labeling, no proprietary blends and certification for drug tested athletes wouldn’t just gain credibility, they would gain long term customers. The same goes for the retailers that sell these brands.

Trust is everything in sports. The brands that understand that will lead the future of the supplement industry. 

Antidote: A clean supplement case study 

Antidote is a great example of brands leading the charge in this area. It was founded by Reese Hanneman, a former Olympic skier, and Ryan Sheldon, a former collegiate track and field athlete, who wanted a pre-workout to support their training, but that didn't have harmful or banned ingredients. 

In their interview with Joseph Tarnowski at ECRM’s Total Wellness: GLP-1, Weight Management, Nutrition & Vitamin Session (see the video below), Hanneman shared how the company was born out of necessity as he prepared for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

"I needed something that used natural ingredients, because I was getting drug tested all the time,” says Hanneman. “I couldn’t find one that fit that criteria. So I was working with some nutritionists and some people at the US Ski team and I developed my own kind of blend. I could feel the benefits, had four great years of very hard training and I made the Olympic team.”

What stood out to me was the founders’ focus on transparency and helping support the goal of athletes to “compete with confidence.”

That phrase stuck with me. 

Because confidence shouldn't stop at performance, it should extend to what we're putting in our bodies. Brands like Antidote show that it is possible to prioritize both performance and integrity. That approach deserves recognition.

A personal choice for many athletes

Throughout my college career, I chose to focus on the basics: nutrition, hydration, rest, and consistent training. Some days that means pushing through fatigue instead of relying on a supplement. But for me, protecting my eligibility and honoring the work I've put in matters more than a temporary energy boost. 

I know I'm not alone in that mindset. 

Accountability in athletics goes beyond stopping deliberate doping; it requires transparent systems and reliable products that eliminate accidental violations. 

As a college athlete, I believe the industry has both the responsibility, and the opportunity to do better. And as more brands like Antidote commit to that standard, athletes like me will be ready to support them.