When a young person goes to college, life is suddenly different.

Add an athletic component to those new experiences, and things can spin out of control.

Former Fountain Hills High School student Andrew Capirchio learned the hard way the meaning of “college athletics.”

Capirchio, who graduated in 2013 from FHHS, was in Fountain Hills last week to visit and to talk about his new book, “Blessed to Announce: From Walk-on to Team Captain: The Pathway to Success for Collegiate Athletes.”

Capirchio started his college career at Scottsdale Community College. He was a walk-on in the football program there.

“It was a pretty quick wakeup for me,” the 23-year-old Capirchio said. “Things are a lot different in college athletics than they were in high school.”

He had a lot of trials and tribulations at SCC, but he didn’t let the setbacks determine his future.

The book has just been released on Amazon, both in paperback and as an e-book.

“It targets student athletes and covers everything from mental health and time management to all the different things to expect as a collegiate athlete,” Capirchio said.

He recounted some of his own challenges after he left home, including a time when he was evicted from a house with eight roommates.

“That was traumatic,” he said. “But I got through it. And how I did that is in the book.”

Capirchio said he wasn’t prepared for the sheer competition in college football, nor did he realize the business side of the program. He said he was overwhelmed with the requirements an athlete had, and learning to juggle it all was “pretty intense.”

Capirchio always dreamed of playing college football, and cited his “internal motivation” to his success.

He transferred to Concordia University-St. Paul (Minn.) after finishing his career at SCC as a starter and a Valley of the Sun Bowl champion.

At Concordia, a Division II football program, Capirchio was team captain and two-year starter for his team. He played defensive back in high school, as well as in both college settings. He graduated from Concordia, Summa Cum Laude, with a degree is sociology.

“The book is kind of an autobiography,” Capirchio said. “But it really is more of a resource for other students. I think people can benefit from what I learned.”

Capirchio now lives in Minneapolis and works for Minneapolis Public Schools as a program coordinator for after-school care. He also is a youth football coach for Minneapolis Parks and Recreation as a volunteer.

“I am really passionate about youth work,” Capirchio said. “The reason I wrote the book is because I want to see as many students as possible overcome obstacles in college and be successful.”

Capirchio launches his book Friday in Minneapolis.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” he said.

Capirchio is the son of Craig and Jeanine Capirchio. He has three brothers: Carter is 25, and twins Sam and Henry are 21.