College Recruiting

I am going to do a post on the "business" of college recruiting. High school athletes really need to understand that college football is a business and as a high school football recruit you are self-employed until you choose to join a company (team). This is really the mindset you must take if you want to end up at  the level that you deserve to be at. For every spot on Division 1, II or III teams there are multiple players who are just as talented but may not make it because they lacked the opportunity for a variety of reasons. With all of the technology that high school students are exposed to, there is little excuse for not marketing yourself and getting the attention that you deserve.

The first step is obviously to perform on the field. I will not go into this step in detail because it is self-explanatory, however, I will say that you want to get on the field as early as possible and as soon as you have plays worthy of putting on tape or stats worthy of sending to college coaches, send this material out to any school you are interested in. The sooner coaches can get to know you, your name and your play the better it is for you. Also, show your versatility to coaches, show that you are able to play different positions and always sound willing to play any position the team would need you at if you were to play at their school. A majority of players change positions when they arrive at college and coaches want players who are willing to sacrifice for the team.

The second step is to attend as many camps and combines as possible. Although I personally hate combine statistics and think that they have extremely little value in evaluating talent, they are extremely important in college recruiting. The 40 yard dash, pro shuttle and bench press is just like anything else; if you practice it enough you can improve your score. As the summer approaches you should spend at least 2 months working specifically on these drills as well as your positional individual drills so that you can perform well at camps. Many players may be great, tough, gamer type football players who are great with the pads on. However, it will help your stock immensely if you look good with shorts and a t-shirt on at these camps. Most big Division I camps have not only coaches from that school but also many coaches from lower divisions. Usually the testing is the first day of the camp and if you run a good 40 yard dash you will be on the radar of the coaches. Next, its up to you to do well in the position drills while the coaches are keeping an eye on you. It is also important to remember that you should always practice good character and sportsmanship because someone is always watching and evaluating and you would be surprised how many coaches will write a player off if he has a bad attitude.

The next step is most important. After your junior season you need to make a highlight tape that includes every game. There is a very specific way to do this. First of all, do not just put the games in chronological order and have the first quarter of the first game first and the last quarter of the last game as the last play. Coaches do not have time to watch a twenty minute video of every tape that comes into their office. You need to take you ten best plays and be sure that they are the first ten plays on the tape. Many coaches will only watch 5 to 10 plays of your tape so make sure your best play is first and so on. Do not worry about special effects or music or anything along those lines, simply show the best plays. As mentioned earlier, be sure to show versatility, try to have highlights from offense, defense and special teams. Make sure you include highlights of making good blocks and tackles, coaches need to know that you can block and tackle. However, make on mistake about it, coaches want athletes and your first five plays should be your most athletic plays of the year.

After your junior year that summer should be spend going to combines and camps and preparing for the year. I would add in that you should take an SAT/ACT prep class during your junior year and the summer. These classes really do work and you need to make sure that you are eligible for teams to recruit you. If you are a good student and don't think that you are in jeopardy you should still take a prep class. You would be surprised how athletics can help you get into prestigious universities that you otherwise would not have gotten into such as Stanford, Cal, Ivy League, Patriot League, etc. Most of these schools have specific academic requirements for recruited athletes. When you send your tapes to schools you should also send your academic information so they can let you know whether you are eligible by NCAA standards and for their specific school. Also, do not get caught up in one specific school because every year teams have different needs, one year they may need more quarterbacks than the next or vice-versa.

The next most important step is after the first two or three games of your senior year. At this point recruiting is really heating up. Most teams have a good idea of who they are looking at after the junior year but they will give everyone a chance to prove what they did in the off season. After your second or third game of the year you must get a high light tape together. Again, you best play should be the first play and continue on from there. You also should send a full length game film of your best game. This is so important to get ahead of the game because if you wait until the end of the year most of the scholarships will have already been given out. If you wait until the end you may be just as, if not more talented than someone else but they were ahead of the game and got the offer. Coaches will be very busy during this time of the year with their own season so again make sure those first three to five plays display your athleticism because that may be all they see. After the year be sure to follow up with a highlight tape of the rest of the year. Remember that until you actually sign a document, the process is never over. Always keep your options open and have back-up plans in case something were to happen. You should always make the best decision for you and your family and never be afraid to do what is best for you individually. It can be difficult as a teenager to deal with adult coaches but you must stand your ground and do what you need to do.

This leads me to my last point of marketing yourself. There are many tools out there to market yourself. Put your highlight video on youtube, facebook and other things like that. Any time you can get your name out there it is a good thing. Cut out all of your newspaper clippings and send them to colleges. If you get any awards at school or in the community be sure to send it to the coaches. Always be proactive about calling coaches and letting them know who you are, what you play and that you are interested in your school. There are so many high school football players you cannot sit back and wait for coaches to find you.-Buzzy