Recruiting

The recruiting process is a lesson in marketing. While many athletes and families tend to be reactive and passive in the recruiting process, we highly recommend a proactive approach.

Q: What is a proactive approach to recruiting?
A: High school prospects need to call and/or email college coaches to start a relationship with any coaches and schools that they are interested in. Be persistent, but not a pest. Call and/or email maybe every few weeks with updates on your season, but don’t overdo it. You can find coaches names and contact info on the school websites. You can also call the football office and ask a secretary for the Quarterback Coach/Offensive Coordinator or Recruiting Coordinator. Or you can save some time to get contact info from this site for a small fee: http://www.afmcollegedirectory.com/index.php

Q: Is it important for my highlight video to be online?
A: Things have changed since I was a high school recruit. VHS tapes are no longer preferred. The Internet has made communication quicker and easier (most of the time). It is VITAL to put together a highlight video of your best clips and upload it to YouTube or a similar hosting website. That way, coaches are able to view your highlights immediately and you don’t have to physically send the video to every coach who you talk to several days after a conversation, which brings up another point. Don’t send a DVD without talking to someone first. Unsolicited mail/video usually ends up in the junk pile. Make sure a coach knows it is coming and is willing to view it.

Q: What should be included in the video I send to college coaches?
A: The video should have your best highlights first and it should not be more than 5 minutes long. Coaches will have criteria for each athlete they review. Do you fit their offensive scheme? Are you a pro style or dual threat quarterback? What are your physical traits? Are your mechanics smooth and consistent? What type of footwork, arm strength and accuracy to you portray? These are just several examples of what a positional coach or recruiting coordinator will first look at when they review your film. College coaches receive hundreds of highlight videos each year. You need to give them a reason to keep watching your video by impressing them right away. Eliminate just showing deep passes as opposed to showing throws from multiple launch points and angles on the field. You will also want to include 2 best halves of football you have played during the season. Include offense and defensive series on the film. A coach, if interested, will want to see how you react in positive and negative situations. They will also want to see how you carry out your fakes, do you operate an offense with good game management skills? The more often a highlight video is updated, the better. For an underclassman, once a year is adequate. For a senior, a video might need to be updated a few times. Your goal should be to set yourself up so that come decision time, you have several attractive options to choose from. Enjoy the process!

To download our recruiting form, please click here.