The unfortunate facts concerning high school football recruiting is that only about 3% to 4% of all those athletes will get the opportunity to play in college. The majority, 96% or so, will see their football playing days end when their last high school game is over.
If you want to be among the 3% to 4% who does make it to the college level, there are a few things you must know about high school football recruiting that can give you a big advantage over the average player. Here are five keys that you should know:
1 - Coaches Don’t Care About YOU
I know it sounds harsh, but it’s true. When college coaches are looking for players to bring into their program the next year, they don’t really care about your dream of playing college football or even your goal of playing in their program. They are initially only concerned about filling the needs of their program. They won’t recruit you because you are a nice kid or you come from a great family, they will only become interested in you if they think you can help their program be successful.
2 - Size And Athleticism Are Key
In high school football recruiting, probably more than any other sport, the size and athleticism of the player being evaluated for possible recruitment is key. Football is a physical sport. One of the first observations a coach will make about you is whether or not you have the size and athleticism to play at his level of competition. It doesn’t matter if the level is Division I or Junior College, you must have the required size and athleticism to play.
3 - The Right Talent And Skills
Once the coach determines that you do have the necessary size and athleticism to play at the level he coaches at, he will then start looking at your specific talents and skills.
If you find yourself as a college football recruit and you are not quite sure what to do next, this article can help. Being recruited to play football at the college level is a great accomplishment, but you have to make sure you do all the right things to keep coaches interested in signing you.
No Guarantees
First of all, you must realize that even though you are receiving your letters or even phone calls from college football coaches, it doesn’t mean that you will ultimately be offered a scholarship or a spot on the roster. Coaches normally recruit 5 to 10 players for each spot on the roster that they have. That means you are competing with those athletes for the same spot. The coach will ultimately offer the spot to the athlete he feels can best help his program.
Stay In Contact
Once a coach has made contact with you, your job as a college football recruit is to remain in contact with him. Make sure you are sending regular updates about your accomplishments and the success of your team. If you get a glowing article written about you in the later paper or online, make sure the coach gets a copy. The last thing you want to do is to assume that once a coach has made contact with you that he will stay in contact with you. You need to keep the communication lines open to make sure you don’t fall off the coach’s radar.
Stay Qualified
The worst mistake you can make after learning you are a college football recruit is to let your grades slip and become unqualified to play. Coaches want players who can remain qualified to play by NCAA or NAIA rules. If you let you grades slip, you will most likely not get an offer to play.
Get Some Film
If you have a good game, try to get it on film from your coach. Once you have it, send it to the coaches who are interested in you or post it online so that they can view it. Football coaches love game film.
Stay Hungry
As I said earlier, just because coaches have started to show some interest in you and made you a college football recruit, it doesn’t mean they will sing you. It means they are observing you and they will make a decision about signing you at a later time. Keep working hard on the field, the weight room, and in the classroom. Stay hungry and don’t get over confident about being signed.
Summary
Once you become a college football recruit, your job is just beginning. You need to continue marketing and promoting yourself to coaches until you start getting offers to sign. If you are not being recruited at all, you need to start making contact with college coaches right away. Coaches will be happy to hear from you if you have what it takes to play at their level of competition. Send your athletic resume and a personal letter to them as your first step to being recruited.
Are you a student-athlete looking to learn more about high school football recruiting? More importantly, are you looking learn how you can finally get noticed by college coaches, get recruited, and ultimately receive offers to play in college? If so, this article can help you get on the path to playing at the next level.
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However, if you follow the simply three steps outlined above (and you have the talent and size to play), you can be on your way to playing college football.
Of course, the specific talent and skills he will be looking for is different for each position that he needs to fill
4 - Mental Toughness
In high school football recruiting, coaches will only pursue players who have the mental toughness to play in college. Do you have the mental toughness to do the hard work required at the next level? Can you handle a coach holding you accountable every day and often getting in your face to make you better? Can you handle the increased level of competition you will face in college?
5 - Can You Stay Qualified To Play
Coaches want players who can perform in the classroom and stay qualified to play. For each roster spot they have, the coach will most likely recruit 5 to 10 players for it. A part of their observation of you during the high school football recruiting process will be to see if you have the grades and work ethic in the classroom to stay qualified to play. A player who can not stay qualified to play doesn’t do the coaching staff any good.
Summary
If you feel like you have what it takes to be recruited and play at the college level, you need to be proactive in your recruitment. You need to get involved in the high school recruiting process by marketing and promoting yourself to college coaches. You can easily do this by sending coaches your athletic resume along with a personal letter. If you have meet the criteria mentioned in this article, college coaches will be happy to hear from you and they will most likely respond. Don’t wait, get started today!
Maybe you or your child has a desire to row in college. Then consider using the services of an online agency to get your information directly to the eyeballs of several college coaches in a short space of time. Online services can help the student-athlete create and post an athlete profile which the service makes available to college coaches and recruiters. Feedback is provided so the prospective college rower knows which coaches viewed his or her profile.
While most online recruiting services concentrate on the major sports, there are a few that embrace the smaller “niche” sports like rowing. One that I recommend for rowers also caters to club programs in addition to high schools. Online recruiting sites also provide social forums where you can see other rowers’ profiles and get in touch with fellow rowers from around the country.
Broken into different sections, online recruiting services cater to:
Parents
* Learn the recruiting process and college admissions
* Help your athlete create and update their profiles
* Read success stories of recruited athletes
Athletes
* Create a profile to market your physical data, erg scores and abilities to college coaches
* Research college academic standards and potential athletic scholarships
* Find the college that is right for you
Coaches
* Get your athletes started on the process by registering
* Review the athlete profiles of rowers on your team
* Find athletes that may have been missed by your usual recruiting methods
Colleges most viewed by rowers
1. Boston University
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