If you’re a high school athlete with aspirations of playing college football, you’re probably wondering how to get recruited by colleges.
You probably have no clue on where to start or what to do to begin your college football journey. Overall, the recruiting process can be confusing and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. The Wise Big Man Camp, spoke with a number of NFL, college, and high school athletes and coaches to get their thoughts and opinions on the best way to get recruited for high school athletes. So here are a few tips to help you get started:
1. Keep Your Grades Up
As a student-athlete it is your responsibility to make sure you follow all NCAA eligibility rules and guidelines. Staying on top of your academics are one of the most important rules to follow. Bad grades can hurt even the most talented and skill players on both high school and college level.
2. Research the recruiting process
There’s a lot of information out there, so it’s important to do your homework and understand the basics. This will help you know what to expect and what you need to do to be successful. There are so many great resources for student athletes thanks to the digital age.
3. Create a List of Schools
Start compiling a list of schools that interest you. You should have about 15 schools on your list, within your list, you should have a few dream schools and backup schools. Make sure you are being realistic with your list. For this process, make sure to keep a few things in mind: your athletic talent, academic level, school preferences, financial costs and types of scholarships offered at each school.
4. Get involved with your high school team
College recruiting is all about exposure. The more you can put yourself in the spotlight, the better chance you have of catching the attention of college coaches. Participate in as many showcase events as possible like the Wise Big Man Camp, home of the best offensive and defensive linemen around the great Dallas-Fort Worth area. Or other local camps that will help you get the word out about your skills. Make sure you bring your camera. You will need to make sure your highlight reel is up-to-date. Leading us to the next tip…
5. Show Your Highlights
A quality highlight video can be the deciding factor between a college football coach inviting high school athletes for a recruitment visit or staying put. Creating an effective and professional highlight video takes time, effort, and skill. You’ll want your football highlights to showcase your athletic abilities while also demonstrating that you are well-versed in football strategy and execution – this can make all the difference to prospective football coaches. Make sure that your video highlights contain clips of two or three plays at each position you play. Include shots of open field running, lead blockers, pass receptions, tackles and defense prowess – whatever showcases your football talents best! When you are done post the videos to your social media or to football highlight websites like Maxprep or Hudl to increase your exposure. Doing this will strengthen your football highlight reel and shorten the recruiting process!
6. Stay in touch with college coaches
Once you’ve made initial contact with a coach, it’s important to stay in touch and keep them updated on your progress. Send them updates on your performance throughout the season and invite them to come see you play whenever possible.
7. Get Help from the Pros
There are many resources, to assist you with the recruitment process. The Wise Big Man Camp has partnered with a few organizations, such as, Playing for Envelopes, that will assist with the college recruiting process, by offering high school athletes marketing, national brand management, and collegiate option services. As a student-athlete it can be stressful having to focus on whether or not you will get recruited. Well, Playing for envelopes takes the stress out of recruitment, and allows you to focus on your studies and improving on the field.
By following these tips, you’ll increase your chances of getting recruited by colleges and achieving your dream of playing college football. Hopefully, one day we’ll see you out there on the field on Saturdays and who knows…maybe on Sundays too.