Growing up playing sports, many young athletes dream of competing at the next level, but they often don’t know where to start. Here are some practical college recruiting tips that could help you reach your goal.
1. Train Consistently
It’s great to attend every practice and weightlift session with your team, but if you want to push your body to that next level, you’re going to need some extra training. Find a training center or gym that specializes in what you do and what you want to accomplish. Working on things like speed, strength, and agility could make you a top recruit or even just an overall prepared athlete.
2. Keep Your Grades Up
The NCAA has very strict rules when it comes to grades. I’m sure we’ve all heard of cases where top athletes lose offers or have to go to a community college because of grades. You don’t want that to be you. Of all the college recruiting tips we can offer, one of the most important is to prepare and take your academics seriously. Take advantage of your school’s resources if you’re struggling academically. Taking SAT and ACT courses in advance can help you get ready for those big tests.
3. Create Highlight Tapes
Highlight tapes show all of the best moments you’ve had over the last few seasons. Some advice is to keep them short and sweet. Recruiters are very busy and probably have a lot of highlight tapes to look at. So keeping it short makes it more likely that they’ll watch the entire video. Also, be very versatile with your tape. For example, if you’re a linebacker, show your hard hits as well as running downfield to show your speed.
4. Keep Your Options Open
Look at multiple schools at different levels. Not everyone is meant to go D-1, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not a great athlete. You can still go to a great school that has a great program. There is absolutely nothing wrong with junior colleges or D-lll schools.
Some positives of not going D-1 are more playing time. Usually at a D-1 school, you spend years not even touching the field. But if you want to play, a great way to do that is looking at other options. Over the summer or during spring break, tour different schools. There’s no limit on the number of unofficial visits you can take. Big-name schools definitely aren’t everything, so show interest in schools that have shown interest in you.
5. Communicate with Coaches
Although it may seem intimidating, learn how to contact and communicate with coaches. According to NCSA Sports, communicating with coaches is the single-most important aspect of the recruiting process. It should come directly from the athlete, and it should come early. When you’re reaching out to coaches, it’s important to email coaches one at a time, as opposed to adding several coaches to the same email.
6. Attend Summer Camps
Camps are a big way to showcase your talents. If you aren’t a 4- or 5-star athlete, camps are a great way to show recruits your talents, especially if you feel overlooked. Your performance at camps can generate interest from not only recruits but coaches, and they’ll hopefully start to put you on their radar.
7. Start the Process Early
It’s never too early to start your recruiting process. These days, recruiting is very competitive at all levels, so start planning now. Some advice would be to keep a list of places you think you want to play. You don’t want to wait until your junior year to start planning and getting yourself out there.
8. Don’t Waste Your Time on the Wrong Schools
It’s important to know yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. You have to be honest with yourself and pick programs that suit your talents and abilities. If you’re having trouble assessing your abilities, ask someone that you trust and will be honest with you. You don’t want to waste your time contacting schools that aren’t for you, whether that’s D-1 or D-III; it’s important to know what schools can positively put your talents to use.
Another huge step is making sure you qualify academically. It’s important to know what qualifications your specific school requires so you know if you’re even eligible to apply. If your academics aren’t up to par, you can’t qualify for a scholarship, which is another important reason to do your research early.
9. Clean Up Your Social Media
Make sure your social media content is professional and appropriate. It may come as a shock, but a lot of recruiters will look to social media to see who you are and what you’re about. You want to make the right impression. Make sure things like pictures, voicemail, email, and Twitter handles are appropriate, because at the end of the day, they represent you.
10. Ask for Help
Never be afraid to ask for help. College recruiting can be a very confusing and tedious process. Use your resources, whether that’s your parents, coaches, guidance counselors or even a mentor. Always ask for help if you don’t know, because there’s no such thing as a dumb question. You don’t want to miss out on an opportunity because you were unsure about something or you were afraid to ask for help.
11. Stay Positive
The recruiting process is a long journey. It’s important to properly prepare and stay positive. Just because it’s a long journey, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. Learn everything you can learn, ask questions, and work on your skills. Everything happens for a reason. Embrace the good and the bad moments and don’t give up. You don’t want to live with regrets.
Although no one can fully prepare you for the recruiting process, it’s important to research so you can be as ready as possible. Hopefully these college recruiting tips can assist you on your journey to the next level.
