High School Recruiting and the Process Behind Getting a College Scholarship

MAKE SURE YOU ACADEMICALLY QUALIFY: No institution will consider you if you do not qualify academically. Academics will remain an important part of collegiate athletics as long as colleges and the NCAA are involved, so you have to make sure your grades, test scores, and high school credits meet college requirements.

Once that is established, do your research and cast a wide net when looking at schools. Ideally, start out by contacting a lot of college coaches — around 20-30 — and then you’ll drop schools from your list over time.

Here’s how you should organize your target list: 

• 5 safety schools: These are schools you know you’ll be able to play at and for which you qualify academically. Get in touch with these coaches early on so the coach knows you’re genuinely interested. Many athletes find that programs they never considered originally ended up being their best fit. 
• 10 target schools: This is where you’ll put the schools that are your best match athletically, academically, and socially — the ones you really want to focus on in your recruiting. 
• 5 Dream schools: These schools might be out of your price range or competitive academically or athletically. Add them to your list as a great goal to strive for. 

From there, be proactive and take control of your recruitment. Contact recruiting coordinators with emails, letters, and social media interactions. Introduce yourself in a respectful and professional manner. Include information about yourself – athletically and academically – and things like highlight videos and stats. Respond to correspondence that has been sent by members of that coaching staff. Being proactive will also show the coaches that you’re self-driven, a skill that they like to see on the field too. 

Make sure your current coach is aware of what you are doing so that they can help you build relationships with college coaches and also help evaluate your skill set.

As you continue to go through the football recruiting process, keep in mind the recruiting rules and guidelines college coaches have to follow as well. These rules can be significant and strict. For example, if a university coach seems not to be involved with the football recruiting process as you’re not receiving any calls or emails often, don’t take it personally. That may be because they are not allowed to contact you at that time due to a “dead period” but can do so later.

When dropping schools, be completely honest and upfront with what your goals are. Coaches my not understand it, but they will respect it, which allows you and the coaching staff to figure out if there is a match that’s good for you both. 

• Update your highlight video with new footage and plays. Once you have created a new video, this is a great opportunity to email the coaches on your list and send them the updated footage. 
• Update your NCSA profile with new athletic or academic stats, a new video, an updated transcript, or personal statement. When coaches search for an athlete’s profile, they’ll see an accurate snapshot of the student-athlete. 
• Go on unofficial and official college visits. The only way to really know if a school is right for you is to visit the campus. Make sure you schedule a time to meet with the coach, check out the training facilities, see the library, tour the freshmen dorms, and ultimately ask yourself, “Can I see myself living here for four years?” 
• Continue to update your target list of schools. Throughout your recruiting, schools on your list will inevitably drop off, move up or down, or even stay right where they are. Check back in with your list of schools every quarter to make sure you’re prioritizing your recruiting appropriately. 
• Take the ACT and SAT. For NCAA and NAIA academic eligibility, your standardized test scores are extremely important. Take the ACT or SAT the fall of your junior year so you have time to retake the test in the spring if you need to boost your score. 
• Stay on top of your academic eligibility. Make sure you are on track to achieve the grades, test scores, and core courses you need to be academically eligible. 
• Double check the deadlines. Go over when the following are due: NCAA Amateurism Certificate, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, college applications, NCAA and NAIA Eligibility Center registration, final transcripts, and proof of graduation. 

Hopefully, by then, you will have balled out your senior season on the field and in the classroom and set yourself up to make the decision of a lifetime. Remember it’s your recruitment and ultimately your decision. This is a decision that not only affects you but affects your family and the ones closest to you. So, sign with your top school, submit your National Letter of Intent, and chase those dreams. More importantly, trust the process.

Written by: Jaquez McCoy