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division 1 football
what are the best ways to catch and keep a colleges coaches attention?
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Timothy’s Answer
There are plenty of ways to catch a coaches attention, but it can sure be hard to keep that attention (especially at the NCAA-D1 level)!
To give some quick background, I was able to obtain a near full ride football scholarship in 2015 at an NAIA school. It allowed me to redshirt my freshman year, and play four solid years of football. I also obtained two engineering degrees while doing it. I have been through the recruiting process, and have also helped coaches with it as well. I will start with catching a coaches attention, then will move on to keeping it.
Catching a coaches attention:
- Good Film.
Simply put, a highlight reel of your best work from the past season or two. Don't make it flashy. Don't put music on it. Be straight to the point. The reason for this is similar to how a resume is viewed by a hiring manager: you might only have seconds to make an impression. Say you were to have a song playing that was off-putting to that coach viewing your tape, they will either mute it, or worse, continue on to the next athlete. Use programs like Hudl, Youtube, and other video platforms to stitch your plays together. Start the video with a short description: Name, school, GPA (I will cover why this is important later), on-field position, and any accolades you may have obtained so far (MVP, yards rushed, sacks, touchdowns, etc). After this should be your best plays from the season. It doesn't need to all be sacks/touchdowns/interceptions/etc. Start with the big explosive plays that show your ability (like an attention getter), then move on to film that shows you using solid fundamentals. This will show the coach you have not only the ability to make plays, but also a foundation to build on in college. When you are on the field, don't think about film. I have met players who were so crazy about making a good highlight tape, that they messed up on the field. It will hurt you in the long run if you care about it during the season. Work hard in the off-season, do your job during the season, and then capture those highlights when season is over. Trust the process.
- Good Grades.
I know it always seems to be a topic that is drilled into our heads as athletes, but it truly matters in high school and even in college. In high school, failing grades or just bad grades will keep you off the field. There are typically institutional rules that force coaches to bench you if you are getting F's or even D's in classes. Time off the field = less film for coaches to watch. Now let's talk about the effect a bad GPA has on your recruiting. If a coach sees or finds out you have a bad GPA, it hurts your recruit-ability because coaches will think they will need to worry about not having you on the field in college due to lack of performance in the classroom. Just like in high school, bad grades in college can get you benched. The time of taking easy classes and not caring about your major because you are a football player are a thing of the past. You need to perform well in the major you select. Plus you should want to. The likelihood of making the NFL are slim to none (not impossible however). So you should want to obtain that degree for a career after college football. In summary, good grades = happy coaches, in high school, in recruiting, and in college.
- Social Media (and other tools)
So you have a great tape, and you have great grades, but can't get any/enough coaches to witness you still. There are some tools you can utilize to gain exposure. Social media definitely has blown up how people get noticed. I regularly see high school students post a single 6 second clip from a game of them doing something amazing that gets them talking to loads of coaches. It is also a great place to spread your film, and have your friends repost it too to cast a wider net. The more the merrier, but make sure you are putting out the best tape possible. If you have your friends and family all sharing something that is not your best work, it is not going to help you. Outside of social media, there are things like NCSA, a paid service to connect you to coaches. You upload your tape, a NCSA employee reviews it, assigns it a grade, and that grade. A meaning D1 A, B meaning D1-AA/D2, C meaning D2/NAIA, D meaning D3, etc. I am not sure if it is the same scale anymore, but you get the point. Coaches across the nation use this tool to find A/B/C players to join their organization. It is a payed platform, and I never really found it advantageous. Lastly, you can always try cold emailing coaches. Cold emailing meaning you have never talked to them, their email is public, and you shoot them an email. Keep it professional - Introduce yourself, talk about what you have done on and off the field (stats, grades, etc), and provide them with a link to your highlight tape. This can sometimes work, but also remember there are thousands of other kids out there looking to get a position too, so these inboxes are jam packed with similar emails. Gotta make yourself stand out amongst the crowd.
You got a coaches attention! Great! Now lets dive into keeping their attention:
Communication:
This is HUGE. Once you have established a line of communication with a coach, whether that is email, twitter direct messages, or even texting, you need to keep communicating. This shows them that you are A: Still interested, B: Wanting to do what it takes to make it with their organization, C: Good at communicating. Send them stat updates, highlight updates, wins/losses, etc. They will love to know you are out there making plays, and wanting to keep them in the loop.
Visits:
Once you have established some connections, you will get offered to visit their campus. This can be in different forms. If you are an underclassman, you will get unofficial visits, or underclassman visits. This is because they are interested in you, but want to see how you developed in your junior/senior years. Official visits are more serious, it means they really like you, and likely want to offer you. I recommend taking visits to the places you are serious about, because then they will know you are serious about them, and they will take you more seriously too.
Offer:
Lastly, the offer. You have kept a coaches attention, they like you, and want you on their team. They will have you on campus for a visit (typically) or will find a way to contact you in a more personal way (Zoom, Teams, phone call, etc). They will discuss what they are offering you, and how it breaks down. Sometimes it is 100% athletic scholarship, sometimes it can be some athletic and some academic. Whatever it is, don't immediately say yes. Take some time to think it through. Is this your best option? Are there other options that may be available soon? This is a 4+ year commitment that will change your life. Take it very very seriously, and take the time to take it seriously.
And that is it. That is the typical process from playing the game, to getting a scholarship. One other side note, since you mentioned D1:
D1 is the dream. We all say it. However, it is not always the first path/easiest path. D1/D2/NAIA all give scholarships. Some give full rides, some give partial. D3/Junior college are also amazing ways to get noticed, develop your skills, and transfer up to a D1/D2 school. There are two primary associations for college football in the USA. NCAA and NAIA. NCAA is your typical D1-A/D1-AA/D2/D3. NAIA is a little different, some different off-field rules, but is basically D2 depending on where you play. It is a great option, same with D3/Junior college.
Whatever your goal is (NFL, D1, D2, D3), work as hard as you can on/off the field to make it happen. Don't lose sight of it with other things. Take the time to make yourself better. Research players you look up to, study their playstyle, and put in the work. It is never not attainable. I have seen 5'3" guys play D1, and I have seen 6'4" guys play D3. It is all about what you put into it.
Thank you for asking such a great question! I hope I was able to help with my answer. It is a lot, but it is all worth it in the end.
To give some quick background, I was able to obtain a near full ride football scholarship in 2015 at an NAIA school. It allowed me to redshirt my freshman year, and play four solid years of football. I also obtained two engineering degrees while doing it. I have been through the recruiting process, and have also helped coaches with it as well. I will start with catching a coaches attention, then will move on to keeping it.
Catching a coaches attention:
- Good Film.
Simply put, a highlight reel of your best work from the past season or two. Don't make it flashy. Don't put music on it. Be straight to the point. The reason for this is similar to how a resume is viewed by a hiring manager: you might only have seconds to make an impression. Say you were to have a song playing that was off-putting to that coach viewing your tape, they will either mute it, or worse, continue on to the next athlete. Use programs like Hudl, Youtube, and other video platforms to stitch your plays together. Start the video with a short description: Name, school, GPA (I will cover why this is important later), on-field position, and any accolades you may have obtained so far (MVP, yards rushed, sacks, touchdowns, etc). After this should be your best plays from the season. It doesn't need to all be sacks/touchdowns/interceptions/etc. Start with the big explosive plays that show your ability (like an attention getter), then move on to film that shows you using solid fundamentals. This will show the coach you have not only the ability to make plays, but also a foundation to build on in college. When you are on the field, don't think about film. I have met players who were so crazy about making a good highlight tape, that they messed up on the field. It will hurt you in the long run if you care about it during the season. Work hard in the off-season, do your job during the season, and then capture those highlights when season is over. Trust the process.
- Good Grades.
I know it always seems to be a topic that is drilled into our heads as athletes, but it truly matters in high school and even in college. In high school, failing grades or just bad grades will keep you off the field. There are typically institutional rules that force coaches to bench you if you are getting F's or even D's in classes. Time off the field = less film for coaches to watch. Now let's talk about the effect a bad GPA has on your recruiting. If a coach sees or finds out you have a bad GPA, it hurts your recruit-ability because coaches will think they will need to worry about not having you on the field in college due to lack of performance in the classroom. Just like in high school, bad grades in college can get you benched. The time of taking easy classes and not caring about your major because you are a football player are a thing of the past. You need to perform well in the major you select. Plus you should want to. The likelihood of making the NFL are slim to none (not impossible however). So you should want to obtain that degree for a career after college football. In summary, good grades = happy coaches, in high school, in recruiting, and in college.
- Social Media (and other tools)
So you have a great tape, and you have great grades, but can't get any/enough coaches to witness you still. There are some tools you can utilize to gain exposure. Social media definitely has blown up how people get noticed. I regularly see high school students post a single 6 second clip from a game of them doing something amazing that gets them talking to loads of coaches. It is also a great place to spread your film, and have your friends repost it too to cast a wider net. The more the merrier, but make sure you are putting out the best tape possible. If you have your friends and family all sharing something that is not your best work, it is not going to help you. Outside of social media, there are things like NCSA, a paid service to connect you to coaches. You upload your tape, a NCSA employee reviews it, assigns it a grade, and that grade. A meaning D1 A, B meaning D1-AA/D2, C meaning D2/NAIA, D meaning D3, etc. I am not sure if it is the same scale anymore, but you get the point. Coaches across the nation use this tool to find A/B/C players to join their organization. It is a payed platform, and I never really found it advantageous. Lastly, you can always try cold emailing coaches. Cold emailing meaning you have never talked to them, their email is public, and you shoot them an email. Keep it professional - Introduce yourself, talk about what you have done on and off the field (stats, grades, etc), and provide them with a link to your highlight tape. This can sometimes work, but also remember there are thousands of other kids out there looking to get a position too, so these inboxes are jam packed with similar emails. Gotta make yourself stand out amongst the crowd.
You got a coaches attention! Great! Now lets dive into keeping their attention:
Communication:
This is HUGE. Once you have established a line of communication with a coach, whether that is email, twitter direct messages, or even texting, you need to keep communicating. This shows them that you are A: Still interested, B: Wanting to do what it takes to make it with their organization, C: Good at communicating. Send them stat updates, highlight updates, wins/losses, etc. They will love to know you are out there making plays, and wanting to keep them in the loop.
Visits:
Once you have established some connections, you will get offered to visit their campus. This can be in different forms. If you are an underclassman, you will get unofficial visits, or underclassman visits. This is because they are interested in you, but want to see how you developed in your junior/senior years. Official visits are more serious, it means they really like you, and likely want to offer you. I recommend taking visits to the places you are serious about, because then they will know you are serious about them, and they will take you more seriously too.
Offer:
Lastly, the offer. You have kept a coaches attention, they like you, and want you on their team. They will have you on campus for a visit (typically) or will find a way to contact you in a more personal way (Zoom, Teams, phone call, etc). They will discuss what they are offering you, and how it breaks down. Sometimes it is 100% athletic scholarship, sometimes it can be some athletic and some academic. Whatever it is, don't immediately say yes. Take some time to think it through. Is this your best option? Are there other options that may be available soon? This is a 4+ year commitment that will change your life. Take it very very seriously, and take the time to take it seriously.
And that is it. That is the typical process from playing the game, to getting a scholarship. One other side note, since you mentioned D1:
D1 is the dream. We all say it. However, it is not always the first path/easiest path. D1/D2/NAIA all give scholarships. Some give full rides, some give partial. D3/Junior college are also amazing ways to get noticed, develop your skills, and transfer up to a D1/D2 school. There are two primary associations for college football in the USA. NCAA and NAIA. NCAA is your typical D1-A/D1-AA/D2/D3. NAIA is a little different, some different off-field rules, but is basically D2 depending on where you play. It is a great option, same with D3/Junior college.
Whatever your goal is (NFL, D1, D2, D3), work as hard as you can on/off the field to make it happen. Don't lose sight of it with other things. Take the time to make yourself better. Research players you look up to, study their playstyle, and put in the work. It is never not attainable. I have seen 5'3" guys play D1, and I have seen 6'4" guys play D3. It is all about what you put into it.
Thank you for asking such a great question! I hope I was able to help with my answer. It is a lot, but it is all worth it in the end.
Chad Hester
Technical Leader in Digital Accessibility, Lifelong Programmer, Adventurer
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Answers
Updated
Chad’s Answer
First you should consider - Genetics, Speed, Family lineage - all make it easier. You must understand your own limitations. Then you will know if you can catch and keep a college's coaches attention.
Go to the school's website of the ones you are looking to attract attention. What does the current player look like in your position. How do you compare? Are you bigger, faster, stronger than the current player? If not, can you become that before your junior year of high school? If not, you might go to the next level down, and start over.
As soon as you feel you match up, that is when you ask your HS coach to reach out to the college coach about you. Have that conversation with the HS coach, you may need to hear what they say.
Go to the school's website of the ones you are looking to attract attention. What does the current player look like in your position. How do you compare? Are you bigger, faster, stronger than the current player? If not, can you become that before your junior year of high school? If not, you might go to the next level down, and start over.
As soon as you feel you match up, that is when you ask your HS coach to reach out to the college coach about you. Have that conversation with the HS coach, you may need to hear what they say.
Updated
Keith’s Answer
Play well. Play hard. Focus on your craft, but I encourage athletes to do multiple sports because it develops a more rounded athlete. When you play big games...show up big. Be reliable. Be engaging. Be committed. Cut no corners. Spend extra time developing those around you. Be a leader.
Have a recruiting service. Create coach advocates.
Have a recruiting service. Create coach advocates.
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