Playing college football has been your dream for as long as you can remember. However, now that you’re in high school accomplishing it is not as easy as you expected. The good news is that you’re not alone. All you need is a little extra help because knowing how to get recruited for college football is not as difficult as you once thought.

How to Get Recruited for College Football

A Few College Football Recruiting Facts

Football is the number one scholarship sport in all of college athletics. There are almost 900 college football teams in the United States with over 80,000 college football players combined.

Your overall chance of playing college football after high school is around 7 %. Broken down even further the chance of playing Division 1 football is just under 3 %.

The odds are stacked against you, so how will you achieve your goal of playing college football?

If you truly want to play college football at the Division 1 level you have to be two steps ahead of everyone else.

When Does Recruiting Start for Football

Recruiting for football starts the day it becomes your goal to play in college. It is now your responsibility to get it done on the field, in the classroom, and at the weight room.

Once you’ve made this decision, you can begin to complete some of the other essentials needed to have a rewarding recruiting process. This includes researching colleges, putting together a highlight tape, and looking in to camps/showcases. Generally, most of this work will occur during your freshman and sophomore year of high school.

As we start to introduce dates, it’s important to keep in mind that there’s a distinction between when you should begin the recruiting process and when you should expect to hear from college coaches. The top athletes will begin to hear from coaches before they even reach high school.

However, if you’re like the majority of recruits, D1 football coaches won’t start reaching out until your sophomore or junior year of high school. Most of their rosters will be filled for your recruiting class by the end of your junior year or early senior year.

D2, D3, NJCAA, and NAIA coaches typically don’t start actively recruiting until you are a junior or senior. They recruit later than D1 programs because they typically go after recruits who haven’t yet been picked up.

For this reason alone many talented prospects slip through the cracks (maybe even you) and need a little extra boost in their recruiting process. The earlier you start the more opportunities you will have and the greater your chance for success will be.

Evaluating Yourself and Setting Expectations

The college football recruiting process starts with you, your family, and any current coaches you have, whether that be a high school or 7 on 7 coach.

From there you need to take some time to go through the questions we are proposing here and answer them as honestly as possible. Be truthful with yourself or it could back fire in the long run.

How badly do I want to play football in college? 

It doesn’t matter what division level you compete at, football is going to take up a lot of your time. If you struggle being motivated in high school then playing in college is probably not going to work out for you.

There will be early practices, lifting sessions, games, film studies, and traveling on top of classes, study hall, and homework. Make sure you are ready for this level of commitment before jumping into the recruiting process full force.

The average day of college student-athlete is much more intense than what you’re use to.

Where do I currently stand in terms of talent level?

This might be one of the hardest questions to answer because naturally we overrate our own abilities and our parents often do as well. However, answering this question truthfully is critical to benchmark where you are currently and where you want to be.

You will need to evaluate your current athleticism and skillset, as well as project how much you will be able to improve by the time you reach freshman year of college.

This is the perfect time for you to discuss your goals of playing college football and have an honest conversation about your skill level with your coach. You also have the ability to get evaluated by a third-party such as College Athlete Insight.

Am I qualified to play in college?

There are lots of opportunities for football players at the Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, NAIA, and NJCAA levels. If you are wondering what levels you might be qualified for feel free to reach out to us or ask your current coach.

It is important to understand the differences between each division and which ones you are qualified to play in.

Creating a List and Researching College Football Programs

One of the most important steps throughout the recruiting process is researching college programs and creating a list on schools you feel would be good a fit. A list of 20-30 schools is perfect.

When researching colleges make sure to consider location, academics, size, and social life on top of their football program. As time goes on you will begin to cut down this list until it is time to make your commitment.

Here’s how we recommend breaking down your list:

5 Dream Schools: 

These are schools you have dreamed of playing football for since you were a kid. They might also be colleges that are extremely competitive in terms of academics (ex. Ivy League, Stanford, MIT).

Some of these colleges might also be really expensive and affording them may not be possible unless given a full athletic scholarship or substantial financial aid.

7 Security Schools: 

Colleges within this category are very attainable and you have no doubt you can play football for them as well as qualify to play there academically. It is never bad to add more schools to this category.

Make sure you are reaching out to coaches at your security schools so they know of your interest. This could be very helpful later on if the other schools on your list don’t work out.

12 Target Schools: 

This is where you’ll put the schools that best match you athletically, academically, and socially. You should focus most of your attention on college football programs within this category.

As you are creating your list it is also critical to get third party input to make sure you stay on track and have schools within all three categories that can be attained.

The College Recruiting Guidebook

The college recruiting guidebook is the ultimate manual to earning an athletic scholarship for student-athletes and parents.

How would a $50,000/year athletic scholarship change your families life?
College Recruiting Guidebook to earning an athletic scholarship

Inside the guidebook you’ll have access to:

 

Parents will pay $20 just for admission in to their kids game. You can get this guidebook for the same price.

The college recruiting guidebook could literally change your families future! 

Download the Guidebook

Start Working with Your Current Coaches

One of the best resources during the whole recruiting process will be your high school football coaches. They should already have a bunch of contacts throughout the college football world.

You need to make it clear from the beginning that you want to continue your football career after high school. That way your coach understands your intentions and can start reaching out to colleges for you. It’s his job to not only coach you, but also help you get to the next level.

If you are a skill player a resource you should utilize is your 7 on 7 coach. I understand that not everyone plays this modified version of football, particularly lineman.

However, if you do play make sure those coaches are marketing your abilities as well.

Many of the 7 on 7 coaches we know just so happened to play football in college themselves. Therefore, they should have an understanding of the recruiting process and be willing to help you.

Be wary that some college coaches will reach out to your current coaches on their own. This is why you want to build a good relationship with them because when those calls occur you need them telling the college coaches positive things about you, not any problems or negative things.

Many athletes get hurt in the recruiting process because they burn bridges with a high school or 7 on 7 coach who then talks down on them to a college coach. As bad as this sounds, it is reality and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen to you.

At the end of the day, your college football recruiting journey can often come down to connections.

Creating a Football Highlight Tape

Making a highlight video of your best plays is quite possibly the most important part of your entire football recruiting process.

College coaches don’t have the time or resources to go across the country and watch every recruit play in person. On top of that, high school and college football seasons overlap each other leaving a very small time frame for coaches to go out and see you play.

That is why you are going to compile all of your best plays and skills in to a 3-6 minute highlight tape. Here are some  suggestions to help you along the way:

Put your best plays first: Coaches don’t have the time to watch every prospects entire highlight tape so make sure you make a good first impression to keep them engaged.

Add in variety: You should use dif­fer­ent types of plays to showcase all of your skills. Coaches want to see all of the unique things you can do, not just 10 straight clips of basically the same thing. IQ and athleticism are important to show as well.

Extras: Music, sound effects, and intros aren’t necessary. If you spotlight yourself make sure you do it before the play, not in the middle of it. If you play offense and defense feel free to show versatility by having clips from both sides of the ball.

Having a good highlight tape is a tremendous way to get noticed by college coaches and get your name in their system.

If a coach is interested after observing your highlight video they will begin to arrange a time to see you play in person, request full game footage, or invite you to their campus.

Begin Reaching out to College Coaches

Now that you’ve completed some of the college football recruiting essentials you can begin reaching out to college coaches. Understand, that coaches receive lots of messages, mail, and texts daily. It is important to stand out from the crowd if you want them to take notice.

Here’s a solid guide filled with tips and strategies to help you get started:

Understanding Star Ratings in College Football

Every year the main media websites release a list of their top college football prospects. Star ratings are attached as well as any offers those kids might have.

The best players are given a 5-star rating all the way down to lower-end prospects who typically receive a 2-star rating. ESPN, 247Sports.com, Rivals.com, KohlKicking.com, and Scout.com are the main ones.

To assign a rating these media platforms typically analyze film footage, attend live games, camps and combines, and judge overall athleticism to make their decisions. Just because you are given a 5-star does not mean you will excel in college.

The same goes for kids that don’t receive any stars. Unranked players often have a chip on their shoulder and end up proving a lot of people wrong.

What Star Ratings Do

The star ratings help these media companies make money, but they also serve a few other purposes. They provide people with an easy way to see who the top recruits are and track their journey.

The ratings also help college coaches find athletes who are the right caliber for their program. Keep in mind though, that star ratings aren’t an exact science and certainly don’t guarantee success.

Plenty of 2-star and no-star athletes have gone on to have successful college and even professional careers. If you do receive a ranking, use it as a baseline to find programs that might fit you well.

However, don’t let it deter you from contacting coaches at schools that might seem out of your reach.

Why You Might Need to Attend Some Camps, Showcases, Combines, and Junior Days

The college football season overlaps with the high school season making it very hard for coaches to see every recruit play in person. That is why you need a good highlight tape, but will also most likely to attend some camps, showcases, combines, and junior days. It is very important to do some research and attend events that will maximize your exposure.

Camps and junior days are a great way for recruits to show off their skill sets and athleticism to coaches who they are interested in. You will also have the ability to talk with the coaches and begin building a personal relationship. This is important, so always talk with the coaches before, during, and after the event.

College coaches usually do not attend combines, but they still play an important role in the football recruiting process. At combines, you will have the opportunity to get verified football stats by a trusted third party resource.

You will be tested in football skills such as the 40-yard dash, shuttle run, broad jump, and vertical jump. These numbers don’t tell the whole story, but by testing well you put yourself in a good position.

Important Note About Events Like These:

At a camp, coaches often have very little time to look at each and every athlete. They make quick first impressions and athleticism is often the first thing they examine.

As unfortunate as it is, many colleges coaches would rather take an athletic kid over one who is more skilled, but athletically inferior. That is because of something called potential.

Kids that are lightning fast or go make a one handed coach over a defender are the ones that coaches look at first in a camp setting.

Anyway, you can actually use this to your advantage by getting stronger, faster, quicker, and more explosive. It can all be down in a short amount of time with the right products and plan.

Check this out to improve your speed, quickness, and athleticism in a couple of weeks.

Supervising Your College Football Recruiting Process

The college football recruiting process can be very frustrating and confusing at times. You might feel stuck or unsure of what the next step is for you.

This time period is one of the main reasons we created College Athlete Insight. We want you to keep moving forward and worry more about improving your game rather than all the recruiting stuff.

Here’s what you need to be doing during this time phase:

The Impact of Redshirting and How it Works

College football redshirts more student-athletes every year than any other sport. A redshirt year is important to help put on strength, learn the playbook, and get use to the college grind.

In 2019, the NCAA made a rule change allowing Division 1 FBS and FCS football players to compete in up to four games without losing a year of eligibility. This new rule means players can get experience without forfeiting a year of eligibility.

About half of all D1 football players redshirt their freshman year. The new redshirt rule means college coaches will also change up their recruiting tactics. They can now meaningful playing time and development during your first year of college.

Be sure when communicating with college coaches to ask about playing opportunities for redshirt freshmen.

Conclusion:

Playing football in college is no easy task. That is why understanding how the college football recruiting process operates is very important.

There are over 1 million total high school football players in the United States. Only 7% of them will go on to play at the next level.

I would recommend checking out the college recruiting guidebook today to get help you need. It has everything you need as a student-athlete or parent to earn college football offers.

Thanks for reading!

98 Responses

  1. My brother suggested I may like this website. He was entirely right.
    This put up truly made my day. You can not consider just how so much time I had spent for this info!
    Thanks!

  2. I’m not sure where you’re getting your info, but great topic.

    I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more.
    Thanks for wonderful information I was looking for this info for my mission.

  3. Magnificent beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your web site, how
    could i subscribe for a blog site? The account aided me a acceptable deal.
    I had been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright
    clear idea

  4. Just wish to say your article is as astonishing.
    The clearness in your put up is just nice and i can suppose you are an expert on this subject.
    Well together with your permission let me to take hold of your RSS feed to keep
    up to date with coming near near post. Thank you one million and please carry on the rewarding work.

  5. It’s genuinely very difficult in this active life to listen news on Television,
    so I simply use world wide web for that reason, and get the
    newest information.

    My website; Celia

  6. I think this is among the most vital info for me. And i’m glad reading your article.

    But wanna remark on some general things, The site style is
    ideal, the articles is really nice : D. Good job, cheers

  7. I’d like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in writing this site.
    I am hoping to see the same high-grade blog posts by you later on as well.
    In truth, your creative writing abilities has
    encouraged me to get my own website now 😉

  8. Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something.

    I think that you can do with a few pics to drive the message home a
    little bit, but instead of that, this is magnificent blog.
    A great read. I will certainly be back.

  9. hi!,I love your writing very a lot! share we keep up a correspondence extra approximately your post on AOL?
    I require an expert in this area to resolve my problem.
    May be that is you! Looking ahead to look you.

    my web page: Oliver

  10. Thank you, I’ve just been looking for information approximately this topic for a while
    and yours is the greatest I’ve discovered so far. However, what concerning the bottom line?
    Are you positive in regards to the supply?

    Look into my webpage: raw foods

  11. I’ve been exploring for a little bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts on this sort of house .
    Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this website.
    Reading this information So i am happy to express that I’ve a very just right uncanny feeling I came upon just what I needed.
    I such a lot indisputably will make sure how to stop smoking weed
    don’t omit this website and give it a look on a relentless basis.

  12. Hey fantastic blog! Does running a blog such as this
    take a massive amount work? I have absolutely no knowledge of programming but
    I had been hoping to start my own blog in the near future.
    Anyway, should you have any suggestions or techniques for new blog owners please share.
    I understand this is off subject but I simply wanted to ask.
    Cheers!

  13. I as well as my buddies happened to be examining the best suggestions from your
    website and suddenly developed a horrible suspicion I had not expressed respect to you for those techniques.
    My women happened to be glad to read through all
    of them and have in effect clearly been tapping into them.
    We appreciate you being quite considerate and
    also for picking out certain smart useful
    guides most people are really wanting to discover. My honest regret for not expressing gratitude to you earlier.

    My web site: http://www.fotosombra.com.br

  14. Having read this I believed it was rather informative. I appreciate you taking the time and
    energy to put this short article together. I once again find
    myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting.

    But so what, it was still worthwhile!

    Review my web page … free indoor growing

  15. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make
    your point. You obviously know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence
    on just posting videos to your blog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?

    Here is my website :: high quality treatment

  16. Outstanding blog! I recently found it the moment surfing around in Yahoo Evaluations.
    Do you have variety of tips on how to obtain listed
    in America online News? I have personally been trying for a while nevertheless I for no reason seem to happen presently there!

    Many thanks

  17. Taking into consideration a gambling togel on the net player?
    Consider the news inside the site initial to get the
    virtually all up to date information. You will find correct forecasts and how to delight
    in.

  18. Hello there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group?
    There’s a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content.
    Please let me know. Many thanks

    my web site lost weight

  19. Very good skin care
    site you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any discussion boards that cover the
    same topics talked about in this article? I’d really like to be a
    part of online community where I can get feedback from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest.
    If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Cheers!

  20. Today, while I was at work, my sister stole my apple
    ipad and tested to see if it can survive a
    25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now broken and she has 83 views.
    I know this is completely off topic but I had to share it with someone!

    Stop by my page raw foods

  21. I’m not sure why but this blog is loading incredibly slow for
    me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue on my end?
    I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.

    My homepage … skilled drug

  22. Hi there, You’ve done an incredible job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally recommend to my
    friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this website.

  23. I really love your blog.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you create this site yourself?

    Please reply back as I’m wanting to create my very own website and
    want to find out where you got this from or what the theme is called.
    Appreciate it!

    Check out my webpage :: various cannabis

  24. I was wondering if you ever considered changing the layout of your site?

    Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But
    maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people
    could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for
    only having one or 2 images. Maybe you could space it out better?

    Also visit my homepage cannabis seeds

  25. Hi there! I know this is kind of off-topic but I needed to ask.
    Does managing a well-established blog like yours require a
    large amount of work? I’m completely new to running a blog but I do write in my
    journal on a daily basis. I’d like to start a blog so I can easily share my own experience and views
    online. Please let me know if you have any kind of ideas or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers.

    Appreciate it!

  26. I am extremely inspired with your writing skills and also with the structure
    in your blog. Is this a paid topic or did you customize it
    yourself? Either way keep up the excellent high quality writing,
    it is rare to see a great blog like this one these days..

  27. The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my iPad and tested to see if it can survive a 30 foot
    drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now broken and she has 83 views.

    I know this is entirely off topic but I had to
    share it with someone!

    Feel free to visit my web blog; low fat

  28. It is the best time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy.
    I have read this post and if I could I desire to suggest you some interesting things or suggestions.
    Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article.
    I wish to read even more things about it!

    Here is my web page: http://www.fles.hlc.edu.tw

  29. I wanted to visit and allow you to know how much I valued discovering this blog today.
    I will consider it a honor to work at my business office and be able to make use of the tips provided on your web-site and also engage in visitors’ comments like this.
    Should a position of guest writer become available at
    your end, make sure you let me know.

    My blog – protein diet

  30. Merely to follow up on the up-date of this subject on your website and
    would wish to let you know simply how much I treasured the
    time you took to write this beneficial post. In the post, you spoke
    on how to really handle this problem with all comfort.

    It would be my own pleasure to build up some more concepts from your web-site and come up to offer
    other folks what I discovered from you. Thank you for your usual terrific effort.

    My blog … rem sleep

  31. I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my
    own blog and was wondering what all is needed to get set up?
    I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny?

    I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% positive.
    Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

    Here is my page :: care personal skin

  32. Hi are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world
    but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do
    you require any coding knowledge to make your own blog?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Also visit my site … diet pill

  33. Thank you for your blog post. Jones and I happen to be saving to buy a new ebook on this theme and your
    article has made all of us to save our money.
    Your thoughts really resolved all our inquiries. In fact,
    more than what we had thought of in advance of the time
    we ran into your superb blog. My spouse and i no longer nurture doubts and
    also a troubled mind because you have attended to our needs above.
    Thanks

    Here is my blog … personal skin care

  34. you are actually a excellent webmaster. The web site loading velocity is amazing.
    It seems that you’re doing any distinctive trick. Furthermore, The
    contents are masterwork. you’ve performed a great activity on this matter!

  35. I cling on to listening to the newscast speak
    about getting boundless online grant applications so
    I have been looking around for the top site to
    get one. Could you advise me please, where could i acquire some?

    my homepage: Ulrike

  36. I?m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that?s both educative and entertaining, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head.
    The issue is something which not enough folks are speaking intelligently about.
    I’m very happy I stumbled across this during my
    search for something concerning this.

    Also visit my web site; Maria

  37. May I simply just say what a relief to uncover an individual who truly understands what they’re
    discussing on the internet. You certainly realize how to bring a problem to light and make
    it important. A lot more people really need to read this
    and understand this side of the story. It’s surprising you
    aren’t more popular since you most certainly
    possess the gift.

    Also visit my web site – 23.95.102.216

  38. Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your post seem to be running off the
    screen in Safari. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to
    do with internet browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know.
    The design and style look great though! Hope you get the issue solved soon. Kudos

    Feel free to visit my webpage :: http://www.fotosombra.com.br

  39. What’s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve discovered It
    absolutely helpful and it has aided me out loads.
    I am hoping to contribute & assist other users like its helped me.

    Great job.

    Here is my website: Bobbie

  40. Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet
    my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for
    quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience
    with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything.
    I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

    Have a look at my blog; natural skin care

  41. I’ve recently started a site, the info you offer on this website has helped me greatly.
    Thank you for all of your time & work.

    my web site; Jeanna

  42. Greetings from Los angeles! I’m bored to tears at work so
    I decided to browse your blog on my iphone during lunch break.

    I really like the information you provide here and
    can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m amazed at how fast your blog
    loaded on my phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G ..
    Anyhow, fantastic blog!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *