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Just how serious are you getting recruited? There are a lot of different things that happen during a recruit’s high school careers that signal their level of recruitment with specific colleges; however, athletes and parents have a hard time distinguishing what the level of recruiting interest actually is.

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Less than 2% of high school athletes will receive an athletic scholarship (per the NCAA reports). It is very important for athletes to know what their recruitment level is.

1. Not Getting Recruited

   Athletes are not on the recruiting radar yet; they haven’t reached out to coaches, or simply don’t have the talent to play college sports. Typically recruits that aren’t receiving recruiting attention wind up walking-on, Division Three, JUCO, or not playing at the collegiate level at all.

2. Somewhat Getting Recruited

   Athletes are getting interest but still need to do more to get seen. Typically recruits that get somewhat recruited end up at JUCO, NAIA, Division Three, and possibly Division Two.

3. Actively Getting Recruited

   These athletes are on the radar and have college level talent. Typically recruits that get actively recruited end up at mid-major to high major schools or division two.

4. Heavily Getting Recruited

   These athletes are near the top of a coach’s recruiting board. Typically recruits that receive heavy recruiting interest go to Division One schools.

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Here is a look at the different recruitment levels for each high school grade level, and the division level that a recruit will likely play at.

This is your final chance to impress college coaches. All the camps, practices, games, traveling, and training you’ve done to become a better athlete is about to pay off.

You need to stay focused on earning an athletic scholarship. If you are just now starting the recruiting process then you are a bit behind schedule; however, there is still time to get noticed. We don’t recommend you wait this long because you waste three good years of networking with college coaches. If you start early then coaches can get to know you, and they can see the progress you make each year. We put together some tips for you to follow as you begin your senior year.

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1. Don’t Lose Focus on Your Grade

   We have been preaching it for four years now. No coach wants to waste his or her time on a recruit that can’t make grades. You’ve worked hard your whole high school career so stay the course.

2. Talk to Your Guidance Counselor

   Make sure you are on track and taking the right courses to become eligible. The NCAA has strict rules in place that require you to take certain college preparatory courses. Check with your counselor to ensure you will be eligible.

3. Retake ACT or SAT

   If you feel that your ACT or SAT scores could hurt your chances of getting into college, then retake them. You should also consider retaking the exams to improve your financial aid situation. Academic scholarships can always be added to your athletic scholarships. This is especially important if you aren’t getting a full ride athletically. Full-ride athletic scholarships are rare and are usually coupled with an academic scholarship of some sort. Having good grades can help coaches decide on recruits with similar physical skills. If you need help with studying try using a study guide. Studies show that properly preparing for the ACT/SAT can increase scores.

4. Get Cleared

   You can’t play unless you first get cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center. You should have taken care of most of the tasks in your junior year. It isn’t difficult to register but it is a requirement. Remember when you take the ACT or SAT to request your test scores be sent to the eligibility center. The code for doing that is 9999 on the exams. After April 1st you can sign the amateurism questionnaire and the final authorization signature that they require. If you enroll in the spring semester than the date is October 1st.

5. Contact coaches

   This is extremely important if you haven’t been getting many looks. Hopefully, you read our other posts and you have been contacting coaches. If not, don’t panic there is still time. You just need to spend more time at it. You should send out emails and letters to dozens of potential schools. Let the coach know you are interested, and that you can help their program. Research the school before you contact anyone. You should have some information about the university and coaching staff to include in your email and letter. You can even call the coaching staff. There are no restrictions on phone calls that you initiate to the staff. Don’t abuse the privilege and get labeled ‘annoying’. Call every couple weeks if you need to.

6. Research Schools

   If you have multiple offers on the table, or simply trying to decide what school to attend, you should do some research and learn as much as possible about the college. Find out what is important to you. Don’t attend a certain university solely based on a scholarship offer. Only about 1% of college athletes go on to play professional sports. Going to a school that fits you will lay the foundation for the rest of your life. Consider more than just the money on the table. Figure out other important things like:
   • - What do you want to study?
   • - Do you prefer a small or large school?
   • - How much will it cost?
   • - Does the school have a good reputation?
   • - What is their graduation rate?
   • - What are the academic requirements?

7. Broaden Your Search

   If you are a little late in getting the recruiting process started then this is important for you. You don’t have the time to waste on just a couple of schools. You should contact as many college coaches as possible. There are great schools all over the country at all levels that you can attend. Don’t set your hopes on a few schools without having a backup plan. Contact as many coaches as possible.

8. Market Your Talents

   The reason a coach might not be recruiting you has nothing to do with your athletic ability, but rather because they have no idea who you are. Coaches have thousands of athletes to filter through, and from time to time they miss a few quality recruits. That’s just how it goes. The key is to make sure you are one of the ones that get seen. There are certain tips and tricks that you can use to get in front of college coaches.

9. Sign a National Letter of Intent

   You have done everything in your power to get noticed and finally got offered a scholarship. Sign your letter of intent, and celebrate with family and friends. Congrats!

How to create your online college recruiting profile

The recruiting industry has shifted with the advancement of new technologies. Old strategies are still in place, but college coaches are now using the internet and their cell phones to see new recruits. Create an online profile at RecruitLook to begin showcasing your skills. An online profile now gives you a platform to network with hundreds of college coaches.

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A good online profile will allow you to post:

• - Personal Information (contact info, graduation year, high school, bio)
• - Academic Information (GPA, ACT score, SAT score, interested college majors, academic achievements)
• - Athletic Information (height, weight, sport, position, athletic accolades)
• - Stats (current and career)
• - Upcoming Schedule
• - Photos
• - Highlight Videos

Why athletes need to submit college recruiting questionnaires

Visit the college websites and find the recruiting section to submit your recruiting questionnaire. This gets your name into the school’s database of high school athletes that are interested in their program. This does not mean that you are getting recruited, but you are now on the mailing list to receive information about any upcoming games, camps, showcases, and breaking news. This is a good way for you to get acquainted with coaches because you can reply back to any of the material that they are sending you.

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Here is what a few college coaches had to say about recruiting questionnaires:

One coach said that if they ask a recruit to fill out the questionnaire and that recruit does not do it, then they see it as the recruit not being that interested; therefore, the coaching staff will back off on their recruiting efforts for that particular high school prospect. That means as a high school recruit, don’t be lazy! Take 5-10 minutes to fill out the questionnaire and send it back.

Another coach said that if an athlete submits the questionnaire, then they know that they are interested regardless of what reports might say. Most college coaches have contacts and sources that can fill them in on certain recruits, so if a recruit wants to stay close to home then schools might back off some; however, if the recruit is filling out recruiting questionnaires, the school will continue to take an interest in them. Which means the athlete now has options!

Going back to our question... why should you fill our recruiting questionnaires? The best answer is that you are giving yourself options. There is no blueprint for landing an athletic scholarship, and if you don’t have other options then you put yourself at risk for not getting a scholarship offer. Most schools now have the recruiting questionnaires online at their website.

Recruiting videos have become an essential part of any high school recruit looking to gain the attention of prospective college coaches. Just about every coach in America is using the internet to watch videos on new recruits. If you don’t have a video ready to go then you are missing a great opportunity to get seen by college scouts.

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Why is a recruiting video important?

It’s difficult for coaches to travel all over the country to see recruits play. College coaches live a busy life. They have team/university commitments, recruiting budgets to factor in, families to spend time with, opponent scouting, recruiting thousands of players, game planning during the season, and the list goes on. With all that a coach has to do, it is very unlikely that they’ll spend the time or the money to come to watch you play based on your reputation. The easiest solution to get around coaches’ busy lifestyle – send them a highlight video. It is much more convenient for a coach to sit in his office and watch a 3-5 minute video of you then it is to travel across the country.

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What should be included in an athletic recruiting video:

Highlight Section

The first thing a coach should see when he plays the highlight section of your video is a screen that has the following information and a picture of you in your uniform. This screen should remain up for about 6-7 seconds. If you have so much information that you need a second screen then it should follow for another 6-7 seconds but without the picture. The coach can pause the image if he needs more time to review it. This gives the coach all the essential background information he needs before he reviews your plays. It’s in one place and can be paused if he needs more time to review it.

Identify the play

Each play should be identified with a slate displaying the Play Identification Number preceding the play and have a chapter marker inserted by the editor during the editing process so the play is easily accessible through a menu by the coach if he wants to review certain plays again.

Identify the player on screen

Each play should start with a freeze frame of the setup, and the player clearly identified with a circle or an arrow so the coach knows exactly where to look on the screen. This should remain for approximately 2 seconds on screen then be released for the action to play through. In some cases, if the player is off-screen when the play begins, the play will begin then freeze when the player enters the action, the player will be identified with an arrow or circle and the play will continue.

Number of plays

The number of plays should be determined by the quality of the play itself and the athlete’s performance within the play. A good number is between 20 and 30. In some cases, less is more. The important thing is to convey how you do your job in a given situation and the consistency of your performance.

A complete game

It’s becoming a common practice to have a complete game ready for college coaches. Pick the game you and your coach feel is your best work and upload it to your recruiting profile.

Music and graphics

Overuse of music, graphics and other “creative” elements detract from the overall statement you are trying to make, so they should be used sparingly.

Just like communicating via text message with your friends… it’s easy and can be a quick way to converse with college coaches.

There are some simple strategies you can do to get a conversation started and to maintain a conversation with college coaches. Below are some examples.

You should know the rules for when texting is allowed...

NCAA D1 Rules NCAA D2 Rules NCAA D3 Rules

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Below are some examples of how to text with a college coach.

Hey Coach, great game last night. I was able to catch it on ESPN2. Keep on rollin! Thanks, Joe Athlete
Hey Coach, I read in the paper that you won again yesterday. I can’t wait for next week’s game! Thanks, Joe Athlete
Hey Coach, tough loss last night. Your team played really well…they never quit. Thanks, Joe Athlete
Good luck Saturday against State College. I’m sure the place will be rocking! Thanks, Joe Athlete
When would be a good time to visit? My dad and I are looking at October 30th. Let me know. Thanks, Joe Athlete
Hey Coach, I was voted player of the week by the Daily Paper. I’ll send you the link. Thanks, Joe Athlete
Hey Coach, we won our big game against Rival City. I’ll send you a link to the article. Thanks, Joe Athlete
Hey Coach, I just posted new video of my in-season conditioning. I’ll email you a link! Thanks, Joe Athlete
I hope all is well. We won again last night. I scored 2 goals and had an assist. Thanks, Joe Athlete
Thank you for coming to my game today/tonight. I appreciate you taking the time to evaluate me.
Coach, here is my schedule for the upcoming tournament. I hope to see you there.
Thank you for the compliments. I think I played well, but I know I have room to grow. (after a coach texts congrats on a good game.)

Coaches have been texting for years so they don’t mind if you use (u) instead of (you) and so on if you need more room for the rest of the text.

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Important Info When You Text A College Coach:

A coach isn’t going to want to hear from you at weird hours of the night.
Don’t text multiple times if you don’t get a response. If you don’t get a response, try to resend in a few days.
Don’t use vulgar language.
Don’t send inappropriate pictures (partying, flipping off the camera, etc).
Don’t ask a coach if they are going to offer you a scholarship via text message.

This is your best way to get answers from a coach while being able to develop a friendship/relationship with them, and getting the coaches to trust in you and to let them know you genuinely care about their program.

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What kind of conversations can athletes expect with a college coach?

Always introduce yourself with First and Last name, high school and if you have never spoken with the coach or think he might not remember you, then throw in your position and graduation year.

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Here is how you should lead into a conversation when the season is going on:

Good luck coming up against Boise State. You guys have to have one of the toughest opening schedules in the nation.
You played Oklahoma State tough in the second half.
Thanks for the email about your game against Oklahoma to start the year. I watched it on TV. Your offense looks explosive this year.
After watching your game I think your style of play fits my skills set perfectly. From what I see you like to set up the pass with the running game, right? (Then the coach will say something back). One of the things I really worked on to improve on my techniques this summer was getting to the second level and taking on blockers. (Coach might say something back about their offense).
I was good last year on handling my assignments on the line. I only allowed 2 sacks. I think to be a collegiate offensive lineman you must be able to pass block to give your quarterback time. I have been working hard this year on my pass blocking techniques as well as my strength. I will send you my workout video…I was lifting a 500lb tire 30 yards down and back.


Feel free to throw in (and we recommend you do) any other positions you play on the field.

Obviously you won’t be rambling on like this the entire time, but you can see the points that you can hit on. You want to highlight some of your strengths, and how you could be an asset to their program. The best thing is to do some research on the school beforehand so it looks like you know what you are talking about. Plus, coaches will like the idea that you are following their program.

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A more general approach to phone topics after you have the coach on the line:

You really have the team playing well this year.
What is your outlook for this week’s game?
What have you been doing in practice to get ready for your next game?
As a running back, I am impressed by your ground and pound attack.
Did I send you that link yet of my in-season workout video?
Have you seen the article about me being voted player of the week?
What is the academic workload like when you are in season?
What is the travel schedule like? Do you generally Fly or take a bus?
Are you trying for a big recruiting class?
Is my position being heavily recruited?
How many players are ahead of me at my position?

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What should athletes do if the coach doesn’t answer their phone call?

If a coach doesn’t answer then don’t leave a message. Try to call back a few times throughout the day or week before leaving a message. If you leave a message keep it short and simple like this:
“Hey Coach Smith, this is Joe Athlete from State High School. I just wanted to touch base with you about how my season was going, and to talk about things at State University. I have been following you guys closely this fall and want to discuss how I can be a part of the program. You can reach me on my cell at…..or email me at…….. Thank you and I look forward to hearing back from you.”

Knowing what college level you are best suited for will help tremendously with your college recruiting.

If you are only getting recruiting interest from smaller colleges then you should focus your recruitment on those types of schools. Many recruits like to think that they are division one talent, but the market is saying they are division two or lower; however, recruits still only try to land division one scholarships. That is not a good strategy. You are limiting your opportunities.

Of course every recruit wants to play for the big division one program; however, there are just as good of opportunities out there at other division levels. Very few college players actually make it in the professional sports world, so college athletics should be your avenue to get a discounted college education. The goal is to further your education and to enter the professional business world ready for an opportunity…not to play professional sports. Again, it is about being realistic with your skills. Don’t pass on an opportunity because you think you should be playing somewhere better.

Parents also need to realize their kid’s recruiting potential. There are millions of high school athletes competing for very limited scholarship opportunities. If parents don’t go into the recruiting process with an open mind and realistic goals, then it could jeopardize where their kid goes to school and the scholarship amount they receive.

By no means are we trying to hold anyone back from chasing their dreams of playing college sports; we just want athletes and parents to realize that the recruiting process is very competitive and that there are opportunities outside of the high major college athletics.

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Here are a few tips athletes can use to see what colleges might be a good fit for them:

1. Get a RecruitLook Scout to evaluate their skills and get feedback about their recruiting potential.
2. Get a high school coach, trainer, or former college athlete to evaluate their skills and get feedback about their recruiting potential.
3. Attend a showcase, combine, or college camp to see the talent level of other recruits outside your hometown.
4. Contact college coaches to see if they are interested in what you have to offer. If a college coach likes what you bring to the table then they’ll be interested in learning more.
5. Do some research on the school’s previous recruiting classes. Did that school only recruit McDonald’s All-Americans and you are a role-player on a decent team…chances are you won’t get recruited by that school, but there is probably another university that might be interested.

Most recruits think that if they are good that a college scout will find them, and that their athletic ability is what will land them a college scholarship. Don’t be shocked at this next sentence. College scouts are looking for more than just a talented athlete.

Yes, a scout wants to make sure you can compete in their conference, but a scout is also evaluating beyond just the playing surface.

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1. Coaches Don’t Know About You

   College coaches have thousands of athletes to discover, scout, evaluate, contact, scout, evaluate, contact, and eventually possibly offer. You will get passed over if you rely only on your playing ability and reputation. How do you expect a coach to find you when they are busy looking at other recruits? There are thousands of recruits all over the country just like you, and there are very limited scholarship dollars compared to the number of high school athletes out there. What are you doing to set yourself apart? Athletes need to be networking and getting their info to coaches. Don’t settle for a school you do not want to attend and don’t jeopardize scholarship money just because you failed to be proactive in your recruiting approach.

2. Poor Grades

   You can lie about being 6’5” when you are really 6’4”, but you can’t lie about your grades! Your GPA, ACT, and SAT scores will be checked by every single college coach that is remotely interested in you, and the coaches usually start off by checking your grades after they find out about you. The number one question RecruitLook Scouts hear from college coaches is: “What are his/her grades like?” There is no way around being a poor student, and college coaches will not risk a scholarship on an athlete with bad grades. If two athletes had the exact same playing ability and physical attributes, but one was a 4.0 GPA student while the other was a 2.5 GPA student. Who do you think will get the scholarship offer? If you are struggling in certain classes then get a tutor. If your ACT score is low then take an ACT prep class. Being a good student will open more doors for you.

3. Bad Character On And Off the Field

   We mentioned the number one thing coaches ask about are grades, and probably the second most frequently asked question is: “What kind of person are they?” One thing coaches absolutely will not take a risk on is a player with a bad attitude. That is your attitude on the playing field, in the public, and on the social media sites. If you are labeled a “risk” then coaches will tend to back off on their recruiting efforts. College coaches don’t have time to deal with someone that will jeopardize the reputation of the university, and they don’t want to waste a scholarship on someone that won’t respect that hard-work, sacrifices, and responsibilities that come with being a collegiate athlete. In short, be respectful to your high school coaches and show good sportsmanship, stay out of trouble with administrators and the law, and don’t clutter your social media sites with inappropriate material.

ANSWER:

Don’t Rely on Email Blasting for a Scholarship Offer

Parents always want to know what it’s going to take for their son/daughter to get an athletic scholarship. The simple answer is exposure. But how do they get exposure? The best way to get more college recruiting exposure is to have a proactive approach about getting an athlete’s name in front of coaches and to know the right strategies it takes to make that happen.

One major misconception with the recruiting process is that ‘email blasting’ is a great way to get an athlete’s info out to college coaches. This is not an ideal strategy if you want to get serious looks from college coaches. Majority of the ‘email blasts’ from scouting services to colleges land in the coach’s junk mail, or the college coach simply just doesn’t open it. A college coach would rather hear directly from the recruit. At RecruitLook, one of the many things we offer athletes is one-on-one coaching to properly handle phone calls and emails to college coaches. Instead of blasting your info to schools across the country, we work with you to put together a more targeted list of schools to contact. Then we’ll provide you with all the contact info for those coaching staffs. We also provide custom emails to send to each coach.

In order to get a scholarship offer, athletes HAVE to talk with coaches. Don’t think that email blasting your info to schools is magically going to get you an offer. Some recruiting services will guarantee to send your information to 25,000+ college coaches. Just think about that last statement for a second… 25,000 emails going out to coaches is not feasible. College coaches want qualified recruits, not SPAM emails, and sending info on email blasts is just spamming college coaches. Nobody likes spam email! So, do not spam someone to try and make a good first impression.

You’ll increase your scholarship chances if you have a solid game plan on how to effectively market your talents to targeted coaches, and it starts with sending out emails, not spam.

Understanding College Recruiting Budgets Can Help Your Recruitment

Coaches won’t come to you – but they hope you’ll come to them! Professional teams have coaches and they have scouts. In college, coaches and scouts are the same guys. This highlights how little time college coaches really have to run around looking for recruits. Some of the major universities will spend millions on recruiting, while other schools will spend a fraction of that. Not every sport in college gets the same recruiting budget. Football and Men’s Basketball usually have the biggest recruiting budgets, and other sports have to share from a pool of recruiting funds.

Millions of dollars sound like a lot when it comes to a recruiting budget – until you consider that is split between 23 different sports. Even if your sport is getting five-figure budgets – how many round trips, including hotels, meals, and plane tickets for one or two coaches will that buy? Each recruiting trip cost about $1,500-$2,500 per coach. With universities closely monitoring expenses on the balance sheet, coaches don’t have the freedom to travel to every sporting event to recruit new players. If you’re one of the top recruits in the country, no sweat – you’ll probably get seen because coaches want to evaluate the top talent firsthand. What about the other 99% of recruits? How will they get noticed, and what if a big Division One school isn’t a good fit for you? What if you’re looking at a Division Two school or Division Three? Colleges outside Division One have recruiting budgets of only a few thousand dollars.

Standing in the shoes of a recruit, looking at the big world of college sports from the outside, it can seem like schools have unlimited power and resources; however, the truth is, they’re stretched for time and money. Coaches are looking as hard as they can for good recruits, and they can never find enough!

That’s why it’s so crucial for athletes to reach out to coaches. Even the best-off, big-time college programs hardly have enough money, time, or resources to find as many athletes as they’d like or the quality they’d like. So, take the initiative and get yourself found.

So take the initiative and get yourself found. Contact a RecruitLook Scout today, and we’ll get you the recruiting exposure you deserve!

Athletes Need to Have College Recruiting Options as a Potential Prospect

One of the major mistakes high school athletes make besides starting the college recruiting process too late is – not having enough recruiting options. Athletes become complacent once a few college coaches start to reach out to them, and that will only limit the amount of recruiting potential an athlete will have.

College coaches are going to say exactly what you want to hear as a high school athlete, and that is typically something like: “you are our recruit”, “we really like you”, “you would be a good fit here”.

What potential recruits don’t realize is that college coaches are probably saying the same thing to other recruits, and that college coaches have several options when recruiting certain positions. College coaches have a wish list just like recruits do for schools. If a coach can’t get his number one recruit, then they’ll start going after other potential players. The same thing should apply for athletes when looking at schools.

It isn’t smart for athletes to limit their recruiting potential to just a few schools. It is hard to determine where an athlete falls on a coach’s recruiting board. So, by having options the athlete now has more control over their recruiting destination. A coach will give you hints that they are interested, but once a better recruit comes around to commit, the coach will stop recruiting other athletes. And, if the athlete has no other options they are left scrambling for another school.

Athletes also become more attractive recruits once other schools start to take notice. College coaches don’t want to miss out on any recruit that can help their program win, especially when other schools start to take an interest in the recruits playing abilities.

I’m getting division one looks, I don’t need any recruiting help.

That is something we hear quite often from athletes. If an athlete is getting division one offers then they do not need any recruiting help; however, if the athlete is only getting looks, they should consider a recruiting service. There is a huge difference between a “look” and an “offer”. College coaches are looking at hundreds of athletes, so don’t think that a coach emailing, texting, or sending you letters is going to guarantee you a scholarship offer.

We talk a lot about the college recruiting funnel*. It goes something like this:

• -College coach sends 1,000 letters to potential prospects.
• -500 of the 1,000 get invited to camps or junior days.
• -250 of the 500 are somewhere on the recruiting radar for the coaching staff.
• -125 of the 250 are getting closely recruited (but you have no idea what 125 that is).
• -60 of the 125 get invited on unofficial or official visits.
• -40 (roughly) of the 60 are offered.
• -20 (roughly) of the 40 commit to that school.

*This is the recruiting funnel for a division one football program, so you can adjust the numbers accordingly to get an idea of the recruiting funnel for your sport. Football probably sends out the most information to recruits because the football program has the biggest recruiting budget.

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Let’s take a look at how Mitch Sanders fell victim of the “I have looks... I don’t need help” recruiting trap.

Mitch approached RecruitLook at the start of his junior year. He was a good football player that had received a few accolades. College coaches from the FCS level began sending Mitch recruiting material. Mitch contacted RecruitLook to get a free consultation of his recruitment. At that time, we advised Mitch to join our program so our RecruitLook Scouts could help him navigate his recruitment. Mitch declined. Mitch thought because some FCS schools were looking at him, that soon FBS programs would start to do the same.

Mitch’s dream was to play at the FBS level.

Mitch went on to have a good junior season, and he even received some All-State mentions. He received his first offer from a FCS school after his junior season. Mitch was excited, and so were we! However, we told Mitch that he needed to join the RecruitLook program to help him navigate what was a crucial part of the recruiting process.

Mitch just ended his junior campaign and no FBS school had made an offer. All the FBS programs were still just “looking” at Mitch. Mitch had about 8 FBS schools that were keeping the conversations going with him, but nothing was progressing past the usual “coach speak”.

We told Mitch about the college recruiting funnel. We explained to Mitch that college coaches are talking with hundreds of recruits just like him! College coaches are telling Mitch exactly what he wants to hear: “You’re our guy. We want you. We just need to see…”

That is all pretty typical stuff from college coaches. They tell a recruit that they are special and that they are really liking him. However, they aren’t offering him a scholarship! Coaches are wanting to see what happens with some of their other targets (probably higher ranked targets) before they get more serious with Mitch.

Then disaster happened! Mitch had the only 2 offers he had on the table pulled. By this time it was the middle of his senior year. He still had looks and interest from multiple division one programs, but the FCS schools got tired of waiting for Mitch to commit or not. So, the FCS programs pulled their scholarship offers. Had Mitch been working with RecruitLook, we would have been able to help him understand the importance of fostering the relationship with the FCS school. Mitch basically just let the offers sit there until it was too late.

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Mitch called RecruitLook for immediate help! Mitch was ready to trust in RecruitLook. It was time to go to work!

We put together a game plan for Mitch. We needed Mitch to trust in what we were going to do. It wasn’t going to be easy, but we could definitely get Mitch to a good program. At this point in his career, Mitch was rated a 3-star recruit and on ESPN’s top 150 list for his state. We knew we could get Mitch to a good school, we just needed to go after it the right way. See, even top-rated recruits need help. No athlete is guaranteed a scholarship solely based on a star rating!

The game plan we had for Mitch was in short… figure out how to get back on the radar of FCS and FBS programs, and to see what schools really thought of Mitch. We were able to talk with coaches for Mitch* to discover that numerous programs still liked him, but they were focusing their recruiting efforts more heavily in other positions.

We went back through every school that had once been interested. We wanted to get Mitch some fall back options should the FBS schools decide to pass. We spoke with about 20 FCS schools that had once expressed interest to find out about half still wanted Mitch. The programs figured Mitch would be going to one of the two schools that had offered him. His recruitment started to pick back up from the FCS level.

Now that we had our safety net of schools back in the mix, we went after the FBS programs. Our goal with the bigger programs was to leverage his star rating, his accolades, his grades, AND to get him on campus! Mitch had to be willing to go on some unofficial visits in order for the coaches to see how serious he was about their program. Mitch went on about 10 unofficial visits to various FBS schools, and out of those 10, there were 4 that really liked him.

We instructed Mitch to stay in constant contact with the 4 FBS schools and the FCS programs. It was the end of his senior year and we were running out of time. We were able to get a few major publications to do articles on Mitch. We then sent those articles to the 4 FBS programs. One school took a real liking to Mitch, they invited him for an official visit.

Mitch knew to leverage the FCS offers and all the renewed recruiting interest to his advantage. We had Mitch fully prepared for that visit. We knew things would be okay for Mitch. Mitch did not receive an offer on that visit, but the coaching staff told him that they would offer in the coming weeks.

One week before National Signing Day, Mitch called with great news. The FBS program called him and offered a partial academic scholarship. That isn’t bad considering he had no scholarship offers midway through his senior year. Mitch’s family was in a good financial situation that they could afford to pay the other half of tuition. Mitch’s dream of playing FBS football came true!

We couldn’t have been more proud of Mitch and all his efforts to secure his scholarship.

* The coaching staff cannot influence admissions on the academic scholarships. Recruits should qualify for the academic scholarships, but college coaches can “recommend” that admissions look at particular recruits for certain academic scholarships.

Here are a few ideas...

1. Blog about a big athletic performance.
2. Blog about an athletic award you won.
3. Blog about academic achievements.
4. Blog about showcase events or combines that you’ll be attending.
5. Blog about the results of showcase events and/or combines.
6. Blog about your experience on official and unofficial visits.
7. Blog about your upcoming season.
8. Blog about game results.
9. Blog about donating your time to charity in your community.

As you can see there are a lot of different things you can and should be blogging about. These blogs will give college coaches a better insight on you as a recruit. Plus, they’ll find you easier when searching for certain athletes on Google. And, yes, college coaches do use Google to find and learn more about recruits.

2 easy ways: A good blog title and well written content.

Here are a few examples of bad and good blog titles:

After you master titling blogs you need to focus on writing good content for you blog. In the online world there is a slogan “content is king”. Which means, the better your content is the more likely you’re blog will be found on Google. You’ll want to write the blog with descriptive sentences that will help get better search results, and better content in your blog will also make coaches happy.

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Here is an example of a bad and a good paragraph: