Recruiting Tips
HOW DO I GET RECRUITED FREE? First of all, you should NEVER pay to be recruited.
This page built with the help of D1 D2 and D3 coaches
The following tips are ALL YOU WILL NEED to be recruited, FOR FREE! NEVER PAY ONE DIME TO BE RECRUITED!
NCAA RECRUITING CALENDAR EXPLAINED BELOW
Before we get started, I want to say something. You NEVER need a go between to contact colleges. Ever. Trust me, they know where the talent is and eventually colleges will find you if you follow a few simple steps. What we have below is simply to help you speed up your recruiting process a bit. You don’t need to pay some service to create a profile for you, there are plenty of free methods. Your hudl page is all you need. Just make sure to keep HT/WT updated. When you contact a coach (bottom of page) send them that link, any grades you want to share and that’s about it.
- #1 TIP: You aren’t going ANYWHERE without good grades. All the football skills in the world won’t get you to college if you can’t “play school” Know your GPA from your freshman year forward AT ALL TIMES. You need to keep it above 2.5 to have a competitive chance at playing college football before you step foot in the locker room, gym or on that field.
- #2 TIP (Right now, you could consider this tip #1A):
- College coaches use Twitter to communicate with players. How is anyone going to find you if your real name isn’t your twitter name? Try finding yourself on google, type “your name twitter”. If it doesn’t come up, even you couldn’t find you. They can talk to you directly even during no contact periods.
- #3 TIP: “How do I get seen?” This is a brand new tip. I asked 20 college coaches and they all said the same thing. “Why pay to attend a combine that says they will send film that we MIGHT look at, when you can have your dad, brother, teammate or coach film you and YOU can send it to us? Save your money if that’s what your goal is by attending a combine.” They are more apt to watch film sent by a player/coach than they are from some random combine/showcase. They recommend tagging them in twitter, directly emailing them (emails are on team sites, be sure to email position coach and recruiting coordinator) or if you have their number, text it to them. Or………go to college camps.
How best to use twitter: When you’re looking for exposure, you want retweets. The best way to get them is to post your highlight, then tag people in a response. Many sites, including PFN and Keystone Football Recruits, don’t like to retweet highlights with other recruiting sites/people tagged that we may not feel is best for kids. It’s almost like being forced to endorse another site.
If you’re reaching out to a particular schools coaches, by all means tag them in the highlight tweet, that’s different. Example, you want to thank a school for a note they sent, “thanks for the love @schoolname and @coachname.
If you’re just reaching out in general with a highlight: “check out my highlight” or whatever and tweet it out….then in a reply to that tweet tag all the coaches and media outlets you want.
TWITTER PROFILE SHOULD INCLUDE:
- FULL NAME. SCHOOL. YEAR. POSITION. HT. WT. GPA, HUDL IN YOUR TWITTER PROFILE and Pinned WOULD HELP!
- DO NOT PUT YOUR EMAIL OR PHONE # IN YOUR PROFILE!!! Identity theft is real!!
- Twitter is a powerful recruiting tool USE IT PROPERLY! Having that info there also helps media members promote you. Follow coaches, say “hello, I’m so and so from here. I play position. Please check my film and my gpa is 4.0. I sent you an email. Looking forward to your camp”. THEY CANT ANSWER you till end of jr year. But you’re reaching out
COLLEGES DO NOT USE SITES THAT MAKE PLAYERS PAY FOR THEIR SERVICES.
I DON’T CARE IF IT’S ONLY ONE DOLLAR, IF YOU HAVE TO PAY COLLEGES DON’T USE THEM. So when you see this:
IT’S FAKE! Colleges DO NOT use these services. Seriously, if a college coach want’s to search for kids on twitter, they’ll post it themselves. They DO. Besides, how a college going to eval you in a fake recruiting site DM?????????? It’s simple, they’re looking for customers to add to their expensive combine invite list. Don’t fall for it, don’t give them attention by adding them to your timeline. If you aren’t sure, go to their sites. If they ask for money….don’t waste your time.
Also, if someone on twitter contacts you to do an article, ask if they charge a fee to read their articles. If they do, walk away. Colleges coaches don’t pay fees to read articles. It’s a fact. All that’s happening there is you’re being used by them so they can make money.
AGAIN, NEVER AS A PARENT OR PLAYER PAY ANY SITE A DIME.
THERE ISN’T A COLLEGE COACH OUT THERE THAT WILL DISAGREE WITH THIS.
- Our #4 tip: HAVE PATIENCE. One of the top complaints from underclassmen is “nobody is contacting me”. College coaches generally can’t directly contact you until July 1 between your Jr. and Sr. year. That’s why it’s important to start hitting college camps in your sophomore and junior years. Build relationships on campus. Even on twitter. Email and twitter are your best bets
-Printed materials can be sent directly to recruits starting September 1 of a prospect’s junior year in high school.
-Use your HS coach: A third party—like the athlete’s coach—will tell the college coach that the athlete will be calling at a specific time. When that athlete calls and the coach answers, they can talk about whatever they want.
–Phone calls: Generally, coaches may not call recruits until July 1 between their junior and senior year in high school. After that, coaches may normally call pros. TIP FOR CALLS/VISITS: If you’re scheduled to meet/talk with a coach, do your research. Know something about the coach and the program.
- TIP #5: CONTRATS! THEY “OFFERED” YOU! What’s next? Ask them right then and there what the offer is and if you commit right away will they accept. FCS and D2 schools split up thier scholarship monies. Average D2 Scholarship is around $5,000. If they pump the brakes and tell you they’ll get back to you, then you should do the same because you just became a “maybe”
If you’re on the fence about playing football after HS, always work like you will. Go to camps, contact coaches, work hard. Because at the end of the process you can always stop, but don’t get caught “wishing I had” you can’t make up the process.
FINANCIAL AID:
Many don’t know that at the D2 level you rarely get a full scholarship. It is VERY important to have your FASFA and PHEA info ready. Most schools fill in extra money using these. It’s important to have these done after your senior year. Info can be found HERE:
https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid
NCAA Compliance tips
- Don’t wait until your senior year to begin your recruiting process. You must begin as early. The first thing you should do is visit the NCAA Eligibility center and register during your Soph year. web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/
- DO NOT SKIP THIS: Information for Core Courses, Academic requirements can be found HERE : http://www.ncaa.org/about/what-we-do/academics
- “It is now the NCAA evaluation period. What does that mean?” (ALSO, quiet period, contact period, dead period explained) HERE
EXPECTATIONS AND GOALS:
- Make a list of 10 realistic schools, 20 fallback schools and 2 “dream” schools. Go to their websites, fill out their recruiting questionnaire. Find the Head Coach, Recruiting Coordinator and your position coach’s email address. Send them an intro letter. (You can find a sample letter at the bottom of this page) Then find them on twitter & talk to them, often! You should start this process at some point during your Sophomore year. After you’ve reached out to those 20, keep reaching out to different schools. Don’t stop. Know SOMETHING about each program you email, and mention that. Keep a log of each school you emailed, and each time to talk to coaches, that way you don’t forget what you’ve talked about and with whom. Also, each school has a recruit questionnaire form on their website, FILL IT OUT!
- Go to your Guidance Office. Ask to see your current transcript and take a picture of it, that way you will have it ready when a college coach asks for it. On your way, stop and look in a mirror. If a coach stopped in unannounced, would you be dressed appropriately?
- More than 80% of college athletic opportunities are at the NCAA Division II, III, NAIA, or junior college levels, with these schools often providing more playing time, strong academics, and a better fit for the student-athlete. That means most of you fit into this category. If you haven’t heard from a division 1 coach by the end of your Junior year, start courting these schools because it’s likely you won’t.
- HUDL/Highlight film tip: Put your best/toughest plays first, not your easiest plays. Show them your versatility. Breaking tackles, making a move, getting open, throwing on the run or in a tight spot. Defensively don’t show them yourself going untouched. Show them how you made a move, a quick read, running down the ball carrier. Watch your film with friends and have them rank your toughest plays. Use the spot arrows BEFORE the play starts. Coaches want to know where you came from on the play. If your showing both offense and defense, mix it up. Don’t split the film into 2 parts. Keep it under 7 minutes. Music isn’t necessary. The first screen of every video should include your jersey number and team colors.
- Also add any sport specific measurements like height, weight and a nice stat if available. The last part to have on your opening frame is your complete contact information (your personal phone and email along with your twitter handle.
- MAKE SURE your height, weight and other important info is always updated on that page. Don’t go a year without changing them. Check them once a month.
- Use a head shot in your profile, that way coaches can recognize you when they see you at camps and on visits
College Camps & Combines:
- First and foremost: do NOT attend a combine from the end of your season through April. You are wasting valuable $$ that can be put toward your summer camp tour. Plus, you are NOT in peak shape yet. Late winter/Early Spring Combines = waste of money. Give yourself 5 months to train and prepare. Attend one combine, but do this near the beginning of camp season just to register official times/lifts/etc… If you can get to one of the free combines, like the nike or scout, OR if your district/league holds one even better. Colleges will make you do the same stuff anyway.
- So you got a bunch of flyers to attend college camps. Which ones should you attend? KNOW YOUR POTENTIAL DIVISION OF PLAY. They key is to attend those camps at a level you are confident you can play. Talk to your coach, ask him if you’re a D1, D2 or D3 player. Ask him to be honest, and, this is important, be honest to yourself. It doesn’t make sense to attend a D1 camp if your a D2 or D3 player. If your coach says you’re a D3 kid, maybe attend one or two D2 camps but concentrate on D3 camps. Parents can quickly wrap up a lot of $ in camps, so it’s best to use that money wisely. College camps average $50 per camp.
- Plan your spring and summer wisely. Plan a nice camp tour, try to get to a few schools you really like, and some that intrigue you
- We will have college camps schedules on our site and will be updating them regularly This is another “save your money” statement :There are some “Private camps” not at colleges being held in June. Why go to them when you can go directly to a campus and be seen? D1 schools use D2/D3 coaches to help run their camps. Camps page
- Another key to college camps is this: Check with the schools you like to see if they’ll be attending other schools camps so you can be seen by more than one school that day.
As a incoming Soph hit 2-3 small camps and a D1 camp.
As incoming Jr, hit 3-4 smaller and 1-2 D1 camps.
Incoming seniors hit the camps you’re invited too attend (if you can) and a few more that you want to connect with. If you have offers hit those schools camps if possible.
- MEGA CAMPS WITH LOTS OF KIDS: SIMPLY let colleges that you’re interested in know you’ll be there and to look out for you. Or ask coaches if they plan to attend other camps in case you can’t make theirs.
- Attending spring practice is a great opportunity to start building a relationship. But don’t waste this opportunity visiting all P5 schools when you are MAC or DII at best. It registers as an unofficial visit and you get to see the program in action. Just contact the recruiting coordinator at the school you wish to visit.
- Junior days-same advice. Contact the recruiting coordinator and ask them for that opportunity. It also doesn’t hurt to talk to your position coach at that school. You may find out right away they aren’t interested. That’s ok, hit up your next choice.
WHAT IS THE DEAD PERIOD, QUIET PERIOD, CONTACT PERIOD AND EVALUATION PERIOD?
NCAA RECRUITING CALENDAR FOUND HERE
What is a Contact Period?
During a contact period, a college coach can have direct contact with prospective student athletes and their families during this time. This includes face to face contact (that is more than just a hello), as well as through the phone through email, phone calls, etc.
Face to Face Contact: YES
In Person Evaluations/ Visiting their High Schools: YES
Contact Athlete by Call/Text/Email: YES
What is an Evaluation Period?
An evaluation period is when a college coach is allowed to be involved in off-campus activities designed to assess the academic qualifications and playing ability of prospective student-athletes. They are also allowed to contact student-athletes via email, phone, etc. However, they are not permitted to face-to-face, in-person, off-campus recruiting contact with prospective student-athletes.
Face to Face Contact: NO
In Person Evaluations/ Visiting their High Schools: YES
Contact Athlete by Call/Text/Email: YES
What is a Quiet Period?
A quiet period is when it is permissible for college coach to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the institution’s campus. They will not be allowed to have in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period.
Face to Face Contact: Only on their own College Campus
In Person Evaluations/ Visiting their High Schools: Only on their own College Campus
Contact Athlete by Call/Text/Email: YES
What is a Dead Period?
A dead period is when there is no in-person face to face contact between student-athletes and college coaches. During this time it is not permissible to allow official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus. However, what is most important is that they are still able to contact recruits by phone and email during this period. This includes any form of video calls, including Facetime, Skype, Zoom etc.
Face to Face Contact: NO
In Person Evaluations/ Visiting their High Schools: NO
Contact Athlete by Call/Text/Email: YES
VISITS:
If you need a ride to a visit, Jr Day, Camp….etc… DM us on twitter @pafootballnews and we will blast it out to help you find a ride.
WHEN CAN COLLEGES CONTACT YOU?
DIVISION 1 FOOTBALL NCAA RECRUITING RULES
- Any time: Athletes can receive non-recruiting materials from college coaches, such as questionnaires, camp brochures, nonathletic institutional publications and NCAA educational materials published by the NCAA.
- June 15 after sophomore year: Coaches can extend verbal offers to recruits.
- September 1 of junior year: Athletes can receive any form of private communication. This includes emails, recruiting materials, texts and direct messages on social media.
- April 1 through Sunday before the last Wednesday in June of junior year: Athletes can take official visits as long as it is not taken in conjunction with their participation in the college’s camps or clinics.
- January 1 of junior year: Coaches can contact athletes off campus (limited to the NCAA Recruiting Calendar’s contact periods).
- September 1 of senior year: Athletes can take official visits.
- September 1 of senior year: Coaches can call athletes once a week. They can call recruits unlimited times during the contact period.
- The athlete’s senior year, coaches can initiate off-campus contact with the athletes and/or their parents up to six times.
- During athletes’ senior year, coaches can evaluate each recruit once during September, October and November. They can conduct two evaluations per athlete (one to determine an athlete’s athletic ability and the other to determine academic qualifications) between April 15 and May 31.
SAMPLE INTRO LETTER
Note: Don’t be afraid to change it up. Be personal, “hi coach David, how are you doing?” Add some comments about some of the things you’ve been doing lately. Engage.
Dear [Coach’s Name],
My name is [Your Name], I am part of the class of [Your Graduating Class] at [Your High School] in [Your Hometown and State]. I am interested in [The Name of The University] and learning more about your program.
[Include information here about the research you did into their program. You should know things like if there are athletes from your hometown on the roster, how many upper-classmen at your position, the team’s record and the athletic background of the athletes currently on the team.]
I play [List your position or best events here and the name of your team]. Some of my best accomplishments to date are [list your top two or three best times, awards or recognitions]. You can view my complete online profile here [Link to your online profile if you have one]. Here is a link to my highlight tape [link to your online highlight tape]. Please feel free to contact my coach(s) [List the email and phone number for your high school team coach].
[Include your schedule i.e. lifting/spring practice – coaches need to know where/when they can watch you in person.] Here is my schedule:
Date Location Name of Event My Team Name
[List your GPA and test scores here if you have taken them]. [Talk about what you like about the academic reputations of the school and why you’re interested in their program].
I look forward to hearing back from you and learning more about your program.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Email]
[Phone]
[Address]
