Listed in this article are 10 tips to help get you recruited to play college football
Football is the national sport of America, and every year thousands of young footballers are recruited by colleges from the D1 to the D3 level. According to the NCAA, over 850 colleges compete in football at different levels annually, which gives a young aspiring football player many options. However, competition for scholarships is extremely stiff. Young student-athletes desirous of grabbing one of these scholarships must do everything in their power to set themselves apart from the competition and to get the eyeballs of college recruiters looking on them. For this reason, we have compiled a list of 10 tips to help get you recruited to play college football!
Get good grades
In addition to being a good football player, you also must ensure that your academic credentials are also good. This will give you more scholastic opportunities from a wider variety of schools. Recruiters always pay attention to the grades of potential recruits, and you also must meet a GPA of at least 2.3 to play in the D1 and 2.2 to play in D2. Please also note that individual schools might have different academic requirements than what is stipulated by the NCAA. You should therefore aim to exceed these minimum academic requirements at all times to be in the best position to get a college scholarship.
Start sculpting your body
After completion of each of your high school football seasons is the best time to hit the weight room. Work on your strength and endurance throughout this process. But make sure you are working with a certified trainer. He or she can develop a program that best fits your individual needs suited for you and the position that you play, or desired position at the next level.
Create a football recruiting video
One of the easiest ways to highlight your skillset for potential recruiters is by creating a football recruiting video. This recruiting video will allow recruiters from all over the country to see footage of what you can do and decide whether you are a fit for their team. A football recruiting video, especially in these times when many high school football tournaments have been hampered or canceled due to the pandemic, will surely be reviewed by recruiters. Your recruiting video should be concise (between 3 and 5 minutes) and should focus on your best plays. For example, you can include your top 25 plays, and there is no need to slow down the footage, speed it up or add sound effects, just stick to the basics and present your best skills. This video could be the deal-breaker in you snagging a football scholarship!
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Keep your social media posts clean
Your behavior on social media can either aid or derail your chances of landing a football scholarship. Recruiters pay close attention to potential recruit’s social media activity to determine if a player is a fit for their team. Players who post negative content or who come across as arrogant on social media might be sidelined since social media behavior is generally a reflection of what the player is like as a person. No Recruiter wants a player that they think can be potentially disruptive to their team, no matter how good that player is. To avoid been rejected by your favorite college, ensure that you post only positive and uplifting stuff on social media that portrays you as a team player and corporative individual. Several players have lost full scholarships because of dumb social media behavior, do not be one of them!
Play more than one sport
Believe it or not, if you play multiple sports in high school, you improve your chances of getting a football scholarship. College Football Coaches have said that they target recruits who play multiple sports because they are generally well-rounded team players who believe in helping teams and are not all about themselves. So, go ahead and play all the sports you are good at while in high school; this could help you get the football scholarship you desire!
Sign up with a training facility in your area
If there is a local athletic training facility in your area that specializes in working with professional or pre-professional athletes, it might be a good idea to sign up with them. Trainers and Coaches at these facilities can help you improve your skill sets and get you connected to college coaches, which can increase your chances of getting a scholarship.
Make a list of colleges you might want to attend
This is a time to sit down with your family and decide several schools that you could see yourself attending. Something to consider is which schools offer your desired academic program. If you wanted to study engineering, you certainly would not want to attend schools that do not offer an engineering degree.
You might also consider distance when choosing a list of schools. If mom and dad want to attend home games on a regular basis, then it might be more feasible to choose a school within 250 miles from home. Aside from family being close enough to attend home games, being closer to home can also curve the feeling of being homesick. This is especially true during your first semester in college.
Reach out to college Coaches
Been proactive and reaching out to Coaches or Athletic Directors of football programs that you are interested in while in your sophomore or junior year can get you on these coaches’ radar. The Coaches will interpret this as you having a genuine interest in their programs and will be more inclined to find out more about you as a player and a person. You now just have to impress them enough with your football skills to tip the scale in your favor in terms of snagging a scholarship!
Attend training camps and combines
Attending football camps and combines, especially those hosted or sponsored by the college you wish to attend, will definitely get you noticed by the Coaches that can make scholarship decisions. Before going to any of these camps or combines, ensure that you are in tip-top physical condition and ready to crush the measurables such as the 40-yard dash and vertical jump. Try to attend camps in the summer before your senior year or before, if possible, to give recruiters enough time to evaluate your skill sets and make a decision by the time you are ready for college.
Register for the NCAA Clearinghouse
And by all means, if you think you have what it takes to play at the next level, you should follow the next step and register with this NCAA link! This link will walk you step by step through the process of getting you registered and your name out there!
These are some of the things that you can do to put yourself in the best position to get one of the limited football scholarships granted annually.
As a bonus tip: Take advantage of an official visit to several college campuses once you are offered a football scholarship. You are allowed up to five official visits. And the best thing about these official visits is that they are absolutely free!
