The football recruits out there reading this know that this football season is about as important as it comes. It doesn’t matter if you are a senior in your final year on the prep football field or a sophomore ready to take your first snaps at the varsity level. This is the reason why you have been working so hard during the summer months.
And while the season is important, every player out there would love to get some attention from college coaches. Because of this, I have put together five keys that will help you in landing a scholarship offer. You don’t need all five of these keys to get a scholarship but they are ranked in order of importance. Find out what areas will help you the most as you hope to track down an offer.
1.) Size/Speed/Strength
You ever wonder why college coaches may end up
offering an athlete who hasn’t done much at the high school level? That is
because they are recruiting them based on their potential. If you have the
size/speed/strength that a college coach is looking for, they are likely going
to take a chance on you. Not only does it happen at the college level,
this is exactly what helps athletes make a major move up the NFL draft charts as
well. Football coaches are in awe of those physical specimens that have
size, speed, and strength. If you have those (or even one of those three
attributes), then there is a decent chance that you will get a scholarship
somewhere. A lineman who is 6-foot-8, 295 pounds will likely get a
scholarship at some level simply on potential. He may not be good enough
to play at the Division I-A/BCS level but a Division I-AA/FCS or Division II
school will take a chance there.
How can I help support Recruiting-101?
- Use highlight-videos.com for a Hudl tuneup/new video
- E-Book: Guide to the Athletic Recruiting Process for Parents
- E-Book: How Juniors Can Get a Head Start on the Football Recruiting Process
- Complete Package: Junior Football All State Recruiting Package
- E-Book: Football Recruiting Position by Position Advice
- Complete Package: Senior Football All State Recruiting Package
- E-Book: Producing a Scholarship Worthy Highlight Video
- E-Book: How Seniors Can Finish the Football Recruiting Process Strong
2.) Skill/Abilities
It doesn’t matter what level you want to play in
college, you have to have the skills and abilities at that level in order to get
a scholarship offer. But you could also be the greatest linebacker in the
world but if you are 5-foot-7 and 165 pounds, it will be a tough ride to get a
Division I-A/BCS scholarship offer. Your skills and abilities are
essential because it really can help get you on the field at the college level.
If you are good enough to get on the field, the college coaches are trusting you
enough to perform because you will have a big say on if they keep their job over
the long run. Having the skills and abilities that college coaches want
will certainly help you get a lot of attention.
3.) Work Ethic
I have talked to enough college coaches to know that
they love hearing when athletes are gym rats or weight room warriors. One
Division I basketball coach told me a story about how an athlete got up at 5:00
AM everyday to lift weights. He played hoops at a very small school but
hearing that work ethic was enough for the coach to pull the trigger on a
scholarship offer. It may have been his first and only scholarship at the
time but the coach saw the work ethic himself and it made the difference.
That work ethic eventually helped him be an All Conference player in a major BCS
college conferences. Not bad for such a small school player.
4.) Grades
The importance of academics and grades continues to grow as
the NCAA has put more of an emphasis on the APR (academic performance review).
I have mentioned this before but some Division I coaches have APR numbers tied
into their contract. The better the grades are for the team, the more
money they make. College coaches are much more prone to add walk-ons with
excellent grades.
5.) Character
I hate that it is this far down the list because
character is important but that is just the way things go. College coaches
want to recruit athletes who they can bring to campus and not worry about for
four or five years. The character of an athlete is what keeps them from
getting a DUI or a bar fight. Yes, college students will do dumb things
but athletes should stay as far away from that as possible. That is the
last thing you want to end up in the newspaper for.