Indiana’s Recruitment Guide & How To Boost Your Recruiting
Today, we’re taking a quick detour to stop and give some tips on what to do to boost your recruiting. Most of the time, it’s the little details that can really help. We’ll also answer some common questions that can help ease the stresses of getting recruited. Some of these are much more obvious tips than others, but the point here is to help as many recruits as I can.
School
First things first. Take care of things in the classroom. Never close a door because your grades aren’t up to par. Not only do your grades allow you to be admitted into every school, but the better the grades, the more scholarships you receive. Most schools have a tier structure system with academic scholarships. The higher the GPA, the more scholarships you get. Deciding to walk on? This avenue really helps with that cost.
Your High School coach should be a great resource to help you. Usually, schools reach out asking for a list of guys they recommend and over the years build relationships with schools. He should be right there to help throughout the process if needed.
Questionnaire
Interested in a school? Fill out their questionnaire. That should be a direct way to get into their database and your name in their system. Whether or not you peak their interest will be TBD but if you do interest them, they’ll reach out.
Social Media
Fill out your bio with your GPA, H/W, Positions, and either email or cell phone number. Prep Redzone rankings, stats, awards, and other sports played listed can also really help.
Have your messages open so that any and everyone can message you. You never know who comes across your profile and if they can’t shoot you a message, they’ll likely move on. It also helps to have a cell number in the bio as well.
Be smart with what you are doing, who you are following, and what you are liking. Twitter allows people to see what they like, tweeting, or are replying to anyone. If you are looking to be recruited, I can tell you schools check this stuff out. Schools want to know what kind of character they are getting and sometimes social media gives you an answer.
Post videos and tag as many people as you can. The people who are here to help, tag them. The likes and/or RTs that can come from that alone are helpful.
If you receive an offer, post the type of offer. For example, if Indiana just offered you a PWO over a scholarship, specify that. If you come on Twitter and post you got an offer from Indiana, most assume it’s a scholarship so then some schools will remove you from their board thinking there’s no way they can compete with that type of school’s offer. You never know who you may be shut out if you don’t specify. Would you rather walk on at Indiana, or be a heavily recruited D2 player whose school is fully paid for with a chance to start right away? I am not saying there’s anything wrong about walking on. But, that may not be an option for everyone, and am trying to help as many as I can. (This example is meant to be vague by using Indiana because it’s the state name.) To those of you thinking about the NFL, I promise, from D1-D3 if you can ball, they will find you. There are more and more D2/D3 guys being drafted and signed every year.
HUDL
HUDL is typically your first opportunity to showcase who you are. Make it worth the coaches’ while and you usually only get a few plays to catch their attention. So, put your best plays first. Give them something to be excited about right off the rip so they stick around. HUDL is literally your pre-interview. Before you’re sent a message, that link is clicked.
Make sure the clips are properly cut. Don’t have 15 seconds of dead time in between plays and where you cut it off. It should rip right through the full plays. 1-2 seconds right before the play and then 1-2 seconds right after the play ends and then it should move on.
Don’t post L’s. You think this may be obvious, but there are a lot of times when there are bad clips put on HUDL. Put your best foot forward and showcase your abilites!
Fill out your bio on the profile. Post your height, weight, positions, and number.
Your clips should be highlighted to show where you are before the play.
Put your contact information and stats at the beginning of your HUDL videos. That HUDL link, sometimes, can be everything. To have your clips, info, and H/W all in 1 spot makes it too easy.
CAMPS
Going to camps isn’t enough. “Man I went to 6 camps this summer. No offers. Everyone is sleeping on me.” I hear it all the time, but the reality is are you MAXIMIZING that camp? Everyone is going to leave a camp with a few good clips that they can turn around and post on Twitter, which is great, but don’t solely rely on it.
Talk to EVERY coach that you can. That D3 school you never heard of that you walked past may be best friends with a D1 coach that you may be looking to get to know. Coaches are friends and talk. They’ll recommend and not recommend players just as much as you may think. Every person you meet at a camp is someone who could be a resource, future coach, or future teammate. Utilize them and build relationships. More importantly, that program could be an elite program that gives you an awesome education and a chance to play college football while being a part of a national championship push.
Personally, I think as a recruit you should talk to every school that is at every camp. That face-to-face introduction and actually getting to know someone is much more impactful than any sort of message or video. It doesn’t matter if you already have offers from every D1 school in the nation, go talk to that D2 coach from Western Iowa. It’s a great opportunity to build a relationship and meet someone who could potentially help you.
Perform. You can show up, work hard, and talk to coaches, but if you’re not performing and fighting to take extra reps, then there’s room to improve. At every camp, there are 2 groups. The group who is actively looking for reps and fighting to go again and then the group hiding back afraid. Coaches and scouts pay more attention than you think. It’s not a coincidence that the guys who leave with offers are the ones who take as many reps as they can and then introduce themselves to coaches and scouts while actively trying to get better.
WEIGHT ROOM + DIETING
Make sure you are taking care of your body and actively lifting. You need to keep the muscle on, stay in shape, and be ready to go. It helps so much when you’re lifting and eating right. If you know how to take care of your body, especially before you get to college, it helps you more than you know. Whether it’s standing out at camps, helping you ball out on Friday, or transitioning to the next level, if you’re taking care of your body you’re going to be ahead of the curve.
FRIDAY NIGHTS
Perform and ball out on Fridays. Typically, unless you stand out at a camp, you need film to be recruited. The only way to get game tape is to play in the games. At the end of the day, the thing that matters most is your ability to perform when the lights are the brightest. Take care of yourself off the field, work hard, and the rest will take care of itself if you ball out.
ANSWERING COMMON QUESTIONS
What is an “offer?”
Whether it’s D1 and scholarship, D1 and walking on, any D2 or D3, it all really means the same thing. An “offer” is the chance to show up, perform, and potentially compete for that school’s football program. It usually does not guarantee you anything beyond that and everything is earned. Whether or not there is scholarship money is likely what people are curious about. If a school can offer a scholarship, when offered, the university typically lets you know what level they’ve got you at.
I’ve got an offer, now what?
Apply to the university and make sure you can get into the school. Depending on the university or the size of the program, there could be someone there to assist with the process or help get you in via the Admissions Office.
How long is my offer good for?
Usually, they don’t expire. Normally, you’re in contact with a recruiting coordinator or position coach who manages everything with the potential incoming class. Once offered, a school has you on their board and one way or another, they’d like you there, unless they reach out to you and let you know they are no longer interested for whatever reason.
When can I commit?
Usually, right when you get the offer. It’s normally your Senior year or the summer prior. You can commit at any time and close the door if you choose to.
When do I have to answer?
National Signing Day is usually the big day. That’s the day when all schools sit around and put their boards together. It sure gets stressful waiting for someone to make a decision any time after that.
I haven’t been offered yet. Am I toast?
No, you’re fine. Most offers come during the season as you begin to light it up. I promise you 1 thing. Continue to take care of business on Friday nights and the offers will come.
Some of the stuff above may seem obvious, but everyone may not have all these smaller tips. I’m here to help as much as I can and hope that this piece can help any recruit who reads it. If there are any follow-up questions, feel free to message me on Twitter!