First, make sure you have the basic information you need:
1. Academics (grades, honors/AP classes, test scores – click here to read more about academic eligibility)
2. Athletics and training (examples: Club teams, attended a combine or training camp, All-District award, Team MVP, varsity starting years)
3. Physical stats like height, weight, bench, 40 time, any sport-specific stats (you can check out recruiting guidelines for every sport by clicking here, just pick your sport from the drop-down menu near the top of the page, then look to the right of your screen for “YourSport Recruiting Guidelines”)
4. Extracurricular activities (ex.: National Honor Society, Student of the Month, 4H volunteer)
5. Videos (highlights, skills, any other applicable)
Then get all this information in one place (like, say, in a free online recruiting profile in the NCSA Network – you can click here to create one if you haven’t already) where coaches can look at it. Find schools where you are a good fit athletically, academically, and that you want to attend. Start reaching out to coaches there by phone and email, and send them a link to your profile (take it from me – a big stack of papers will get lost on the desk of a modern coach). If your communications with the coach go well, you may be able to take an unofficial visit, and maybe eventually an official visit.
Once those coaches know you and know what you can do – then they’ll start showing up to your games! And if you’ve built a good foundation, I can guarantee you they will recognize and appreciate you. But they won’t just show up one day, see you make a good play, and start asking “who is that kid?” It only works that way in the movies. Great athletes don’t just wake up great one morning great – they work every day to make themselves that way. Recruiting is no different. Now go get ‘em!
