The dream of most parents and student-athletes who have an interest in playing college football is to be recruited into the college football team. The most basic question they often ask is “how to get recruited for college football?” This is because they have no idea how to go about it. Fortunately, in this article, we would be focusing on the step-by-step guide on how to get recruited for college football.
Since you were a kid, you have always had that dream of playing football, now getting to high school you have realized it isn’t as easy as it seems. Well, like the saying goes: Practice makes perfect. The more you practice your football moves and skills, the more you improve and get better. Before we go ahead with the step-by-step guide on how to get recruited for college football, we must begin with a brief introduction of what college football is about.
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What is College Football?
College football refers to American football, which is played by student-athletes from universities, colleges, and military schools in the United States, or Canadian football, which is played by student players from Canadian universities. In the U.S. college football is one of the most popular sports. It consists of different divisions, the college football division 1 and 2 teams consist of students from the school.
When it gets to the highest level, college football becomes more competitive. As a result of this competitive nature, coaches now aim to recruit elite high school players from all around the world just to come to play for their university team.
College teams often own a large stadium that attracts about 90,000 fans for every football match that takes place in the college stadium. Students at the institution, as well as alumni, can be as fervent followers as any other sport.
The National College Athletic Association(NCAA) is a body that regulates and establishes rules which ensure the college football team members are qualified to partake in the competition. The NCAA also ensures that the rules are applied consistently among schools. The NCAA also splits up college football teams into different divisions. The Football Bowl Subdivision(FBS) is the top division followed by the Football Championship Subdivision(FCS) which is the next level up.
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How to Get Recruited for College Football
Now that we are now aware of what college football is about, let’s now go into the main discussion. When it comes to scholarship sport, football retains the number one spot. With about 900 college football teams in the U.S and 80,000 overall college football players. There is a tiny chance of about 7% that indicates your chance of playing football. These statistics show that playing in the college football league is highly competitive.
Now, the whole decision is in your hands. You need to assess yourself if you are willing to fight for a spot. You have to find a balance between your academics and your college football. By following these steps below, you can hack the secret of joining a college football team.
Step 1. Be Aware of the Recruiting Season
The first step on how you can join the college football team is to be aware of recruiting season. The truth is that recruiting for college football begins the moment you decide to play in college. The decision is now in your hands to either get it done on the field, in the classroom, or the weight room.
When you conclude with your decision, you can now start to look into other essentials you will need for the recruiting processes. The other essentials you will need to get recruited for college football are like checking into colleges, making a highlight tape, and looking into camps and showcases. The majority of this work should be completed during your freshman and sophomore years of high school.
Step 2. Self Assessment and Establishing Goals
The second step on how you can join the college football team is to assess yourself and set out your goals and expectations. Here, you have to set out questions that would help assess your strength and weakness. Your answers to these questions should be genuine and accurate. If you fail to provide honest answers to the questions, in a long run it will eventually rebound. Some of these questions include:
- What is my current talent level?
Because most people like to exaggerate their ability, you must be honest with your current talent level. If your talent level is still low and where you aim to play requires a higher talent level, then you will have to work harder to improve yourself. If you think you would be biased with yourself, you can have a third party give his verdict on your talent level.
- Am i qualified?
You should feel free to ask your current coach if you are qualified to play for any of the available divisions. Indeed, there are a handful of opportunities in Division 1, Division2, Division3, NAIA, and NJCAA levels. Your coach would be able to explain to you the difference between each level.
Step 3. College Football Programs: Making a List and Researching
The third step on how you can join the college football team is to Research and create a list of college football programs. This particular step is the most important for an interested student-athlete when college football team coaches are recruiting. You are to create a list of 20-30 schools which you can fit into.
You must ensure that when researching the college to apply for, you have to put into consideration the location, academics, sizes, and social life. After creating your list, you will have to compare and eventually cut down the colleges you have on the list.
How to Cut Down the List.
After you must have created a list of about 20-30 colleges, you can now cut down till you find the best fits. The following are ways you can cut down your list:
- Cut down a list of five dream schools: The five dream schools are schools you have always wanted to play football since being a child. They might include colleges that are highly expensive and academically competitive. Sometimes, due to the high cost, students can only afford the school through full athletic scholarships or other financial aid.
- Cut down a list of seven security schools: If unfortunately, you couldn’t make other schools on your list, the security school list is most likely attainable. This is as far as you you meet up with their requirements. You can also decide to include more schools in this category. And ensure reaching out to college coaches concerning your interest.
- Cut down a list of 12 target schools: The target schools are schools that you best fit into. This is in terms of your athletic, academic and social life. This category should be centered on college football programs. A third-party career counselor would be an advantage to guide you in making your decisions.
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Step 4. Work with your current football coach.
The fourth step on how you can join the college football team is to work with your current football coach. High school coaches are very important in this recruiting process. With the aid of your high school coach, he can stand as a link between you and your college coach. He should have made some contacts during his college football era.
By keeping a close relationship with your current football coach, he would notice your interest to further your football career. You have to clearly state it out to him, indicating your interest to continue your football career in college. Your current football coach can now reach out to his contacts, insisting that you are given the opportunity.
Create a Video showing off your skills.
The fifth step on how you can join the college football team is to create a video showing off your skills. Now that the world has gone completely global, social media is a perfect medium for marketing yourself. You can create a talent full video of yourself, showing off your skills, and send it to the coach email.
Most of the time, the coaches assess your skills from the video. You should avoid lengthy videos. The video should not exceed five minutes. In the five minutes, the video should be able to showcase your skills and prove to the coach or scout that you are a good fit for the team. While creating the video, you must have prepared and practiced your skills very well before recording.
You can also compile your highlights and also a full match video which you can share with them. The college coaches can be very busy that they might not be able to remember your highlights. This is why you have to continue contacting them.
What is College Football?
College football refers to American football, which is played by student-athletes from universities, colleges, and military schools in the United States, or Canadian football, which is played by student players from Canadian universities.
What body is incharge of regulating the activities of College football?
The National College Athletic Association(NCAA) is a body that regulates and establishes rules which ensure the college football team members are qualified to partake in the competition.
Who makes up the college football team?
The college football teams consist of students from the schools.
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