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College Recruiting Guide

College athletic recruiting is a complex process

Families can spend countless hours scouring the Internet and self-help books for advice on how to get recruited. But between school, practices, work and other extracurricular activities, it’s tough to find the time to do the research and piece it all together.

To save families time and energy, we’ve created the ultimate College Recruiting Guide. In the resources below, we’ve laid out all the steps your family needs to take to successfully navigate the recruiting process. With advice from current and former college coaches and athletes, we’ve provided the basics, as well as insider tips that only come from years of recruiting expertise.

how to get recruited

How to get recruited

To get the process started, you need to know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. This section is dedicated to giving your family the baseline knowledge you need to know to get the ball rolling, including:


Read more about how to get recruited or attend some of our free workshops.

searching for colleges

Searching for colleges

While, student-athletes usually have a couple of dream schools in mind, the chances of those coaches recruiting their position and offering a scholarship might not be too likely. That’s why we tell every athlete to research several programs and build a school list to maximize their opportunities and find their best college matches.

Division 1 colleges

Division 2 colleges

Division 3 colleges

NAIA schools

Read more about searching for colleges.

communicating with coaches

Communicating with coaches

When families think about college recruiting, communicating with coaches is usually the first thing that comes to mind. And it is a very important part of the process! However, there are a lot of misconceptions about when and how athletes can contact coaches. We provide expert insights into:

Emailing college coaches

Calling college coaches

Texting college coaches

Using your social media accounts for recruiting

What recruiting letters mean and how to respond

Read more about communicating with college coaches.

creating your highlight skills video

Creating your highlight or skills video

A great highlight video can sometimes be a difference-maker that gets a student-athlete some serious attention from college coaches. We explain what coaches look for in highlight and skills videos and help families capture the right footage for their athletes.

Read more about highlight and skills videos.

attending camps combines showcases

Attending camps, combines and showcases

There are numerous events for student-athletes to attend. From camps to combines, showcases to evaluation camps, and so much more, it’s important to know the purpose of each one and to narrow down what’s right for you in your recruiting.

Read more about camps, combines and showcases.

ncaa eligibility

Ensuring your NCAA eligibility

The NCAA is responsible for creating the recruiting rules, academic eligibility requirements and amateurism requirements for college-bound student-athletes at the Division I, Division II and Division III level. There’s a lot to know, so we’ve created our NCAA eligibility center to explain the whole process.

Read more about NCAA eligibility.

naia eligibility

Understanding NAIA eligibility

The NAIA has its own set of eligibility standards for student-athletes. Check out the criteria future NAIA athletes must fulfill and learn more about the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in the process.

Read more about NAIA eligibility.

managing your recruiting process

Managing your college recruiting process

There are many times during the recruiting process where families are left wondering, “Now what do we do?” Managing your recruiting is an understated, yet crucial, part of the process. During this time, recruits need to

Maintain coach communications

Meeting application deadlines

Understand different types of scholarship offers

Compare financial aid packages from different schools

Negotiate for your best financial aid package

Sign with your top school

Read more about managing your recruiting.