The 2021 -2022 school year has officially started, and high school fall sports are back! After a very different 2020 season for all of us, it's time to put the uniform back on and compete alongside your teammates. During the season, it can be tough to find time to set aside for other items such as recruiting, strength training, and most importantly, academics.
While others are coasting during the season, those that follow these in-season checklist items will continue to see recruiting progress and put themselves in the best possible position to achieve their goal of playing athletics in college.
Stay on top of your grades
The first few weeks of school are the most important to get a head start on your academics. Do NOT fall behind in your classes. The more you can get ahead on your school work at the beginning of the semester, the easier it will be to finish strong with an A or B. Also, college coaches are constantly checking in and asking coaches/teachers about your grades:
Getting good grades in HS is the best predictor of getting good grades in college. College coaches want to avoid recruiting athletes who end up being ineligible to play or don't perform well in academics.
Getting good grades in high school is a good indicator that the athlete has developed the time management skills that are essential to be successful on a college team!
Getting good grades in high school is an indicator that the athlete is a hard worker and cares.
Start gathering clips for your highlight tape weekly
Do not wait until after the last game of the season to put together your highlight tape. Why? The most high-quality highlight tapes take time and a lot of revisions. It's just like a school project - Do you get better grades when you put a lot of time into your project, or scrap it all together at the last minute?
Your highlight film if your greatest first impression for a college coach. A bad highlight film, most likely means a bad recruit. Here are some items you can do throughout the season to make a great highlight tape:
Set aside an hour each week to go over your best plays with your coach, and save them into your folder on HUDL.
Look for plays that showcase speed, athleticism, explosiveness, and other attributes that apply to your specific position
Look for plays that show a variety of different attributes, and continue to maintain an order for your plays each week by putting your best plays at the beginning!
Do not forget about strength training and nutrition
You've been training and lifting all off-season for this moment, now don't lose it all. During the season, it's all about maintaining your weight, strength, speed, and flexibility. Just because your playing games every week, does not mean you should stop lifting. It only takes a very minimal amount of time for an athlete to start losing all the gains they have made in the off-season.
Strength train 2-3 times per week, making sure you are hitting all muscle groups
Have a structured nutrition schedule. When going back to school, you might not have as much time to eat big meals. Pack snacks and make sure you are maintaining your weight!
Drink lots of water for recovery! Bring a water bottle to school and fill it up in between classes at the drinking fountain.
Stretch every night before you go to bed to help with muscle recovery.
Stay on top of your social media
As we all know by now, social media and especially Twitter is huge for recruiting and connecting with college coaches. Twitter essentially acts as a free platform for you to showcase yourself, so take advantage of the publicity and market yourself as much as you can.
Set aside some time every night to post a tweet. It can be about anything, but make sure it's appropriate and positive. Tweet about a teammate, tweet a picture or video of yourself, or announce some of your most recent stats.
Follow and engage with college coaches. Follow some coaches accounts that are from schools you are interested in. Like and retweet their content, which is a good way to express your interest in that school.
Update your bio and profile pictures. Make sure your bio is up to date with relevant information and your pictures aren't from last year. College coaches want to see how recruits evolve and want to see the most latest information.
Continue to research and update your target list of schools
Continue building and adjusting your list of target colleges. If you're a 2022 prospect, try narrowing your list to 10-20 schools that you believe you can truly see yourself at. The majority of these schools should be reflective of your ability and level of play. Here are some tips for you to follow when making your list.
Locate all of the schools within a close proximity to your home that could be added to your list, and that you could visit.
Fill out the recruiting questionnaires at schools that interest you
Follow the schools and coaches on Twitter
Research the schools and make sure they offer the academic programs that you are interested in
IMPORTANT: Use The College Search Tool to start creating a list of schools for yourself! This tool provides access to EVERY college program in the nation, contact information for coaches, as well as the ability to filter by division level and state.
Communicate with College Coaches
Just because college football programs are beginning their seasons as well, does not mean that they aren't actively recruiting high school athletes. Most programs set aside 1-2 nights per week that are dedicated to recruiting. It's essential for recruits to maintain a constant contact with college coaches so they don't fall through the cracks.
On Twitter, follow the recruiting coordinators and assistant coaches at the schools you are interested in
Send coaches updates and highlights from games
Send personalized DMs and emails to coaches at schools that interest you. Ask them how their season is going and ask about potentially attending one of their games.
Need Help?
At The Athletic Academy, we offer valuable resources to help high school athletes throughout their recruiting journeys. We understand that the recruiting process can be difficult, and our goal is to provide the most innovative and effective tools for you to use! Feel free to schedule a FREE call with us to learn more about our services, or fill out our contact form.
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