How to Get The Attention of a College Coach

Posted: July 13th, 2008, by Chris Jarmon

So, how do you get the attention of a college coach? Don’t wait around, that’s for sure. Too many guys miss out on playing football in college because they think, if I’m good enough to play in college, the coaches will come after me.

This might be the case if you’re good enough to play Division I football. But if you want to play any level of college football, you have to get the coaches’ attention. You’re not on every coach’s radar, there’s simply too many high school players out there. Here’s some tips that might be overlooked by some, but they worked for me.

Have plenty of film available. When you get the attention of a college coach and he’s even the slightest bit interested, he’s gonna ask for film. Make sure you have at least one game on DVD that showcases your ability to make plays throughout a football game. Coaches are going to look for a guy who has motor, who doesn’t take plays off. You don’t have to be making plays left and right, but you have to be able to show that you can consistently play at a high level. Be able to burn plenty of copies of this DVD, because coaches are going to want to see it.

Don’t assume anything. Just because a coach asks you for film, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be the next All-American at his school. In fact, it doesn’t mean anything. Keep things in perspective and don’t assume you’re about to get offered a scholarship.

Get your high school coach to schedule some coaching visits. College programs send assistants around the region and the nation during the winter to visit prospects and high schools in order to round out their recruiting class. This is a great opportunity to get on the radar of Division II and III teams who wouldn’t know about you otherwise. If your high school coach is willing to put in the work to bring high school coaches into his office for you and some of his other seniors, they’ll be willing to make a stop at your school.

Fill out questionnaires. It might seem like it doesn’t mean anything, but any way you can contact coaches is a step towards playing college ball. Coaches, especially on the Division III level, look at questionnaires and respond to them.

Email coaches. Believe it or not, they have emails. And they’re usually right on the team’s website. If you want to cast a wide net, search Google for “athletic directory”. What you’ll get is a list of schools from a wide range of locations that have an athletic directory, which often features emails for the entire coaching staff. I sent out emails to over a thousand coaches while I was looking for a scholarship.

What you need to do when emailing a coach is provide roughly a paragraph detailing what makes you a great guy to recruit. I highlighted my academic performance, athletic awards and rankings, as well as character qualifications. You have to understand that coaches are looking for the whole package, not just a kid who can play football. If you can make yourself an appealing prospect that has multiple abilities and provide film that makes you look good, you’re on your way to some college ball.

Questions? Comments? E-mail me at jarmonsports@yahoo.com

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