2.2.22…. February 2, 2022…. One of the best days of my life aka National Signing Day. No. 1 did it, mamas! He signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his academic and football career at the next level. I HAVE A COLLEGIATE ATHLETE!!!

No. 1’s been playing the Quarterback position since he was 8 years old. In fact, he was only 12 when I started this blog, crazy! We didn’t really begin the recruitment process until his Junior year. He is our oldest and the first collegiate athlete on both sides of the family, so we really had no guidance. If we did, we would have known to begin much sooner.

I don’t want you all to make the same mistakes we did, which is why I decided to write this blog post. Now I am by no means claiming to be an expert in this area, however, I did learn a lot along the ride. And thankfully, it all worked out. No. 1 achieved his goal of receiving an athletic scholarship at the Division 1 level!

Here are my 10 tips to help you navigate the recruitment process:

1. GRADES. This is my MOST important tip. Get that GPA as high as you possibly can. One of the first things that a college coach will ask you is what your GPA is. Don’t wait until your Junior and Senior year to start. It will be very hard to do at that point. A’s and B’s, little to no C’s! People are often misinformed when they read the NCAA eligibility guidelines. They see that they only need a 2.3 for D1 and a 2.0 for D2. That is the bare minimum to be eligible to play yes, but you still have to be accepted to the college. It doesn’t matter how good you are!
2. Visit the NCAA Eligibility Center. Create a free account. There is no need to upgrade to the paid account until you are sure that your athlete will be playing at the Division 1 or 2 level. Be sure that you are on track to meet all of the requirements to be eligible; including GPA, core courses, and test scores.
3. Film. Make sure your athlete has film. This is one of the biggest ways that your athlete will be evaluated. If your high school or club team doesn’t record games, you do it. Film is your best marketing tool. You don’t need a fancy camera, you can even record on your iPhone. Don’t wait until they’re on Varsity to start. Your kid is on the Freshman or JV team? Get film! You want to be on coaches radars sooner, rather than later.
4. Social Media. Social media is huge! Almost all of my son’s contact with coaches came via Twitter. Have your athlete follow schools they’re interested in, as well as the coaches. Make sure your athlete’s handle is professional; it should be their name not something like “Flashy Dude 21”. List their position, measurements, and GPA in the bio. Have them toot their own horn. Upload your film and share your accomplishments. Get chosen as a team captain? Share it! Earned a scholar athlete award? Share it! Broke a school record? Share it! Share, share, SHARE! 
5. Camps. From our personal experience camps at specific colleges you are interested in are the way to go, not combines. Combines turned out to be more of money grabs. College coaches are rarely at combines. Focus your time and energy where it can potentially pay off.
6. Do NOT pay for a recruiting service. I repeat, DO NOT PAY FOR A RECRUITING SERVICE! It is totally not needed. Google is your best friend, mama. Use it. Google the colleges you are interested in, find the contact info for the coaches (head and position) and send them your film. Film is what will draw them in.
7. Be realistic. Not everyone is a Division 1 athlete, and that is ok. Only 7% of high school athletes go on to a play a sport in college, with less than 2% going on to play at the D1 level. Do not discredit Division 2 and 3 schools, or even JUCOs. Playing in college, at any level, is a huge accomplishment!
8. Respond to all coaches. This ties in with number 7. No. 1 had contact with coaches from all 3 divisions and responded to each and every one of them. You never know where they can end up. My neighbor played Division 1 soccer. She was originally recruited to play Division 2 soccer, however that Coach ended up moving up to Division 1 and took her with him. The athletic world is very small. Don’t burn your bridges!
9. Let your kid lead the way. This is their future, not yours. Coaches want to hear from them, not you. The purpose of calls and visits is for the college coach to get to know the athlete better. They want to see/hear how they conduct themselves; their maturity level, their plans for the future, if they will be the right fit for their program. You can definitely help them, just take a backseat. Help them come up with a list of colleges, proofread their emails before sending out, remind them to check and respond to their messages.
10. Enjoy the ride. No one said it would be easy, but they did say it would be worth it. Everyone’s ride is different. Some kids have 20+ offers, some have 1. Some have full rides, some have PWOs. Try not to stress too much. The process will be over before you know it and you will be wishing for the time back. I promise.