Whenever the football season starts, new high school players join the various football teams and start to change the face of the game. Most of them are just sophomores or freshmen, and they have big dreams of glory and fame, perhaps even reaching the NFL at some point. And, once they become juniors and even seniors, the lucky few will start to get singled out by coaches who try to attract them to come to the big league of college football. They love this recruitment period, seeing it as fun and exciting. Indeed, it is something Jack Elway looks forward to every year.
Jack Elway on the Recruitment Process
For many people, the recruitment process is the be all and end all of getting into college football. Hence, those who are not the best players in their team may fear that they won’t get picked. Elway wants to encourage them to do more and work a little harder, but also to find out what the scouts of their favorite college football programs are interested in. Every year, there are opportunities to play in front of the coaches of various colleges, and that is a great way to grab their attention.
There are numerous ways to grab the attention of a coach, but two ways work better than most, according to Jack Elway:
- Study the college football teams’ individual rosters to determine which types of players they need, and make sure that you play in that positions. There should be lists of the different team members on the websites of college football teams. You should also look up details such as the players’ classification, their weight, their height, and their position. Again, this will tell you what those teams are looking for, and it will enable you to determine whether you meet those requirements. If you notice that a lot of the players are older and in their final year or two of college, then there is a good chance that new recruits are needed. Get one step ahead of the recruiters by writing to the college, telling them about your experience and your own personal football stats and classifications.
- Make sure that every game you play is the best game you have ever player. Obviously, you need to be there, and on time, and you need to be consistent in your skills. You have to do your very best and show your dedication to the sport. You want to be on your coach’s good side, so that they mention your name when the scouts come to visit and ask about good players. And if a scout asks about you, you need to make sure that what your coach says is something positive about how well you play and how hard you always try.
There are no guarantees about getting recruited for a college football team, but there are things that you can do in order to increase your chances.