Although you may have missed some college football opportunities, the door isn’t yet fully closed. Even some NCAA Division 1 programs might still be looking for players in your senior year. Situations change and openings pop up. If you want to make sure not to miss a last-minute opportunity, this article will provide you with some practical tips which you can use. You can take advantage of these tips during your senior year of high school. These tips are here to help with your recruitment.
TIP 1: UP-TO-DATE VIDEO
Keep your highlight video updated. Make sure you make a mid-season highlight video available for college football coaches to view. They will want to see your progress in your senior year. Then, at the end of your season, add all the additional highlights to your video. It is in your best interest to make sure your highlight video is 100% updated. You want the college football coaches to see a clear representation of what you can do as a player.
TIP 2: CONTACT COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES WHO ARE STILL RECRUITING
If you are unsigned as a senior, it is very important to continue contacting college football coaches who have not yet filled all of their roster spots. The first step with this is to make sure you do not waste your time contacting schools that have already completed their roster. You need to look for schools that are specifically still recruiting, and more importantly, target the schools that are recruiting for your position.
For example: If a school is recruiting Linebacker and you are a QB, don’t waste your time putting yourself in for that spot. Instead, find a school that is recruiting a Linebacker instead of trying to get the attention of a coach who is looking for something else.
TIP 3: KEEP AN OPEN MIND TO DIFFERENT FOOTBALL DIVISIONS
Maybe you had your heart set on playing NCAA Division 1 football. Now that you are a senior, and still unsigned, it is time to look at other options. There is no reason to give up on your goal of playing NCAA D1 Football. You should keep contacting coaches that are recruiting your position. However, NCAA D2, NCAA D3, NAIA, JUCO, and CCCAA are all great options to play football at the next level.
NCAA Division 1 football programs recruit years ahead of time. They have massive recruiting budgets, additional specific recruiting staff and, resources to complete their recruitment early. Even with this massive budget and resources, there will still be limited opportunities for seniors to sign with a D1 football program.
In contrast, the other college football divisions do not have nearly as bigger budgets to work with to recruit their players. Although these divisions are going to be just as serious about their recruitment, they are not going to have the same allocations and resources as the Division 1 football schools. These divisions are far more likely to have roster spots and scholarships still available in your senior year. Don’t let others discourage you by saying it’s too late. It is not. You can still get recruited in your senior year. You just have to put the work in and consider playing in a different football division.
NOTE: If you are unable to secure a spot on a division 1 program in your senior year, you need to decide whether you want to do 2 years of Junior College and then transfer to D1 or play in a different division and go straight to a 4-year school.
Out of the remaining divisions, NCAA D2 will have the next biggest recruitment budget and scholarship money available. Here is a list in order of largest to smallest recruitment budgets and scholarship money available, starting with the largest first:
- NCAA D1
- NCAA D2
- NAIA
- NCAA D3 (they don’t have athletic scholarship money but they do have academic grants and scholarships – this option should not be over looked)
- Junior College
Considering Your Options as a Unsigned Senior
When considering other divisions besides NCAA Division 1, as an unsigned senior, you should first send your information to all the football coaches in these divisions who are still recruiting your position. Even if you are not 100% sure that you want to play in one of these other football divisions, it is a good idea to get your information out there and see what these schools have to offer you.
If a football coach from one of these divisions is interested, it is a good idea to have an open-minded conversation with the coach. If you like what the coach has to say, going on a visit to the school would be the next step. You might find yourself surprised with what other football divisions have to offer. Players in these divisions have great college football careers, they get a top-level education and have great college experiences and memories.