Football has become America’s national sport. Perhaps the only one that could probably compete for this title is basketball. Because of this, most colleges are willing to invest in their football players in the form of tuition fee grants.

However, being able to get a college football scholarship is very hard as the process is very competitive. With up to 1.1 million football players from high school hoping to get one, there are only at most 184 scholarship grants available for college football players. Unfortunately, the actual available slots go lower than this if you would consider that there are already senior college players who had already availed a scholarship.

It is therefore a must that you should set your sights on an athletic scholarship early on. Hone your skills so that you will be able to be noticed by the recruiters. Furthermore, make sure to keep your grades high as almost all of the colleges require a certain GPA to qualify for their football program.

The best part of availing a college football scholarship is being able to get a college degree for free while playing the sport you love. So get in the huddle and blitz your way to that college diploma.

Once coaches start communicating with you, you need to keep the communication lines open by sending them football recruiting updates. When they write or call you, they will usually ask you to take some type of action. They may ask you for game footage, for you to fill out a questionnaire and return it, or they may ask you for photos, etc. I hate to sound too obvious here, but whatever they ask you to do, do it right away!

Once you go through this initial contact, you may not hear from them for a while, especially if you are a freshman, sophomore, or junior. To make sure you stay on their radar screen and they don’t forget about you, make sure you send them updates every so often.

When To Send Updates And What To Send

I suggest sending your football recruiting updates before the season begins, mid-season, and at the end of your high school season. You can also give them an update on your summer team status after the summer season ends. Just make sure you stay in contact.

On these updates, you want to send them key statistics, your outstanding accomplishments, or any newspaper articles written about you. Remember, you have to be your own marketer and promote, unless you are blessed with a coach who takes care of this process for you.

Keep Your Updates Brief

Keep your football recruiting updates to one page. Just like with your cover letter and athletic resume, you want to keep it short and to the point. If your updates get too long and detailed, they will most likely end up sitting on the desk of the coach and never being read. The payoff for sending these updates is tremendous. In fact, it just may put you in a position to earn an athletic scholarship!

1. Choosing a college for the wrong reasons. When you visit a school on a recruiting trip, it is set up as a sales trip from the coach’s perspective. When you arrive in the fall you often find a football program and campus that feels much different than the “hyped” up one you saw on your visit.
2. Not matching your academic goals. You must match the college that you will be playing at with your academic goals in mind. Will you be able to succeed academically there? Even though you got in, are strong enough of a student? Do they have the major you really want or are you settling because of a scholarship?
3. Not getting along with the coach. You must choose the program and school, never the coaching staff. There is a good chance statistically that if you stay all four to five years, you will see a coaching change at the head coach level and multiple assistant coach changes. The coach that also recruited you is the “salesman” and not the true coach that person is at practice and during games.
4. Choosing the wrong athletic level of competition. Even if the college gave you a scholarship, are you good enough to play there? Will you have to sit on the bench and be a practice player for a few years before you get a realistic chance to start? Or could you have accepted a scholarship from a smaller division and played immediately?
5. Financial Aid changes. Coaches can pull athletic scholarships no matter what you hear to the contrary. Even if you only have a 50% or are a walk-on, can you afford to keep paying to play without having to get a job while you try to compete for a larger scholarship?

Preventing athletic failure in college starts with your high school recruiting. By doing a personal assessment of your recruiting goals and wishes you can better match colleges that fit an athletic profile that will better guarantee success.