Most young athletes have dreamed of playing in a large stadium with thousands of people watching them. However, the glamor of playing in a huge stadium overshadows the hard work and long process of recruitment that prospective collegiate athletes need to know about.

The road to playing at a competitive level simply doesn’t happen overnight. Being a varsity athlete isn’t always enough, especially when students want to play at the Division 1 level. Still, no matter what division they choose to play in, students must focus on a few key things.

Be prepared to make a highlight reel that showcases your skills. You will use this highlight reel to submit to different apps such as Hudl, Sports Recruits, Instagram and Twitter. Asking your high school and club coaches which ones they recommend is crucial.

“I had a Twitter account specifically for basketball where I posted highlights,” Kenyon College girls basketball commit Joely Chadwick said. “Some coaches reached out through there, but most of my engagement came through emails I sent.”

Beyond the highlight reel, reach out to the top schools you are interested in. Reaching out to the coaching staff can affect the recruiting process in a vital way. 

Self-marketing and being active in these processes will keep colleges interested. This includes making profiles on recruiting websites with detailed bios and reaching out to coaches. Once the school is made aware of the athlete, they are more likely to watch their highlights and invite them to an in-person clinic or showcase. 

“When and why you should send your recruiting videos to and who to send your highlight reels to” were highlighted by NCSA recruitment as some of the most important factors in this process.

Knowing one’s level is exceptionally important. While athletes should not shy away from taking risks, someone who knows they are fit to play D1 basketball should not be emailing only D3 coaches and vice versa. 

The difference between divisions in college sports is also important. D1 sports are described by the NCSA as “your life” while D2 sports are described as a “more balanced approach” and D3 sports are called a “well-rounded” experience. These differences are key because those interested in playing a D1 sport need to understand that it will consume them and their time entirely. 

Along with lower divisions, junior colleges could be good options. Athletes need to consider what is best for them overall, including whether they would receive playing time on these teams.

All of these things tie into one big theme that college coaches look for when recruiting. Does the athlete have dreams and aspirations, yet do they also know their role, skill level and capabilities? Finding a good balance here is crucial.

Being the star athlete on one’s high school team doesn’t automatically make them the star athlete for their college. However, showing coaches that there are certain qualities and traits that they can covet only helps recruitment. Whether that means crashing the boards in basketball or passing people as the 7th man on the cross country team, athletes who find a niche often become more enticing to coaches, and won’t face as much rejection.

“Dealing with the stress of waiting to hear back from coaches was harder than I expected,” Chadwick said. “Throughout my recruitment journey I had to learn how to deal with a lot of rejection. Figuring out how to not let that affect me and keep trying was definitely harder than anticipated.”