The best resources for athletic recruiting vary from athletic recruiting service websites to school sites and other sites that compile athletic recruiting information. Of course, athletic recruiting services are there to convince you to spend money on their service, but most also have a wealth of information that you can access without charge.
Top Athletic Recruiting Services
Note: It is not recommended to pay for the upgraded versions on these sites or use their extra paid services as college coaches do not place much value in them. It would be better to just do a FREE profile on the sites that offer that and do the rest of the process on your own or with the help of a trusted advisor who knows your sport well.
- NCSA – NCSA has loads of free information both on the general athletic recruiting process and for sports-specific criteria and tips. Your student-athlete can also create a profile for free. NCSA offers fee-based services also. Once you create a free profile, you will be targeted for fee-based services. These aren’t for everyone. Make sure you are fully educated before signing up for any services.
- SportsRecruits.com – SportsRecruits is a site focused on connecting student-athletes with college coaches. There are two levels of accounts (as of 2022) – Free and Pro. The Free account includes a student-athlete profile, school research tools, and video/highlight reel capabilities. Pro accounts have all of this and they also offer a messaging system, as well as a tracking system to view what schools or coaches have viewed your profile, videos, or messages.
- BeRecruited – BeRecruited is another site that offers a free profile and also offers 2 upgraded options. Again, options vary by how much personal interaction you receive. The $299-lifetime access level gets you a game film evaluation, 60-minute consultation, and a personalized scouting report.
Great Athletic Recruiting Articles
- 15 Sample Athletic Resumes and Letters – Michelle Kretzschmar of DIY College Rankings has put together an excellent listing of resources to help with athletic recruiting resumes, but these resources also so much more to help with the athletic recruiting process.
- Top 50 Recruiting Tips – This is from the NCSA site’s blog. It is a great compilation of tips.
- Perception vs. Reality in the Athletic Recruiting Process – This is a great “dose of reality” article that covers a lot of ideas that others don’t.
- Should You Use an Athletic Recruiting Service? – An honest look into the pros and cons of using one of these services.
- How to Create a Recruiting Video That Coaches Will Watch – The basics of creating a recruiting video for any sport. You should also be able to find some sports-specific articles with tips specific to your student’s sport.
A Great Free Resource
Have you heard of the University Athlete site? It is the most used resource by college coaches to look up and evaluate student-athletes. Best of all, the coaches pay to use the site, not the players! I can’t speak specifically to other sports, but in club volleyball, this tool is used at all tournaments that college recruiters attend. It is a connection tool. There is no selling of athlete information or promoting of athletes involved.
Your student-athlete can register for a free profile, very much like the sites I listed above, but there is actually a greater chance that the recruiters will actually be using the same tool. You can provide a link to a video. You can also spend $49 per year for the ability to search schools, take notes on them, and send emails to coaches. I found this to be worthwhile.
There is a great email writing system where your student can compose a generic email indicating where to insert school-specific information. It makes it easy to send multiple emails prior to an upcoming tournament or showcase. You can also see who has viewed your email. Unlike the SportsRecruits site I described above, you cannot see when someone has viewed your profile.
Overall, my recommendation if you have a student-athlete interested in athletic recruiting is to do your homework and learn everything you can. Check out some of these best resources for athletic recruiting. Don’t buy anything yet.
Key Takeaways:
- Explore all the free information available on the NCSA site.
- Find out if college coaches in your sport are known to use the University Athlete site.
- Get tips on creating a recruiting video and create one.
- Find out what to put in an athletic resume and create one.
- Use a tool to track colleges your student is interested in like MyCAP.
Most of this can all be done without paying anyone else to do anything for you! Finally, if you have questions about college athletic recruiting, we encourage you to reach out. Several members of our MyCAP team were college athletes and can help guide you through the recruiting and college funding process both from a place of educated expertise and personal experience. Contact us today by clicking here!
