Three Big Mistakes Prospects Make In Recruiting - Camp Edition

Every year I see talented athletes make critical mistakes that limits their opportunities for college scholarships. I wanted to a take a minute to share these mistakes with you, and give you some tools that can help you increase your chances of earning a scholarship. Today we are going to focus on college football camps. This is part of a course I have for parents and prospects called How to WIN the Recruiting Process and Earn a Scholarship. 

The first and most important thing you need to understand is that college athletics are a business. Coaches are required to win football games to keep their jobs. If they don't win, they get fired. When they recruit athletes, they want to find players who will help them win games. How can you help them win more games?

Mistake One

The first mistake that prospects make is not going to camps. It seems simple right? It is not enough for a coach to watch your film. They want to see you in person. They want to have an opportunity to work with you and coach you individually. If you are not going camps, they don't have this opportunity. They can't evaluate you. You need to attend college camps during the summer. 

Every single year I talk to parents and athletes who are very talented, but they don't have any offers. I always ask, what camps did you go to. Many of them say they didn't go to any, or they went to one camp as a junior. Last night I met with a parent of a graduating senior who has no where to play next year. He went to one camp last summer.

You need to go to college camps to give yourself a chance to get evaluated. Don't wait until your junior or senior year to go to camps. Go to college camps as a 9th and 10th grader as well. Camps are a chance for you to audition. They are a chance to showcase your skills. Go to four or five camps each summer. Make sure you are also attending your school workouts. 

Mistake Two

The second mistake I see prospects make is going to the wrong camps. It is fun to go to the camp at your favorite Power 4 school, but understand that if you are not that quality of player, you are going to be one of 500 kids standing in line not getting reps. 

At camps and Power 4 schools they divide players into groups based on ability. The top guys they want to evaluate will be with the coaches from the host school. Everyone else is put in groups with the GA's and student managers. 

At some camps, there will be coaches from smaller colleges working with these lower ability groups. But do to the sheer number of kids, they aren't going to be able to give you many reps. 

Pick college camps at schools you have a chance of being recruited by. If you are not a Power 4 or FCS player, it is better to go to the D2 and NAIA camps at schools where you have the ability to play. Go to at least three or four camps at a level you can play. It is okay to go to that dream school camp, but understand that it may not advance your recruiting. Or, you could go there and make a name for yourself. 

Understand this: Just because a coach invited you to camp doesn't mean they are recruiting you. If a college really wants you at a camp you will know. They will tell you they need you there to evaluate you. They probably have talked to you several times. Know when they are serious about giving you an opportunity, and when they just want to get the camp numbers up. 

Third Mistake

The third mistake I see prospects make at camps is not standing out, or standing out in the wrong way. When you go to a college camp, you have 2 to 3 hours to make an impression. What are you going to do to set yourself a part from 500 other people?

I was at a camp last summer and a talented athlete was working with the top group. The position coach was excited to see the kid move and work with him. But the young man was always at the back of the line. He let players go in front of him. When it was time for one-on-one's, this kid again went to the back. While other kids got four or five reps, he got one. The staff did not offer him a scholarship.

If you stand in the back and don't get reps, you aren't going to help yourself. You need to take initiative to get reps. Make eye contact with the coach. Listen to coaching and do what the coach is asking, even if it is different than what you might normally do. 

The coach wants to know if they can see themselves coaching you. Are you going full speed? Are you giving great effort? Do you listen? Do you take reps? These are simple things that take zero talent.

Here is a HUGE KEY! Wear something that will help coaches identify you. Most camps are going to give you a shirt to wear with a number. You need to wear something that will make it easy to identify you. Wear bright orange cleats. Wear your hat backwards. Wear a bandana. Wear something that will help them be able to say, "hey, did you see the kid with the orange cleats?" 

There is a line between drawing attention to yourself and being a distraction. Don't draw negative attention to yourself. That is why bright colored cleats are an easy way to differentiate yourself.

As I mentioned above. these are part of a webinar I did on CoachTube that has helped many athletes navigate the recruiting process. That webinar is divided into sections so you can watch it a little bit at a time. It also has downloadable resources you can use to increase your chances of getting an offer. How to WIN the Recruiting Process and Earn a Scholarship is on SALE right now! 

What About A Partial Scholarship?

It is exciting when a school says they are going to offer you a scholarship to play football at their university. All of the hard work in the classroom, weight room, and on the field have paid off. Whether you are a 5 star D-1 athlete, or you get an opportunity to play at a smaller school, you are part of a very small percentage of athletes who will get a chance to play at the college level. You are a part of an elite group. Less than 5% of high school athletes will have an opportunity to participate in college sports. The transfer portal and additional covid years of eligibility have only made it tougher to earn scholarships.

If you received an offer from a Division 1 FBS university that is either a Power 4 or Group of 5 school, your scholarship will cover all of your tuition, room and board, books, and additional expenses. Any financial aid you are awarded will be stacked on top of that and go into your pocket. But what if you receive a D2, D3, or NAIA offer? What about FCS schools? What does that mean financially? 

I wanted to write this specifically for the student-athletes that are not going to a Power 4 or Group of 5 school. Let's go through each of these and talk about what they mean. 

FCS schools have up to 63 scholarships they can award. Not all FCS schools give out 63 scholarships. To fund a roster of 95 to 115 players and only 63 scholarships to use, they are not going to give every athlete a full ride. They are going to give out many partial scholarships so they can field a full roster. Your offer may be only a partial scholarship, and this is something you must ask. 

**Note: The NCAA just increased the scholarship limit to 105 for FBS and FCS schools due to a house settlement. There are still many details to be worked out. 

NCAA Division 2 Schools have up to 36 scholarships to give to potential football players. Not all Division 2 schools use their full allotment. Very few, if any, athletes are given a full scholarship to a D2 school. Many D2's give out small scholarships to freshmen, and increase the dollar value based on playing time and contribution to the team. 

NAIA schools have up to 24 scholarships. Like D2 schools, they are going to divide these scholarships among 75 to 100 players. Many NAIA schools have limits to how much institutional aid an athlete can receive on top of their football money. 

D3 schools do not give out any scholarship offers. When you are "offered" by a D3 school, they are essentially telling you they will have a roster spot for you. They do not give athletic scholarships, so you will only get financial aid not related to athletics from a D3 school. 

While junior colleges can give up to 85 scholarships, not all use their full allotment. At many junior colleges your football scholarship is partially determined by how much federal financially aid you will get. This way they can recruit more players. 

In each case above, you are most likely getting a "partial scholarship." This means you are going to get a scholarship to cover some part of the cost of attendance. Scholarships are as small as $250 a year. Some partial scholarships are $5000, or $10,000 a year. The key is that the scholarship is only going to cover part of your cost of attendance. 

What does this mean for you, and what do you need to do to put yourself in the best position possible? 

1. Before you sign, ask to see the financial breakdown. Ask the school to show you the numbers. Many times I have heard from parents who thought their son was getting a full ride, only to find out they were getting a scholarship worth $1,000 or 2,000 dollars. The college can give you an estimated breakdown of costs if you provide them your income and family size information. If you have filled out the FAFSA, they can give you a very accurate picture of what your financial obligations will be to attend their school. YOU MUST SEE THIS BEFORE YOU SIGN!

I have seen many young people sign their letter of intent, only to find out later they were going to have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket, take out student loans, or a combination of the two. If you are going to a D2, D3, or NAIA school, expect that you will have to pay some money out of pocket.