In-person recruiting returned for college football programs in the month of June for the first time in over a year. High school prospects around the nation hit the roads hard, traveling to camps, and undergoing visits at college campuses.
Unfortunately, in-person recruiting has come and gone very quickly for Division 1-FBS programs. Starting on June 28th, these programs enter a DEAD period until July 25th. However, if you're a high school prospect, this definitely does not mean you should take any time off from your recruiting efforts. Continue reading to learn how to continue getting recruited during this time and maximize your exposure!
What is a Dead Period?
According to the NCAA, during a dead period it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution’s campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus.
What does this exactly mean? Basically, prospects can no longer go to D1-FBS camps, or have any type of in-person contact with any college coach at this level.
Attending D1-FCS and D2 Camps
Division 1-FCS football programs, along with D2, and D3 programs are still in a Quiet Period for the month of July. This means that it is still permissible for in-person recruiting functions between college coaches and high school prospects, but only at the respective college campus. What does this mean?
These programs are still offering prospect camps during the month of July
Official and unofficial visits can still be conducted on college campuses
1 on 1 private workouts can still be conducted at the college football facilities
High School Prospects can meet in-person with college coaches at the college campus
IMPORTANT: Use The College Search Tool to continue locating and signing up for college football camps in the month of July. Do not miss out on any opportunity to perform in front of college coaches!
Continue Being Active on Social Media
Just because D1-FBS football programs are done with camps, does not mean they are completely done with recruiting. Here are some things to continue doing on social media to remain active:
Follow the recruiting coordinators and assistant coaches at the schools you are interested in
Post updates and highlights from camps that you have attended this summer
Send personalized introductory DMs to coaches at schools that interest you
TWEET, TWEET, TWEET! Recruiting is about marketing. The more you tweet, the more your name will pop up in news feeds.
Update Your Player Card and Recruiting Profiles
Use this time to update your Player Card on The Athletic Academy's website with up to date information and new pictures!
Update your 40 time, height, weight, and other testing numbers.
Update any contact information that may have changed.
Tweet your profile out and send it in DMs to college coaches.
If you use any other recruiting services, update those profiles as well.
Research Schools and Start Creating a List
Once the school year and football season starts, it's going to be a lot more difficult to find time for recruiting. Use the summer to start building a list of schools. If you're a 2022 prospect, try narrowing your list to 10-20 schools that you believe you can truly see yourself at. The majority of these schools should be reflective of your ability and level of play. Here are some tips for you to follow when making your list.
Location: Find a map and pinpoint your location. Then determine a radius for yourself in terms of miles from home, and then draw a circle around your location with that radius. Then locate all of the schools within this circle that could be added to your list.
Academics and Lifestyle: College is not all about athletics. You want to pick a school that fits you personally. Take some time to research the school, the city they are in, and other things they have to offer. Most importantly, do they have the academic major you are interested in studying?
IMPORTANT: Use The College Search Tool to start creating a list of schools for yourself! This tool provides access to EVERY college program in the nation, contact information for coaches, as well as the ability to filter by division level and state.
Fill Out Those Recruiting Questionnaires
Don't listen to the people that tell you recruiting questionnaires are a waste of time. These are extremely important! If they weren't important, why would college coaches at all levels include the links to these questionnaires in their Twitter bios?!
Prospects are instantly inputted into the recruiting database for the specific school once these forms are completed online.
Many times, prospects will then start receiving emails from the college coaches at these schools, and even game invitations for the upcoming season!
IMPORTANT: Use The College Search Tool to access recruiting questionnaires for every single program in the country. We have provided direct links to these questionnaires, making it easy for you to fill out multiple forms in a short amount of time.
Do NOT Take July Off!
In conclusion, July is still a very important month for prospects who are trying to get a jump on the recruiting process and maximize exposure. Don't get discouraged just because D1-FBS programs are no longer conducting camps.
There are still several items that can be knocked out this month, and try to avoid procrastinating as you enter the school year and football season. We can not say this enough, but The College Search Tool is a no brainer for any prospect looking to get recruited and maximize exposure. This tool literally has everything you need to help yourself get recruited, all year around!