Unsigned Seniors: It’s Not too Late to Get Recruited

Yes, most Division 1 college coaches have finalized their rosters, but there are other opportunities to compete in college still available. Below are a few steps you can take to better position yourself in the final months of the college recruiting process, as coaches continue to search for talent.

Refresh your recruiting video

Recruiting videos are crucial to getting coach interest and they are often the first impression coaches will have of you. If your video has clips that are more than six months old, it’s time for a refresh. Update your video with recent highlights that reflect your full athletic ability.

Already in contact with a college coach? Updating your recruiting video is the perfect excuse to reach back out to him or her with a link to your new video.

READ MORE: Quick guide for getting quality film for highlight videos

Make phone calls frequently

At this point in the recruiting process, you can’t wait around for a college coaches to respond to your email. Graduation is quickly approaching and the biggest mistake you can make at this point in recruiting is not calling coaches. Be proactive and pick up the phone. This gives you the opportunity to connect with the coach and find out where they are in their recruiting timeline.

Here’s a helpful guide on calling coaches: Straight Talk On How To Call Coaches

Continue visiting campuses

The best way to understand what your experience would be like on a specific college campus is to schedule an unofficial or official visit. Of course, you want to plan your visit when the coach on campus. Before scheduling your visit, give the coach a call to let them know when you plan to be on campus. You’ll also want to plan a time to meet with the coach during your visit.

If you don’t have the budget for an unofficial visit, you can always visit the program’s website, Facebook or Twitter and look for video tours where they showcase campus and the athletic facilities.

Stay on the radar, stay in touch with college coaches

Recruiting doesn’t always go as planned for college coaches, leaving programs with unexpected open roster spots. As an unsigned senior, it’s important to remain on a coach’s radar if they suddenly have an open roster spot that you can potential fill. This is another reason to keep up with coaches on social media—check their Twitter regularly to see if anything changes before you the year is over.

Don’t rule out junior college

It might not be your first choice, but junior college offers an opportunity to build your academic and athletic performance before transferring to an NCAA program. This is also a cost-effective option, as junior college programs tend to be less expensive than four-year universities. Plus, you have a better chance of securing a scholarship as a seasoned athlete with two or three full years of eligibility left.

READ MORE: Why junior college may make sense for you

Take a look at deadlines

While many recruits commit to their college choice on National Signing Day in November, this date is just the start of a nine-month signing period. So, if you don’t commit to a school in the fall you still have time to sign your NLI well into the summer months after graduation.

It’s also important to stay on top of application deadlines. If there is a program with open roster spots that you are interested in, check to make sure you haven’t missed the school’s application deadline, or see if they offer rolling admissions. Missing an application deadline means college coaches won’t be able to recruit you.

For even more tips on recruiting your senior year, look here: Attention Seniors You Can Still Get Recruited