Recruiting Video Highlight Reel

Recruiting Video Highlight Reel

There are some facts of life in recruiting - if you are in the top 25 players in the country they may not apply to you, but for the rest of the "prospective student athletes" there are some things you MUST do to maximize your recruitment opportunities.

One of these is obtaining a highlight video reel.  Most of your dads will say "Simple, I'll just take the video cam and shoot some footage, edit it down and send it out, and save all that money."  Unless your dad is a professional videographer who knows lacrosse very well and doesn't get excited and wave the camera around when you're about to score, this is a VERY BAD IDEA!!!

Pretend you're a lacrosse coach at a D1 (could be D2 or even D3) college or university, and in your daily mail are 50, 100, or more video reels and letters.  Having spent more than 15 years as a D1 coach, I can tell you that watching these for quality recruits gets mind numbing very quickly.  Poor quality, difficulty seeing the player being presented, shots of sky and grass, good play against weak teams, and on and on are just a few of the reasons for yanking a video in order to move on through the endless tide of arriving videos. 

What do you need to do to get the coach to sit up and watch your video closely?

1. Create an opening page with your main statistics - GPA, SAT, ACT, AP, Honors - If your record is good and you can pass Admissions he'll pay some more attention. 

2. If your size and speed are in your favor include them. If you're 5'8 and 130 pounds it might be better to let that wait a bit, but if you're 6'4", 220 and can run the 40 in 4.5 seconds this is good info to put up front.

3. Have your video taken by a professional if at all possible.  The best editor in the world can't fix bad shots.  Filming lacrosse is not easy and is best done by someone with both talent and experience to get the best sequences to demonstrate your talents.

4. Choose your plays carefully.  Remember the coach is going to tune out quickly and you have to capture his attention so put up just enough clips to demonstrate your ability is each aspect of your game.  Take your time and get outstanding shots.  Remember your video will be judged against the rest of the stack that day, that week, that month.  You are looking for the WOW factor to capture the coaches' attention.

5. Get your plays against top competition.  An experienced coach can tell in a few moments if your opponent is inferior, and your outstanding play is just the result of poor skills by your opponent. 

6. Put your contact information on the video.  Your letter of interest may become separated and you want the coach to be able to find you.

7. Prepare a detailed yet brief letter to the coach explaining your interest in his school.  After a while coaches can smell a form letter and that works against you big time.  If you don't know why you're interested in this school either find out or don't bother to apply. 

8. In you letter tell the coach what you offer to his team.  Without bragging, tell the coach about your achievements and personality traits that make you a good prospect.

9. Observe recruiting time lines.  If you're a senior and sending your video to one of the top ten schools your chances are not so great.  If you're in 7th grade it's still a bit early.  Recruiting is moving to earlier and earlier and if you're a rising sophomore it is not too early to get started.

10. As lacrosse expands throughout the country the pressure on coaches to find admissible, talented players has increased faster than travel budgets.  Recruiting highlight videos, properly done, accompanied by a well written letter, can do much to advance your options for college recruitment.