Coaching Football's "Little Things"

I had the joy of watching 3 of our players sign on Wednesday to play college football next year. Lots of excitement in the room; lots of smiles on faces! I saw proud (but relieved) parents. I saw teammates who stopped by who were there to support their friends who will be going on to play at the next level. I saw girlfriends who seemed to thinking about next year and not being at the same college as their (now) boyfriend. I saw teachers and administrators who simply enjoyed the accomplishments of these three outstanding young men. It was a great morning!

To be honest, it was a struggle seeing this (the recruiting process) through to the end. For example, one of our boys didn’t get his scholarship offer until Monday night! My mantra throughout the recruiting process was: patience. It’s a process and it takes time. Any coach who does not deem it his responsibility to help and direct his players and their parents along the recruiting path is 1- doing his players a disservice and 2- missing out on one of the great joys of coaching in high school.

Why is it a disservice? I feel it is one of the main responsibilities of any high school coach to help his players if they are interested in playing college football. With Hudl today, the process is a LOT easier than it was 10 years ago! I give guidelines (2-3 minutes long; start with your very best plays ups front and… NO music!) about making the fabled highlight video but… these days, I let the player and his parents cut up their own video! It gets posted on Hudl and then it’s just a matter of finding out which colleges they want it sent to. I just email the video. I would encourage coaches to send along an email letting the recruiter know that you are sending a highlight video. They get bombarded by video’s these days. Knowing that the coach is sending it makes it more valid. Most parents (and players) have no idea how to traverse though the recruiting process. The coach needs to be there for them.

There is no better feeling than enjoying the moment when your players’ dream comes true! Seeing them ink their name on that scholarship form is one of the great moments in coaching. I heard my old coach, Lou Holtz, say numerous times: “If you want to be successful, help your players accomplish their goals.” It builds a positive image for you and your program. Kids and their parents notice when a school has players signing college scholarships. It is quite an accomplishment and one that everyone call be duly proud of.