‘Edgy’ Tim: Tips for handling college football recruiting

Only a few things have remained constant in the more than 30 years of covering and working around the football recruiting world on a daily basis. One is that parents and prospects are always looking for help when it comes to getting noticed and then recruited.

Here are some general thoughts, ideas and suggestions when it comes to the recruiting process from my side of the table.

I’ll have more tips in Monday’s edition of the Daily Herald.

Talk with your head coach and be realistic

One of the most important people in your recruiting process is your varsity head football coach. And one of the biggest parts of the entire process is getting a realistic evaluation of your on-the-field ability from that coach. Your high school head coach can also be your biggest supporter and is the first point of contact with college coaches. Having a good working relationship with your head coach is important. Ask your coach what you can do to improve your game. What level does he feel you can play at in college? Does he feel you can play in college? These are all important questions to ask before beginning the recruiting process and will give you a good starting point. In all the years of dealing with high school coaches and recruiting, I've never met a high school coach not willing to talk with a player and his parents about the recruiting process.

Start early and have a game plan

Even if your son hasn't sniffed the varsity level yet, you can still plan ahead when it comes to the recruiting process. As a parent, have you sat down and had “The Recruiting Talk” with your son yet? Does your son truly want to play football in college? Do they truly love the sport, love the grind and have the motivation to keep playing? How are the grades? If you can take away anything from this story, it should be that grades matter. The better the grades, the more opportunity is available at all levels of college sports. Do you have an idea of what you would like to study in college? Knowing a potential field of study the earlier the better is a plus, but isn't always required early. How about the financial question when it comes to college? We all hope you'll be among the 3% of all high school athletes to play at the Division 1 level, but the odds are against you. Sit down, talk and know going into the recruiting process what the game plan is for paying for college.

Cast a wide net and keep an open mind

Everyone goes into the recruiting process planning to play at the highest level possible. That's a given. But the reality is you'll have more success and a better chance at playing football in college if you keep an open mind. Reach out to those D1 schools and coaches. But also check out some D2 schools, along with NAIA schools and D3. The more schools you include in your search, the better the odds become. Do those schools offer your college major? Do they offer a strong education and a marketable degree in your field of study after graduation? If those schools meet your criteria, then by all means reach out.