College coaches are looking you up right now
Will they like what they find?
Before a D3 college coach starts to seriously recruit you, they will usually Google you.
Before they call your high school coach to ask about your character, they’ll check your social media.
Before they offer you a roster spot, they'll check your recent posts.
Your social media presence is part of your recruiting presence whether you like it or not.
Today, we’re showing you how to build a social media profile and online presence that helps your recruiting process, rather than hurting it.
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The Profile Template
As a starter - here’s how a prospective college athlete should set up their profile on Twitter (X) to ensure coaches have all of the information they need to recruit them.
Here are the highlights and a complete example profile below:
Full high school name spelled out
Not “CCS” because college coaches won’t know what an abbreviation means.
Primary position(s)
List your best position first. Don’t list six positions or say you can do it all.
Current GPA (Unweighted)
Add ACT/SAT if it’s strong. D3 college coaches care about this as much as your stats as an athlete.
Height and weight
This one goes without saying. Don’t exaggerate it and have them be disapointed later.
Graduation year (e.g., ‘27 or 2027)
College coaches need to know your eligibility window immediately.
Highlight film link
Hudl, YouTube, or something else. If a D3 college coach has to search for your film, they won’t watch it.
Other relevant activities
Team captain, honor society, volunteer work. D3 college coaches recruit the whole person, not just athletes.
Limit emoji use
One, maybe two. You’re a D3 recruit, not a brand account.
Here’s an example social media profile with key information for recruits to include.
We work with highly-driven recruits who want to play in college & get the best education possible.
If that’s you, fill out our intake form to learn more about how we can help you:
- Focus your process to land more offers
- Maximize your D3 financial aid package
- Understand how to apply to college as an athlete
What to Post on Social Media
When it comes to posting on social media as a college recruit, we usually advise our 1:1 clients to post regular updates on their progress as an athlete.
This can be longer game clips, but it can also be workouts or lifts that they're doing.
Over time, consistent posts shows a focused process where you are striving to better yourself.
Here are some additional suggestions:
Suggestions on what college athletics recruits should be posting on social media.
What Not to Post
Before we even start on this front, go ahead and do two things:
Make your personal accounts private
Follow the “Grandma Rule” when posting - if it isn’t something you would want your grandmother to see, you probably shouldn’t be sharing it on the internet.
Those two rules will get you most of the way there.
Other things to skip are included in the graphic above.
This isn’t to say don’t have fun in high school or don’t have a social media presence. Just know that whatever you do put out on the internet is searchable and coaches can find it.
Overall Online Presence
Thinking beyond social media, some D3 college recruits will take the time to build a personal website or add a college resume to their profiles.
These are smart moves that can help you in the recruiting process because they do two things:
First, they ensure that critical information is all in one place.
The attention of college coaches is a commodity. Thousands of recruits are competing for it, sending emails, reaching out on social media, etc. every single day. As a result, coaches have very limited time to attend to each recruit that reaches out. Ensuring that when you get some attention your information is clearly presented is a great strategy to increase your chances of getting recruited. You could have college talent, but if you are not organized throughout the recruiting process, someone else who is might take your spot.
Second, they help control your overall online presence.
When a college coach searches your name online, what comes up? If you have a personal website, chances are it will rank higher in search results than other pages like social media.
Get College Coaches to Respond
One of the most challenging parts of the college sports recruiting process is getting college coaches to start recruiting you...or even just respond to your outreach.
That’s why we created a free template that shows you how to craft effective emails that get you recruited.
Make a copy to use and adapt to your own college sports recruiting process.
Unlock the free Template: playbook.d3-direct.com
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