Recruiting Tips: What College Coaches Look For First

College coaches open a profile for seconds, not minutes. Here is how to make those seconds work.

1. Lead with film. Put your best two or three minutes first. A coach who has to search for your highlights usually stops searching.

2. Make the basics obvious. Position, class year, height and school should be visible without scrolling.

3. Keep stats honest and current. Label the season and the team. Numbers that match your film build trust; numbers that do not cost you the evaluation.

4. Include academics. GPA and test scores answer an eligibility question early, which keeps you in the conversation.

5. Make contact easy — and safe. List the adult a coach should contact, and keep private details off the public profile.

6. Use one link everywhere. Texts, email signatures, social bios and camp forms should all point to the same AthleteID, so the information a coach sees is always the current version.