It is a proven fact that if you want to play college football at any level, you MUST utilize a highlight video so that coaches can evaluate your ability to play. I would say that the majority of the kids that end up with scholarships or financial packages have a highlight video. Regardless of the level you want to play at, it is critically important to have your highlight video seen by decision makers early in the process.
The biggest reason this is critical is because coaches are paid huge salaries to be able to evaluate and recruit the best of the best. A recruiter may give a prospect the “thumbs up” on the eyeball test, but the proverbial saying among football coaches is “The Eye in The Sky Doesn’t Lie”. Roughly translated, your talent is what your film says it is. Mistakes in evaluating and developing talent has cost many coaches their jobs and been the ruin of many football programs.
I stress to my coaching members daily that you you have to keep all of your options open and consider smaller schools as well as big schools in your pursuit of an opportunity to play at the next level. If you are considering smaller schools, it’s just as important to have a highlight film. Before ANY school will entertain you as a serious prospect, they need to see what you can do on the field.
I recently spoke to coaches at D-II and D-III schools about this topic. Recruiters don’t have the time or desire to sit and watch game films from all of the prospects on their mailing list. They can typically tell quickly (in the first 60-90 seconds of the highlight film) if they would like to watch a complete game on a prospect.
You must ask yourself this question: Would you rather take three minutes of time from the coaches and blow them away with some of your best highlight plays from your highlight video OR would you send a full game tape and hope that they like it over a 45 – 60 minute period where their attention could easily get pulled away while you are making the best play of your high school career? One look away could cost you a scholarship.
Unless your finances are extremely tight, make an investment in your future as student athlete and get it made by a professional.