Getting seen by college coaches is harder than ever. So we had a college coach put together a game plan for you in this hour-long webinar.
The nation’s youngest public university sits quietly in an Atlanta suburb, in an even quieter level of competition, the NAIA. And yet, Georgia Gwinnett College head women’s soccer coach, Mike Giuliano, is taken aback by how many emails he gets from recruits.
“Last year we got 2000 links to highlight reels,” he exclaimed. “Count that. A school you’ve never heard of got 2000 links last year. So just imagine how many the University of North Carolina gets.”
Today’s video capabilities make it easier than ever to show off your film. But getting it noticed is harder than ever. In an hour-long webinar hosted by Hudl, Giuliano shared his tips and tricks with parents and athletes on how to stand out from the crowd on the recruiting trail.
Full of colorful anecdotes from over three decades of coaching perspective, Giuliano’s talk focused on two main themes:
Make it Personal
Nobody, Giuliano says, is getting a scholarship based on their first contact with a coach. But first impressions do go a long way.
For one, make sure the most trusted sources in your network are vouching for you. For another—and this is one Giuliano says “80 percent of our recruits miss on this”—make sure your messaging is personalized. Say something in your first interaction that tells the coach you know about their school or program specifically.
Don’t let your parents do the talking for you either. Make sure your first interaction with a coach is in your own words, not theirs.
“Do your own talking, even if you’re shy,” Giuliano said. “We don’t mind shy. A lot of my players are shy. That’s no problem at all.”
And, by the way, be sure to keep that first email to the coach short. Giuliano says he rarely reads beyond the second line in an email. Make it short and sweet.
Make Those Precious First Seconds Count
With so many inquiries coming in, Giuliano estimates most coaches will only watch the first 60 to 90 seconds of a highlight reel. That means in that first minute, he says, “you have to knock their socks off.”
Got a 10-second clip that blows people away? Make that your very first slide. Leave the penalty kicks and five-yard throw-ins out. Showing your very best means not just those pretty goals, but clips that show your talent on all areas of the pitch.
For attackers and defenders, this means one-on-one battles and quality headers. For midfielders, show how you connect passes, change the point of attack and move off the ball. For keepers, that long clear-out might look cool, but it’s increasingly important to be able to play the ball to feet.
Treat this moment as an appetizer to get the coaches interested in learning more about you.
“This isn’t some movie that builds and builds and builds, and there’s an amazing climax at the end,” Giuliano said. “Don’t do that. Put your best moment forward.”
