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How do you get recruited for college sports?

7 perspectives · Updated · 3 min read

College coaches see far more players than they can recruit. Most athletes who get offers didn't wait for a coach to find them.

The athletes here were recruited in very different ways: as a two-star basketball prospect, through junior college football, through soccer ID camps, and through the adaptive sport pipeline in wheelchair basketball.

Their answers cover how to get in front of coaches, what coaches look for, and where grades fit in.

The short answer

Don't wait to be found. Email far more coaches than feels normal, send film, and go where coaches watch in person. Grades are part of the pitch, and between two equal players, the composed one gets the offer.

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Who you should listen to

Seven athletes across soccer, basketball, football, tennis, and wheelchair basketball. Zev Taublieb now helps high school players get recruited, so his answer is the most hands-on.

  • Zev Taublieb · Former pro soccer player who helps players get recruited to college

    Listen for: How many coaches to contact, and which camps to go to.

  • Elijah Bryant · Hapoel Tel Aviv guard, formerly Milwaukee Bucks

    Listen for: Getting recruited when rankings undersell you.

  • Shawn Harper · Former NFL player

    Listen for: The junior college route, and why grades matter.

  • Moses Moody · Golden State Warriors guard, 2022 NBA champion

    Listen for: What coaches mean by reliability.

  • Val Whiting · Former WNBA player and Stanford All-American

    Listen for: Why composure can decide between two equal players.

  • Ali Tetrick · Professional cyclist and former NCAA tennis player

    Listen for: What coaches notice beyond a highlight reel.

  • Abby Dunkin · Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball

    Listen for: How recruiting works in adaptive sport.

What do athletes say about getting recruited?

Zev Taublieb

Zev Taublieb

Former pro soccer player who helps players get recruited to college

Former pro

Why themPlayed professionally for the Richmond Kickers and Charlotte Independence, and now helps high school players get recruited to college.

Zev’s advice: Recruiting is a volume game: email 50 coaches a month and go to ID camps.

Recruiting is a volume game now, so I tell kids to email 50 coaches a month, not five. I went to about 15 camps myself starting in eighth grade, and if you want to play, you have to put your face in front of coaches with video, ID camps, and real follow-up.

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Elijah Bryant

Elijah Bryant

Hapoel Tel Aviv guard, formerly Milwaukee Bucks

Former Milwaukee Buck

Why themPlays for Hapoel Tel Aviv after time with the Milwaukee Bucks, and shares his drills on YouTube.

Elijah’s advice: A two-star recruit, he emailed every coach he could find and sent his film.

I was a two-star recruit coming out of high school, so rankings never told my story. I emailed every coach I could find and sent my film, because if you want to play at the next level, you have to make it impossible for people to ignore you.

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Shawn Harper

Shawn Harper

Former NFL player

Former NFL player

Why themRaised by a single mother in Columbus, Ohio, he made the NFL despite dyslexia, a stutter, and teachers who said he wasn't college material.

Shawn’s advice: Get in front of coaches who can say yes, and give them no reason to say no.

I came up through junior college football, so the recruiting path I know is grinding where scouts actually show up, not mailing highlight tapes to schools that never watch them. Put yourself in front of coaches who can say yes, and make sure your grades and tape give them no reason to say no.

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Moses Moody

Moses Moody

Golden State Warriors guard, 2022 NBA champion

2022 NBA champion

Why themWon a title in his rookie season with the Warriors and runs the Motivate One Foundation for young people in Little Rock.

Moses’s advice: Coaches recruit reliability: produce every week, keep your grades tight, and pick up the phone.

I got on radars by producing every week at Montverde and North Little Rock, keeping my grades tight, and picking up the phone. Coaches recruit reliability, so show you impact winning in any role and be consistent about it.

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Val Whiting

Val Whiting

Former WNBA player and Stanford All-American

Former WNBA

Why themPlayed in the WNBA and for USA Basketball after winning multiple Pac-12 titles at Stanford.

Val’s advice: Play the best competition you can find; composure under pressure wins the offer.

For me, recruiting came down to playing against the best competition I could find and letting coaches see me there. I also tell kids now that when two players have the same skills, the one who stays composed under pressure is the one who gets the offer.

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Ali Tetrick

Ali Tetrick

Professional cyclist and former NCAA tennis player

Pro cyclist

Why themRaised on a California ranch, she went from triathlon and NCAA tennis to professional cycling.

Ali’s advice: Coaches find the kids who show up where it counts.

I played NCAA tennis at Abilene Christian and came into cycling later, so I watched the recruiting game from the inside in one sport and had to hustle my way into another. My honest take: coaches find kids who show up where it counts, not just the ones with the glossy highlight reel.

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Abby Dunkin

Abby Dunkin

Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball

Rio 2016 gold medalist

Why themWent from two feet to two wheels and won Paralympic gold in wheelchair basketball at Rio 2016.

Abby’s advice: In adaptive sport, coaches find you through clinics and national team pipelines.

I came into wheelchair basketball after my diagnosis, and coaches mostly found me through adaptive sport clinics and the national team pipeline rather than traditional recruiting. Put your film in front of people, show up where the coaches are, and make them see how you move, not just your stats.

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Everyone’s advice at a glance

How 7 people answer: How do you get recruited for college sports?
WhoTheir advice
Zev TaubliebFormer pro soccer player who helps players get recruited to collegeRecruiting is a volume game: email 50 coaches a month and go to ID camps.
Elijah BryantHapoel Tel Aviv guard, formerly Milwaukee BucksA two-star recruit, he emailed every coach he could find and sent his film.
Shawn HarperFormer NFL playerGet in front of coaches who can say yes, and give them no reason to say no.
Moses MoodyGolden State Warriors guard, 2022 NBA championCoaches recruit reliability: produce every week, keep your grades tight, and pick up the phone.
Val WhitingFormer WNBA player and Stanford All-AmericanPlay the best competition you can find; composure under pressure wins the offer.
Ali TetrickProfessional cyclist and former NCAA tennis playerCoaches find the kids who show up where it counts.
Abby DunkinParalympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketballIn adaptive sport, coaches find you through clinics and national team pipelines.

How to get recruited for college sports, step by step

  1. Contact far more coaches than feels normal. Zev Taublieb tells players to email 50 coaches a month with video, and Elijah Bryant emailed every coach he could find.

  2. Go where coaches watch in person. ID camps and strong competition, as Zev Taublieb, Shawn Harper, and Val Whiting all say.

  3. Keep your grades up. Shawn Harper and Moses Moody both name grades as part of what gets a coach to say yes.

  4. Show you're reliable. Moses Moody says coaches recruit consistency, and Val Whiting adds that composure under pressure often decides the offer.

Where they disagree

They differ on highlight reels. Zev Taublieb treats video as essential alongside camps, while Shawn Harper and Ali Tetrick warn that tape alone rarely gets a coach's attention.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start contacting college coaches?

Zev Taublieb started going to ID camps in eighth grade. Starting early gives coaches time to see you more than once.

Do I need a highlight reel?

Yes, but it isn't enough on its own. Most athletes here say coaches also need to see you play in person.

How do adaptive athletes get recruited?

Abby Dunkin was found through adaptive sport clinics and the national team pipeline rather than traditional recruiting.

The bottom line

Drive it yourself: email coaches, send film, get in front of them in person, and keep your grades up. Then ask the athlete whose sport matches yours what to do next.

How this page was made

We asked this question to athletes and coaches on Delphi. Each quote is that person's Delphi answering in their own words, built from their own interviews, podcasts, and posts, and shown as given. Delphi wrote the introduction, the summary, and the steps from their answers. Last checked .

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