Collaboration between coaches and athletes during the recruiting process will make the journey much easier and will help athletes find the best opportunities to play at the next level. Athletes' roles differ from coaches' roles both on and off FieldLevel and this article will help you understand the differences.

So, what’s the best way to work with your coaches during your recruiting journey?

Build a Great Profile: You are responsible for completing your profiles so that college coaches have all the information they need during the evaluation process. This means adding personal information, adding academic info, creating a Target Schools List and adding video. 

Constantly Update + Revise: You should constantly update your profile with the most recent video, academic info, transcripts, etc.

Be a Student-Athlete: It's important for you to work just as hard in the classroom as you do at practice, during games, and in the weight room. Always remember the importance of academics, but don't disqualify yourself from college opportunities because of bad grades or test scores.

Communicate With His/Her Coaches: Discuss which colleges to target, how to refine your target list over time, which colleges are good fit for right now, and what can be done to improve and create more opportunities yourself.

Evaluate Athletes: Coaches evaluate their athletes' profiles which include athlete evaluation, projection, and athletic measurements. Coaches can update their evaluations throughout the recruiting process as their athletes develop over time.

Promote Athletes: It's the responsibility of coaches to promote their athletes to their connections at college programs. This is a crucial part of the recruiting process on FieldLevel.

Growth + Development: Coaches should always help their student-athletes grow and develop both on and off the field/court. 

Help Identify Colleges To Target: Both coaches and athletes can use the College Search Tool to research schools together and target specific programs. Coaches can also suggest colleges to their athletes to add to their Target Lists by sending them direct messages.

Communication With Athletes: Coaches should talk to athletes about their college connections, the best schools for their athletes, what their athletes can work on to create more opportunities, and they should provide feedback from college coaches to help their athletes improve and refine their target lists.

Communicate With College Coaches: As college coaches start understanding their future roster needs, they will begin their search for recruits by tapping into their networks. During the identification and evaluation period, college coaches will be regularly communicating with high school and club coaches to understand if their athletes are a good fit and how they're developing.

Finally, as we’ve worked with high school and college coaches over the years, we’ve heard one piece of consistent feedback regarding athletes and their profiles: