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CIF Football Playoffs: How to Steer Clear of These Big Recruiting Mistakes

It’s the time of year when high school football championships, like our local CIF football playoffs, take place. So many potential recruits across the country have worked so hard for this- the opportunity to play on a big stage where college coaches are going to discover them. That’s no different here in California, where the CIF football playoffs are bound to have scouts and coaches because California is one of the biggest football recruiting regions in the country. But, what few recruits know is that by waiting for the championship game they may have already committed a few big recruiting mistakes.

Three Big Recruiting Mistakes

These are the three common recruiting mistakes that football players, and athletes in any other team sport, make by waiting to focus on recruiting until the state playoffs, or even worse, after the season.

#1. Assuming Coaches Will Find You in These Playoff Games

By this point in the season coaches already know who they are going to scout at the championship games. Yes, in very rare cases coaches will uncover a hidden gem, but for the most part they are making final evaluations on seniors and determining which of the juniors they plan on making a strong effort at recruiting over the next year. Coaches don’t usually discover athletes at these types of games and events.

#2. Waiting Until the End of Your Senior Year

Coaches want to see athletes play live. If you wait until the end of your senior year to start thinking about what schools interest you then it’s already too late to have them come out and scout you. Remember those athletes coaches are going to scout during the CIF football playoffs? Most, if not all of those athletes have already reached out to coaches to show interest in being recruited by them. If you are reading this and you are an underclassmen: you need to get your name out there now, not during your senior year. For seniors, it’s not too late to find an opportunity, but you will have to work very hard over the next few months to get there. Junior college or a year of post –graduate studies are great options for those seniors that are behind in the recruiting process.

#3. Not Taking Film of Your Games

Coaches usually want to see film of a player before they go scout them live. If you want until the end of the season to start thinking about recruiting, unless your coach films every game, you’ve missed a golden opportunity to compile film and make a highlight tape to get recruited.

Are you playing in the CIF football playoffs, or any other postseason tournament? Ask us how we can help you get recruited. Leave your comment in the comments section below, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+!


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