career
Building a recruiting highlight reel
11 min · beginner
College coaches watch 90 seconds. Make them count.
Every college coach gets 200+ highlight reels a week. Most they skip after 10 seconds. Here's how yours stands out.
The 90-second structure
- 0:00-0:05 — your name, graduation year, position, measurables on screen
- 0:05-0:20 — your two best plays, slow motion, clean camera work
- 0:20-1:00 — 6-8 game-situation plays (varied: offense, defense, hustle)
- 1:00-1:20 — athletic testing clip or practice drill
- 1:20-1:30 — contact info (email, phone, jersey number, team)
What coaches look for
- Jersey number obvious on every clip — they should never wonder which player is you
- Realistic speed — no music video slow-mo everywhere
- Plays against good competition — a highlight vs. a weak opponent is a red flag
- Recent footage — max 12 months old
Where to host
- Hudl (free, coach-trusted)
- YouTube (free, easy to email link)
- Ryte Teams film-intel Pro (Phase 71 — AI-tagged clips against your opposition)
Distribution
Don't spam every program. Pick your 15-20 target schools. Email each coach directly with a subject line like "2027 PG Arizona - 15 PPG 4.2 GPA - 90 sec reel." Short emails win.