Recruiting Highlight Videos: What Coaches Want to See

College coaches watch hundreds of highlight videos and give each one about thirty seconds before deciding whether to keep going. A recruiting video is not a tribute to a season. It is a job application, and it should be built like one.

The rules coaches care about

1. 1.Best plays first. The first five clips decide whether the rest gets watched.
2. 2.Short. Three to four minutes at the most. Coaches will ask for full games if they are interested.
3. 3.Identify the athlete clearly before every play: an arrow, a circle or a freeze frame. A coach should never have to guess which player to watch.
4. 4.Wide enough to show the play develop, not so tight that the context is lost.
5. 5.No music that drowns anything, no slow motion on every play, no montage effects. Coaches mute it anyway.
6. 6.Name, graduation year, position, school, height, weight and contact information on the opening screen and in the description.

Where the footage comes from

Game film from the school is the main source, and most programs have it. The problem is that game film is shot from the press box for coaching, not for showing off one player. A season of dedicated sports coverage, with a camera following the athlete rather than the ball, produces clips that game film cannot: the footwork, the reaction, the play away from the ball that shows how they think. Booster clubs and families book this for exactly that reason.

What to leave out

Routine plays. Plays where the athlete is not clearly visible. Anything that needs explaining. Long celebrations. Clips from a phone in the stands. If a play makes you say, but you have to understand the situation, cut it.

Position-specific notes

Linemen need the whole play at a wide angle so the block can be seen through the whistle. Quarterbacks and pitchers need the release and the result in the same clip. Defensive players need the read and the pursuit, not just the tackle. Basketball needs both ends of the floor. Tell us the position and the level being targeted, and the edit follows.

Beyond the highlight video

A short interview with the athlete, a few portraits in uniform, and a clean headshot round out a recruiting profile and give the family something for the wall. If the school wants season coverage for the whole roster, that is a different arrangement and it produces this material for every player. Read photographing high school sports for the photo side.

Video quality and what does not matter

Coaches do not care about cinematic footage. They care about being able to see the athlete and the play. A stable, well-exposed, wide-enough clip from a good position beats a dramatic low-angle shot every time. What does matter is that the athlete is identifiable, the play is complete, the clip is not slowed down or effected, and the file plays without buffering. Deliver in the format the recruiting platform asks for and keep a high-quality master for the family.

The family's role

The family is the editor's best resource: they know which games had the big plays, which quarter, which drive. A list of games and moments, however rough, cuts the edit time in half. Keep it as the season goes rather than trying to remember it in April. If the school does not keep game film, or keeps it in a format that cannot be exported, that is worth finding out in the fall rather than the spring.

Frequently asked questions

Can you build a video from the school's game film alone? Yes, if the footage is usable. We will tell you after looking at it whether it needs supplementing.

How long does an edit take? Depends on how much footage there is to go through. Tell us the deadline and we work to it.

Do you cover sports outside Douglas? Yes, across South Georgia. Home and away schedules are fine.

What format is delivered? A file for upload to recruiting platforms and a link to share with coaches.

32 Productions, Douglas, GA. Call (912) 592-3376 or see videography.

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