Your High School Matters More Than You Think

I left my public high school after my sophomore season. It was the best decision I've ever made.

I'll share more about my story later. My experience opened my eyes to something that recruits and families around the world overlook...

The #1 predictor of success in recruiting is the high school you play at.

It isn't only talent

We sometimes forget that college coaches are human. Reorienting around this mindset may be the best decision you can ever make.

FCS, D2 and D3 programs are chronically understaffed and overworked. The recruiting technology they rely on is outdated. Because of these gaps, it is in a coach's best interest to recruit from the high schools, areas, and pipelines that have worked well for them in the past.

I was well aware that no such pipeline existed from Monroe Township High School when I began my freshman season there. In fact, I had just watched my uber-talented brother get overlooked by D1 coaches for two consecutive seasons (luckily, he ended up at Tufts, a high-academic Division 3 program). I had every intention of breaking this spell and "putting my town on the map."

Fast-forward two years. I'm headed to my first workout at The Peddie School, a preparatory high school in the heart of New Jersey. I was told we were having a "spring showcase," and it was an opportunity for us to have a combine-style workout in front of college coaches.

At the time, I hadn't met my new teammates yet. I also had no clue what coaches would be there. However, the scrawny kid from Monroe Township knew one thing: he was about to put on a show.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I walked into. I was met on arrival by coaches with logos I'd only seen on television and teammates with more stars than my small-minded eyes could even count.

Mind. Blown.

Every wide receiver on that roster went on to play Division 1 football. Our core group of WRs went to Alabama, Stanford, Michigan State, Buffalo, and Yale (me). Two of them (Elic Ayomanor and John Metchie III) went on to get drafted a couple of years later.

The Northeast pipeline

I'm sharing my story to express one thing to you: "talent" is not enough in high school football recruiting. It never has been. And while there may be some outliers, the majority of high school football players are suffering from an exposure problem.

To find out which group you fall into, here's what you need to think through TODAY:

1. What college programs have historically offered players from my high school?
2. How do I compare / differ from these players?
3. Does my high school have a RICH history of sending kids to the programs I want to play at?
4. Is the coach who's primarily responsible for this pipeline still at the helm?

If your answers to these questions are positive... GREAT!

You can rest assured that you're in great hands. You can spend less time on "recruiting," and more time on developing into a player that is recruitable by schools you hope to play at.

Now, let's say you didn't feel too good about the answers to the questions above. Here are some things you need to think about...

1. What colleges recruit my state the most? My high school may not be on their radar yet, but their reliance on my state indicates that the familiarity is there. These could be good potential summer camp options (See the top schools that recruit your state here).
2. Do I have a trusted coach or advisor who can evaluate my film? Can this advisor give honest feedback on what kind of player I am?
3. Would I be open to transferring and/or reclassifying to a school that gives me a better shot?
4. Is there a local training facility or 7v7 team that can give me more exposure to compete against better talent in my area?

These are just a few questions that you should be answering to get the conversation started. The big picture for athletes in this situation:

Your recruiting process is in your hands. Take ownership of it.

Talent gets you noticed. Exposure gets you recruited. The high school you play at hands some players that exposure for free. Everyone else has to go get it themselves.

Want to see what type of high school you play at? I made a little something for you...

Type in your high school here (High School Pipelines) and see (1) how many players from your high school went on to play in college and (2) which programs they played for.

Next, check out the programs that recruit your state the most.

Hope this helps the athletes & families preparing to CRUSH the recruiting process!

The RFE Report comes out every Monday. See you next week.