Recruiting 101 with Coach Nate Taylor

Recruiting 101

Across the country, thousands of high school students suit up on Friday nights with the hopes of playing at the next level. While very few get to reach that goal, there are many things that these aspiring athletes can do to improve their chances!

The Switch Mentality team had the opportunity to sit down with the current Wide Receivers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator at the University of Ottawa, Nathan Taylor. Before advancing to coaching, Taylor previously spent time as the Defensive Backs Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the Gee-Gees. And luckily, Taylor generously took the time to answer the four major questions asked by many recruits today.

Question 1: If I’m a senior in Highschool, is it too late to start the recruiting process?  

“It is never too late to start the recruiting process. The longer you wait to start the harder it may be to find a team but there is always a possibility. It is important for you to reach out to teams that you are interested in and to do your own research ahead of time to see if you fit in. If you’re a QB and its late in the process you should look for teams that haven’t signed a QB in the class as opposed to a team that has signed 2 QBs in the class and already has 3 on the roster” – Taylor 

Question 2: How do I get noticed by college coaches?

“The easiest way to get noticed is to have a good highlight tape. It is much harder this year since no one played so your film will be old, and chances are you’re a much better player than the tape shows. Players should get out when they can and film themselves doing drills or any kind of workouts. When filming drills focus on drills that are related to your position and stay away from sending coaches things such as ladder work. It always helps to have a well-crafted email to send to coaches with all of your important information like, height, weight, position, GPA, grad year, phone number, email, desired program. You should treat this like a job interview!” – Taylor 

Question 3: When should I expect to hear from college coaches?

“This is hard to say, every coach and school operates differently, and some will get back to you quickly while others may take time to evaluate before getting back to you. I think it’s important to be patient but also persistent. Speaking for myself, I have missed messages, DMs and emails from recruits because I can get so many at once that they can be buried, and I never see them. Coaches can get 20-30 messages a day on some days and can be hard to keep up all the time. If you don’t get a response in the 2 weeks you should send them a 2nd follow-up message. I believe most coaches want to answer every recruit as quickly as possible” - Taylor 

Question 4: How important is a highlight tape? What do coaches look for in a highlight tape?

“Your highlight tape is the 2nd most important thing with your grades being the first. If you don’t meet the minimum requirements academically it doesn’t matter how good you are you won’t be playing university football until you get them to where they need to be. Your highlight tape is your resume, it tells us what we can expect from you and what you bring to the table. It changes by position but for me I am looking for playmakers. I want to see players that change the game and make plays that most players don’t. As an LB it could be Tackles for loss or an interception on a Dig route. As a WR it’s taking a 6-yard catch and turning it into a 60-yard play. As a DB it’s a pick 6. As an OL it’s a huge pancake block or getting to the second level on a zone play and opening up the lane for a huge run. We want to see a player who is special and can bring those traits to our team” - Taylor 

When reflecting upon the useful insight provided by Coach Nate Taylor, one aspect remains clear, academics are CRUCIAL. When striving to become a University level athlete, it is also important to strive to be a dedicated student. It is imperative that these aspiring collegiate athletes recognize the importance that school will have upon their chances of playing at the next level. University football programs in Canada have a wide array of minimum grade averages ranging from 70% to as high as 85%. When applying for NCAA schools, the minimum GPAs range from 2.0 (73%) to 3.5 (87%), varying depending on the school. However, it is critical to prioritize enrolling in university-level courses because all universities require at least 6 university-level high school credits as prerequisites. It is also essential to register for NCAA Clearinghouse and the USports Portal in order to be eligible. 

It comes as no surprise that school can be difficult, however, it is NON-NEGTIOABLE. Like anything in life, being a good student requires discipline. “Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but doing it like you love it” – Mike Tyson