Highlight recruiting video: More things not to do

Maybe I am being too critical after seeing so many highlight videos over the years (I really do have spindles full of DVDs and had boxes of VHS before the conversion) but really, these articles are me trying to help readers out there. So I recently received some more recruiting highlight videos to review and came up with even more things not to do when putting your video together.

For those that may have made one or two these mistakes already, it is not worth re-doing the entire video for. These are more for the families that are in the process of making a highlight video or have plans to make one in the near future. And if a professional company is making these mistakes, they may not be your best option. Anyways, onto the new things to avoid when putting your highlight tape together:

Random clips that have nothing to do with the highlights
This is just something that bothers me. As a recruit, you want to put your best foot forward in all aspects. You want a high quality recruiting profile and a high quality recruiting highlight video. Think of this as a job interview. I saw a video today that had two ten second frames during the video where it was fast forwarding. It was not going to another play. It was just fast forwarding and then the video would switch to something else. If anything, it may be worth going to a highlight video company and asking them if they can clean up the tape. At the very worst, they could give you a quote.

Not highlighting blocks
Unless the athlete is bigger than everyone (Think the 6-foot-8 range), you need to include a circle or an arrow around an athlete when they are making blocks. When I have no clue there the athlete is, chances are the coaches won’t have a clue either. They also won’t have the patience to really look into it either. You need to make it obvious to anyone watching where the athlete is at if they are throwing a block. If you are a quarterback or a running back gaining yards, it is much easier and doesn’t need to be highlighted. As for a big block, it really is something you need to do.

Don’t repeat the same play
This one kills me and I talk about it all the time. There is no reason to repeat a play from a different angle. It is a waste of time for the coach and everyone involved watching it. If a college coach was watching it and wanted to see it over again, he would hit the rewind button and do it himself.

Following a player to the sidelines after a big play
I had a chance to watch tape that followed a player to the sideline after a big play. What made it even stranger is the fact that the player they followed was not the one highlighted in the video. College coaches do like to see how an athlete interacts with his teammates in a variety of sports. But he doesn’t want to watch it on a highlight tape when you are trying to put your best foot forward.

Big gaps between the plays
I can tell you that a college coach wants to see play after play after play. If there is a long wait, he will get impatient and possibly move on to another video. The recruiting highlight video should go quickly from one actual play to another actual play. As great as it is to see the players lining up, it is not worth including.

Remove anything blocking the play
One of the tapes included a play that had the time left on the video tape, the speed of the tape, and the battery life of the camera. This is not all that big of a deal but it just doesn’t need to be there because it could block the play.

Stating who you are going against
College coaches just want to see plays and athletes getting after it. They don’t care if an athlete is going against a Division I recruit. One highlight tape stopped and stated three Division I recruits that the player was against. What was interesting is that two of the players are going to be playing at the Junior College level and another at a Division II school. None of the three even received a Division I scholarship offer. Overall, worry about the play of the athlete and not others. That is the most important thing here.

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