In the competitive world of college football recruiting, student-athletes look for every possible advantage to maximize exposure in the hopes of obtaining a scholarship.

Schools weigh a variety of factors. One tool that many colleges use is Collegiate Sports Data, a service that gathers data from more than 15,000 high school coaches each year and compiles recruiting profiles on the top players in the country as well as NCAA Division II and Division III recruits.

“We get data at least twice a year and have coaches tell us which kids on their roster have college football ability on any level – Division I, Division III, junior college,” said Joleyn Smithing, president of Collegiate Sports Data.

More than 500 colleges have partnered with CSD and use its data during recruiting season. The database sorts and filters potential recruits by position, GPA, geographic region or any other category a school prioritizes.

To maximize exposure, student-athletes can create a free online profile to supplement the data already provided by their high school coaches. These profiles should include:

• Social media information (Facebook name, Twitter handle, etc.)
• GPA and academic transcript
• Up-to-date football statistics
• Awards or accolades
• Height, weight, 40-yard dash time. other relevant physical attributes
• Camps attended or plans to attend any football camps

“Getting social media out there is a big thing for a lot of coaches,” Smithing said. “A clean and impressive social media profile gives a good impression of an athlete and helps him rise above a lot of the noise. Grades, GPA and any camp plans are also a big benefit for coaches to know about.”

USA Football’s Regional Development Camps provide players with position-specific training, instruction and evaluation from the top college and high school coaches in the area.

The NCAA has granted permission to USA Football, the national governing body of the sport, to employ current college coaches from every level to serve as instructors and scouts.

“Every athlete who attends an RDC will become a better player,” USA Football Events Manager Jimmy Thomas said. “It’s very hands on, and we try to keep a ratio of 10 or 12 athletes per coach. The athletes get quite a bit of time with the coaches teaching position-specific techniques and translating that into a competitive environment.”

The two-day, non-padded camps also offer the unique opportunity to try out for the U.S. National Team, which represents the United States in international competitions, including the International Bowl and IFAF World Championships.

The camps are open to athletes of all talent levels, and online registration for an RDC is available until 5 p.m. on the Friday before the camp begins.

RDCs are excellent ways for coaches to get a glimpse of prospects and for players to expand their skill sets and increase their exposure. That exposure is crucial when coaches are mining CSD’s database about thousands of athletes to find the players they want to target in the upcoming recruiting cycle.

Maximizing online and offline presence gives high school student-athletes the best chance of catching the eyes of the right coach and landing a scholarship.