Tips for Building A Highlight Reel: Webinar Recap

Highlight reels have become a critical piece in the recruiting process. They allow college coaches to quickly and conveniently evaluate a prospect to determine if they should continue pursuing that student-athlete. Having a highlight reel is a must. Having a high quality highlight reel is a plus.

This webinar will show you some tips and tricks on how to create a highlight reel that commands a coach’s attention!

Watch the webinar to learn

The importance of video in recruiting
What college coaches look for in a video
What should/should not go in your highlight reel
The power of data in the recruiting process: Click here to learn more about the SportsRecruits Insights Program!

Q&A

What is the difference between a highlight reel and a skills video?

A highlight reel should be thought of as the trailer to the movie that is your athletic ability. These are generally the videos college coaches will use to determine if you will be able to play at their level. Highlights are taken from various games throughout a season. Skills videos are focused on sport and/or position specific skills. These clips show a specific action occuring over and over again, normally in a practice setting. These videos allow a coach to take a more in-depth look at your technique and mechanics.

How long should my highlight reel be?

Through our research, we have found that the average time a college coach spends watching a highlight reel is 3 minutes and 18 seconds. College coaches do not have the time to watch 10-minute reels. We have found that 15-20 clips is the ideal number when creating a highlight reel. If you have more clips you want to show, consider splitting your clips into two different highlight reels (first-half of season and second-half of season).

Does music matter?

Not in the least. Coaches are most often going to mute it. Realize that collegiate coaches have other things happening in their office while they are watching your highlight reel. Music is not going to make or break your evaluation.

How do I build a highlight reel on the SportsRecruits platform?

If you’re creating a highlight reel using games filmed by SportsRecruits, you don’t have to submit any film to our team. We have a master copy of every game we’ve filmed. If you’d like to use your own film, you can send the source footage to us via WeTransfer (if the files are under two gigabytes). If you’re using footage from Krossover, Recruit Spot, HUDL, or another video company, you may also forward us links and/or account login information and we will download the footage for you.

Want More Recruiting Guidance?

If you need additional resources or want more personal guidance throughout the recruiting process, we would love to chat with you about the SportsRecruits Insights Program and how it is helping families all across the country!