Football is one of the most well-known and widely-watched events when it comes to collegiate sports. However, college football's glitz and glamor masks the grueling grind it takes to make it this far in the game. High school football players must complete the football recruiting process if they are to go to the next level. Everything you ever wanted to know about football recruitment is here..

Student-athletes who want to play football at the college level must not only be excellent football players, but they must also be knowledgeable about the football recruiting process. Finding the ideal college for football is a multi-year process that includes contacting coaches, preparing a recruitment video, visiting camps and combines, and securing the greatest scholarship offer. Learn more about how to choose a college for football and how the recruiting process works by reading these articles.

Athletes and their families may be intimidated by the recruiting process, so we've prepared this football recruiting guide to help them navigate it. Along with our College Recruiting Guide, which describes the entire recruiting process from start to signing day, make use of this sport-specific material. Learn about football recruiting by checking out this page: Every piece of information you need to know about recruiting for college football.

NCAA recruiting rules and calendar and how it affects the football recruiting process

Do you know how often college football coaches will contact their players? Recruiting guidelines and calendars for football were developed by the NCAA in order to help college coaches know when and how to contact college athletes. Football coaches are prohibited from bombarding their star sportsmen with messages, thanks to a set of regulations. You can get in touch with instructors before they are allowed to contact you, however. Using the legal and unwritten norms of football recruiting, we show how this is achievable. There's a wealth of information on college football recruitment here.

Check out how college football scholarships work

College football players in the NCAA Division 1 FBS, Division 1 FCS, and Division 2 divisions, as well as at the NAIA and junior college levels, can apply for athletic scholarships. Only 85 full-ride scholarships can be given out by D1 FBS schools, 63 by D1 FCS schools, and 36 by D2 coaches, respectively. The maximum number of scholarships that can be awarded by a junior college or NAIA is up to 24. A partial scholarship covers a portion of a student's tuition costs outside of the D1 FBS level, where full-ride scholarships are the sole option. More information is provided on scholarship opportunities, including how they are allocated and where D3 athletes might go for financial assistance.

Learn more about how much football scholarship money you might qualify for.

Get discovered by college football coaches

It is important for college football coaches to search for recruits who have played for their high school team, have a great highlight reel and have a high level of football intelligence and academics. However, even if athletes possess these qualities, a college coach may not be able to recognize them. Coaches must be contacted directly by student-athletes. Find the ideal schools to apply to, get in touch with football coaches, and build relationships with programs that are a good fit in this section of the guide, among other things.

See what it takes to get recruited for football.

See how you compare to the average height and weight of current college football players

Is there anything you've always wondered about college football players' height and weight? It's time to take a look at how your player compares to a Division I linebacker or quarterback. We turned to college football rosters to find the average weight, height, and weight-to-height ratio of each division's college football players. For the previous five years, we've compiled statistics from the rosters of all NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA football clubs. After that, we calculated the average of each position's height and weight across all divisions. Families can use this information to get a basic idea of what divisions could be a suitable fit for their athlete based on their height.

See how your recruit compares to the average college football player in his position.  

Create an eye-catching highlight video coaches will respond to

In the football recruitment process, athletes must have a high-quality highlight video! If a coach is going to be able to see a player's best traits through a highlight video, it needs to do so in the best possible light. In this video, our former college coaches share their exclusive ideas on how to build the best highlight video, including how to begin the movie, the correct footage to use, and the abilities coaches want to see based on their positions.

Check out these guidelines for making your best highlight video. 

Attend football camps, combines and junior days

Football camps will be the finest way for college coaches to see recruits' abilities after the highlight video. As a result, it's difficult to predict which football camp or combine will have the greatest impact on your athlete's recruiting. In this guide, we explain the many sorts of camps, their target audience, and much more, so that families may develop a football camp and recruiting strategy that will take their football recruiting to the next level.

Find the right event to get recruited for football.

Can attending a sports boarding school increase your chance of competing in college?

It's been shown that one of the most helpful things a student-athlete can do to improve their chances of success in college is to surround themselves with a solid support network. 

Athlete-centric academies seek ways to build a robust support system. They have a college-prepared boarding school with teams in place for each student-athlete, these sports academies mimic the college campus environment. IMG student-athletes are surrounded by an unmatched network of professionals, including academic professors, seasoned coaches, college placement consultants, and athletic trainers. 

Students in grades 6-12, as well as those on a gap year, can learn the following: 

• Compete, train, and study in a community of like-minded student-athletes.
• To be able to take Honors and AP classes, as well as to have dedicated study time
• Increase the number of college coaches who know about them
• Become a part of an all-inclusive campus that provides outstanding facilities and resources.
• Set up a competition calendar and a yearly track for growth
• Participate in yearly school activities, such as Homecoming, Prom, clubs and organizations, beach vacations and more. Participate in annual school activities.

Sports Academy's established boarding school experience may make a huge difference in the recruiting process for student-athletes who want to play college football.

Search the complete list of college football teams across all division levels

It's impossible to keep track of all the possibilities in college football, with more than 890 teams playing around the country. There are listings of every football college, broken down by division, conference, city and state. We've done this to make it easier for you to choose a school. As a result, we were able to better inform you about the differences between the various divisions and which one would be most appropriate for your athlete.

View our full list of football colleges.