The 2018 varsity football season is now over, and for many seniors out there the next task at hand is obtaining an offer to play university or junior football. There are many factors that go into a coaching staff’s decision to offer a player a scholarship or simply an invite to camp and it can be intimidating at times trying to metaphorically man the waters that go with the recruiting process. With that in mind, manitobafootballfeed is pleased to offer a new bi-weekly series called Recruiting 101 with Ryan Karhut.
The former offensive lineman has been through it all, from coaching at the high school ranks all the way to playing in the pros, and is pleased to offer his insight on a variety of topics pertaining to recruiting.
He played five years of junior football with the Edmonton Huskies before being recruited by the University of Central Florida in NCAA Division 1 for the 2004 season. In 2005 he transferred to the University of Manitoba, where he spent the next three years, including winning a Vanier Cup in 2007 as a captain. He was also drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 CFL draft and played parts of three seasons with Montreal.
In 2012, Karhut won the WHSFL division 2 title with the Kelvin Clippers as their offensive coordinator before being named head coach of the Winnipeg Rifles, where he manned the helm from 2013-15. In 2015, he was appointed special teams coordinator and defensive line coach with York University — a position he stayed in until 2017, when he returned to the U of M in his current role as special teams coordinator and running backs coach.
Now that you’re well equipped in Karhut’s background, I’ll let him take it away with the first edition of recruiting 101, which will break down the do’s and don’ts of making a highlight tape.
It’s that time of year again. Your football season has just finished and you are getting excited about getting recruited, as you should. Whether you are in Grade 12, 11, or even ten, this is when you should be making a tape of all your best plays from the season, even if you are unsure if you want to play college, junior, or any football at all.
There is a lot to consider and a loose structure you should follow when making that tape. Remember, not just the people you send it to will see it. Lots of university coaches will stumble upon and watch your film for various reasons. This is literally your first impression with potentially your future coach!
The hardest part for some players (especially grade ten and 11 students) is trying to figure out how to put a tape together, especially, if they are not the focal point of the offence or defence. Some athletes get discouraged being unsure of what constitutes as a highlight or not. There inlies the beauty of football.
Whenever someone makes a huge run, 11 other guys had to work hard to help make that happen. Highlights happen all over the place and university coaches love to see variety. If you are a receiver, coaches want to see you blocking people, showing great effort while blocking just like you show after you catch a ball. If you are a DB coaches want to see great coverage, and if it’s a run play, seeing you come off the block/route and showing great pursuit effort in getting to the ball.
Don’t ever discount high effort plays. As well, special teams plays should absolutely be included (if you played them).
Onto the structure of the tape. Let’s cover all the DO’S first before we talk about the don’ts. The very first thing that should appear on your tape is all your personal info. Coaches still scratch their heads when players don’t put height, weight, or contact info on their film. So please, start with that. Plus, this is a great opportunity for you to brag a bit and boast about your stats as well. Coaches want a reason to keep watching your tape, all this info is a great start to getting them hooked.
Next thing you need to do is ensure you highlight where you are on the film PRIOR to the snap. Coaches do not want to watch half a play of you. We want to see the entire rep with you clearly marked before the ball is snapped. We want to see first steps, note where your eyes are and why, and the path you take to make the play you are about to show us. Note: if you are a QB or kicker, it is fair to highlight yourself on the first play but there is no reason to do it every following play.
EXAMPLE: 
The next thing you want to do is ensure you properly put your highlights in order. Always, always always, put your best plays first. There are very few coaches who watch an entire 5-minute highlight tape before making a decision on you. If the film is chronological, some/most coaches may not even see your top-5 plays. Wow the coaches. Make them want to watch more, give them reason to watch another play, and another, and another.
Lastly, make the highlight tape as long as you see fit. There is no rule to follow here. The average is about four minutes per tape but don’t put in random meh plays just to make it to four minutes. Like I stated before, most college coaches don’t watch the entire film. They usually have their opinion of you as a player formed within the first minute of your tape. I have seen countless spectacular 2-3 minute tapes.
Here are some DON’TS of making a highlight tape that coaches see far too often and complain about all the time. First of all I know you feel like you need just the right music to bring the right energy to your film. You should know coaches watch about 95 percent of films with the sound muted. That being said, do not risk it by putting music with racial slurs, derogatory remarks, or cursing in it. Remember, this is your first impression to a coach who works at an academic institution.
It does not seem to be as much as an issue anymore as it used to be but do not put your personal info and contact info at the end of the tape. Most coaches don’t watch until the end and you will get lost in the shuffle if they turn on your tape and don’t see a way to contact you.
If your school or team has multiple film angles (tight and wide) do not put both angles for every play. As you go through and make your tape decide which angle best shows the play and put that ONE on your tape. Many coaches will shut off your tape in frustration after a few plays if they are always repeating themselves. If you are stuck and cannot decide which is right for you, the general rule of box players should be tight film and WR’s and DB’s on wide film is always your best bet.
Lastly, ensure the marking you use to highlight yourself are off the screen when the play starts. There is literally nothing worse that people who put huge graphics on themselves, or black out the screen except themselves, and the play starts and you can’t see what is happening.
As well, do not photoshop or edit your video to have all sorts of special effects. Again, if you want to do that for your own personal copy, go ahead, but don’t do it for a tape you are sending out. Keep the film simple and straightforward. Let your hard work and effort impress a coach not your edits. We want you to play football not work in our media department.
There are a lot of don’ts in here but remember, coaches are literally pouring over 500-700 tapes every off-season to find the 30-40 players they want. Nothing will get you bypassed faster than what was outlined. Make sure you remember, this is your first chance to make a great impression on your future coach who works for an academic institution. Represent yourself properly and professionally.