Your player can email college coaches today. Here's exactly what to send, and when.

Buy the Playbook – $29.99

20% of every purchase goes back to your high school's athletic program. Just enter your school and sport at checkout. Your school doesn't need to be signed up. We'll hold its share and reach out to the athletic department.

FBS and FCS coaches can't reply until June 15 after sophomore year.

Before that date, coaches can still read your emails and watch your Hudl film, and you can go to their camps. Written offers can't come before Nov. 15 of senior year, the early signing period is Dec. 2–4, 2026, and the transfer portal now opens in a single January window. D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO coaches can talk with you sooner.

This playbook shows you how to do it yourself, without paying for an expensive recruiting service.

What's inside

• A 30-day quick start. Four weeks of checklists: player email, Hudl film, honest dated measurables, a clean recruiting profile, a target list and your first emails.
• A plan for each grade, freshman through senior, with a page per year.
• FBS and FCS rules and 2026-27 calendars side by side: contact dates, the eight-contact limit, evaluation and dead periods, and official-visit windows.
• D2, D3, NAIA, NJCAA and California community college rules: contact, visits and athletic aid.
• Roster limits after the House settlement (105 in D1; 63 equivalencies at FCS schools that didn't opt in) and the new age-based eligibility clock.
• GPA & academics: the 10/7 rule and D1/D2/D3/NAIA/JUCO basics.
• Target list builder and how to find the position coach and area recruiter to email.
• Hudl film and honest measurables, plus position-by-position notes from quarterbacks to specialists.
• Camps, satellite camps and junior days: how they work under NCAA rules and the questions to ask before you pay.
• Social media setup and cleanup with a copy-ready bio.
• Instagram setup guide for recruits: handle, a copy-ready bio, pins and Story Highlights, privacy and DMs, and what to post.
• Facebook setup guide for recruits and parents, with a who-does-what chart for X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube/Hudl.
• The subject line formula, master coach email, 3 school-specific versions and 4 follow-ups.
• Visits, written offers and signing, an offer comparison worksheet, the transfer portal, NIL, JUCO/prep/reclassifying, NFL/CFL/UFL paths and scam red flags.
• Printable player info checklist, recruiting budget and a parent glossary.

Plus: the Excel recruiting tracker

Eight tabs. Target Schools comes preloaded with all 889 FBS, FCS, D2, D3, NAIA, NJCAA and California community college programs from our directory, each with its official football staff page and questionnaire link where one exists, so you can filter by division, state and conference. There are also Contacts, Emails Sent (next follow-up 21 days out), a Follow-ups queue that flags what's due, Camps & Junior Days (preloaded with published 2026-27 dates), Visits, Offers (net-cost math) and Player Profile with position and measurables.

Built on sources you can check

Rules are checked against official NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA and 3C2A material (last checked Oct 20, 2026), and anything we couldn't confirm on an official site is labeled. We don't make up statistics or "what D1 wants" charts, and we don't copy coach names or emails. Coaching staffs change, so the playbook sends you to each school's official staff page.

Who it's for

Parents of high school football players, freshman through senior year, from FBS hopefuls to players aiming for FCS, D2, D3, NAIA or JUCO.

How school giveback works

What is it? 20% of the $29.99 purchase price goes to the athletic program of the high school you enter at checkout.

Who gets it? The school's athletic department, with your sport noted on each payment and report so the school credits that team. A sport's booster club can receive it only if the head coach requests it in writing and the athletic director approves in writing. It's never paid to individuals, including coaches. Next Level Pathway pays it from its own revenue, so your purchase isn't a tax-deductible donation.

When is it paid? Payouts are made monthly once the school has claimed its share.

Does my school need to be signed up? No. Enter any high school. If it hasn't claimed its giveback yet, we hold its share for that sport and reach out to the athletic department. If it's still unclaimed 12 months after your purchase, that share goes to youth football, such as sponsoring youth teams, leagues, or youth football charities, chosen by Next Level Pathway each year, with receipts kept and a short public note on this site.

What do I need to do? Just type your high school and choose your sport at checkout. Please use the school's full name and city so we can match it.

FAQ

Is this a recruiting service? No. It's a do-it-yourself guide and tracker. You and your player stay in control and send every email yourselves.

Do you guarantee a roster spot or scholarship? No one honestly can. What this gives you is a clear plan and better emails.

What format is it? An instant-download PDF (print-friendly) and an .xlsx tracker that works in Excel or Google Sheets.

Refunds? Digital download. Email support@nextlevelpathway.com within 14 days if it isn't useful and we'll refund you.

Questions? Email support@nextlevelpathway.com and we'll get back to you.

Buy the Playbook – $29.99

20% of every purchase goes back to your high school's athletic program. Just enter your school and sport at checkout. Your school doesn't need to be signed up. We'll hold its share and reach out to the athletic department.

Next Level Pathway is independent and not affiliated with the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, 3C2A, NFL, CFL, UFL, Hudl or any college. This playbook is general guidance. Confirm all rules with the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA or 3C2A and with each school's compliance office.