College coaches receive hundreds—sometimes thousands—of recruiting videos daily. While junior players and parents invest significant time in creating these videos, coaches often spend only a few seconds watching them—some even turning them off after the first clip.

Much like a job interview, a recruiting video is a player’s chance to make a strong first impression. To keep a coach engaged, the video must capture attention immediately. The most effective recruiting videos:

• Showcase position-specific highlights that accurately reflect the player’s skills.
• Clearly highlight key stats, such as height and vertical jump, right away (e.g., a 6' outside hitter with a 10’5” touch should make that clear from the start).
• Are sent in a personalized email, making it easier for coaches to connect the video with the athlete.

If these details aren’t immediately clear, many coaches won’t continue watching. Making the most of that first impression is essential to standing out in the recruiting process.

Here’s Vision’s insight on what college coaches prioritize in recruiting videos.

No More than Five Seconds of Text
Identifying the player’s name, a head shot, number in the video, position, height, wingspan, standing reach, block touch, attack touch, GPA (for those schools who will not even bother looking at it unless you have a minimum GPA), and player’s email and position.

Real Time Highlights Specific to the Position
Outsides:

• Serve Receive Footwork and Transition Footwork to attack
• Blocking Footwork off the net to attack
• Defense
• Serve Receive
• Serving

Setters:

• Serve Receive and Transition Setting
• Defense and Blocking
• Serving

Middles:

• Serve Receive Footwork and Transition Footwork to attack
• Blocking Footwork off the net to attack
• Serve and Defense, if applicable

Liberos:

• No attacking needed
• Serve Receive and Defense
• Serving

Serving should be included, but not an emphasis
Unfortunately, coaches evaluate all the other skills before they do serving. It is more than likely because they can easily teach one how to serve once they are part of the program.

Include both sides of the court
Coaches do NOT like to see video taken from behind the sidelines. From behind a baseline is best.

Identify the Athlete
Before the play (arrow, circle, etc.), or by number at the beginning of the video.

Not every touch has to be perfect
This is why it is critical to include raw unedited footage and not only highlights.