Be Excellent!
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High School Football: Build the Foundation
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Play and Excel: Join your school’s football team ASAP. You need to rise in the ranks of your team throughout high school and be a star on the field to catch the attention of college scouts.
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Get your Highlight Reel: Keep a highlight reel of your best plays. This will help you market yourself to colleges.
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Keep Up Those Grades: You can't play high school or college football if your grades aren't up to par remember your academics!
College Football: The Main Stage
While not technically required, almost every NFL player goes through college football first. This is partly because of the “Three-Year Rule” that states that someone must have spent 3 years living after high school graduation to be eligible to join the NFL. You'll need to excel on your college team to get noticed, here's how.
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Get Recruited: Aim for NCAA Division I (FBS/FCS) schools if possible, as they get the most NFL exposure. However, players from Division II, Division III, and NAIA schools can and do make it to the NFL too.
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On the Field:
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Be Corrigible: Make sure your coaches like you, being known as someone who can take criticism and apply it to their performance makes you that much more desirable to Head NFL Coaches.
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Show Great Technique: Perfect the specifics of your position, whether it's footwork, hand placement, or route running.
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Have Impressive Stats: While stats aren't everything, high production (tackles, yards, touchdowns, sacks) naturally draws attention
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Off the Field:
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Win individual awards: Aim for All-Conference or All-American honors to show your performance on a national level.
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Stay out of Trouble: the NFL runs extensive background checks on potential athletes, keep your nose clean on and off campus
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Keep up those grades: Your academics are still important even if you're mainly going to college for your sporting career, additionally good grades show discipline
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Becoming a Pro: Getting Noticed
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The NFL Scouting Combine / Pro Days: If you perform well in college, you could be invited to the Combine or hold a Pro Day at your school. NFL scouts will measure your height, weight, speed (like the 40-yard dash), strength, and football IQ.
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The NFL Draft: Held every April, this is where teams take turns players to join them, there are around 257 selections made across 7 rounds and about 1,000 - 1,500 athletes fighting for those spots
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Undrafted Free Agency: If you don't get drafted, all hope isn't lost. You can sign with "undrafted free agents" after the draft to come to training camps and compete for a roster spot on certain teams. Many football legends such as Kurt Warner, Tony Romo, and Justin Tucker never got drafted and by using the Free Agency route, they climbed the ladder in their respective positions.
High School Basketball: Build the Foundation
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Play and Excel: Join your school’s basketball team ASAP. You need to rise in the ranks of your team throughout high school and be a star on the court to catch the attention of college scouts and recruiters.
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Get your Highlight Reel: Keep a highlight reel of your best games, blocks, assists, and scoring runs. This will help you market yourself to top college programs or alternative pathways.
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Play AAU (Amateur Athletic Union): Unlike football, basketball heavily relies on the summer AAU circuit. Playing on a high-profile AAU team gets you in front of college coaches and ranks you nationally.
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Keep Up Those Grades: You can't play high school or college ball if your grades aren't up to par—remember your academics!
College Basketball or Alternative Stage: The Launchpad
While college is the traditional route, the NBA's "One-and-Done" rule only requires players to be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school graduation to be eligible. If college isn't your path, you can play professionally overseas (like the NBL in Australia) or join developmental leagues like the NBA G League Ignite or Overtime Elite (OTE) to be noticed and hone your talent. If you are planning on attempting college, aim for NCAA Division I schools, especially Power Conference programs, as they get the most NBA scouting exposure.
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On the Court
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Be Coachable: Make sure your coaches can vouch for your work ethic. Being known as someone who can take criticism and instantly apply it to their game makes you highly desirable to NBA General Managers.
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Show Great Technique and Trait Polish: Perfect the specifics of your position.
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Have Impressive Stats: High production (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) naturally draws the eyes of front-office executives.
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Off the Court
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Win Individual Awards: Aim for All-Conference, All-American, or Freshman of the Year honors to prove your performance on a national level.
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Stay out of Trouble: NBA franchises invest millions into draft picks and run extensive background checks. Keep your nose clean on campus, in public, and on social media.
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Keep Up Those Grades: If you choose the college route, maintaining your academic eligibility is required to stay on the court. It also proves your discipline to scouts.
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Becoming a Pro: Getting Noticed
Once you hit the age requirement and declare your eligibility, the draft process begins:
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The NBA Draft Combine: If you perform well enough, you will be invited to the Combine. NBA scouts, coaches, and GMs will measure your height, wingspan, vertical leap, shooting accuracy, and conduct interviews to test your basketball IQ.
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The NBA Draft: Held every June, this is where teams select from the available talent. The NBA Draft has 2 rounds and 60 total selections.
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Undrafted Free Agency & Summer League: If you don't hear your name called on draft night, all hope is not lost. You can sign an undrafted free-agent contract or accept an invite to the NBA Summer League. Outstanding performances there can earn you a standard NBA roster spot, a "Two-Way Contract" (splitting time between the NBA and the G League), or a training camp invite. Many basketball icons, such as Ben Wallace, Fred VanVleet, and Udonis Haslem, went completely undrafted and built legendary careers.
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Play and Excel: Join your school’s soccer team, but more importantly, aim to play for a high-level club team. In soccer, being a star on your local or high school pitch is great, but getting scouted by elite club coaches is what truly catches the attention of scouts.
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Get your Highlight Reel: Keep a highlight reel of your best plays, this will help you market yourself to colleges and pro academy scouts.
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Join an MLS NEXT or Elite Academy: Unlike football, soccer relies heavily on the club academy system. Getting scouted into an MLS team's youth academy (MLS NEXT) is the fastest track to a homegrown pro contract.
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Keep Up Those Grades: You can't play high school or college soccer if your grades aren't up to par, remember your academics!
High School: Build the Foundation for Pro Soccer
College: The Main Stage
While many top soccer prospects sign professional contracts straight out of youth academies as teenagers, college soccer remains an excellent path for developing your skills. Aim for NCAA Division I schools as they compete in top-tier conferences (like the ACC or Big Ten) and get the most heavy scouting exposure from MLS franchises. However, players from Division II, Division III, and NAIA schools can and do make it to the pros too.
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On the Pitch/Field
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Be Coachable: Make sure your coaches respect your work ethic. Being known as someone who can take tactical criticism and apply it to their performance makes you highly desirable to professional managers.
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Show Great Technique: Perfect the specifics of your position.
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Have Impressive Stats: While stats don't tell the whole story, high production (goals, assists, clean sheets) naturally draws attention from front offices.
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Off the Pitch/Field
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Win Individual Awards: Aim for All-Conference, All-American, or MAC Hermann Trophy honors to showcase your talent on a national scale.
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Stay out of Trouble: Professional clubs run extensive background checks on potential signees. Keep your nose clean on and off campus to protect your reputation.
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Keep Up Those Grades: Your academics are still important even if you are aiming for a sporting career. Good grades show clubs that you possess the discipline required to be a professional.
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Becoming a Pro: Getting Noticed
Once you are ready to make the jump, the professional selection process begins:
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The MLS College Showcase & Combine: Top college prospects are invited to showcase events ahead of the draft. MLS scouts, coaches, and general managers will measure your physical attributes, endurance, speed, and overall soccer IQ during intense scrimmages.
Major League Soccer -
The MLS SuperDraft: Held every December, this is where teams take turns selecting the best eligible college athletes (including underclassmen and international collegiate stars). There are around 90 selections made across 3 rounds.
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Undrafted Free Agency & Open Tryouts: If you don't get drafted, all hope isn't lost. You can sign with MLS NEXT Pro teams (the official developmental league), secure invitations to preseason training camps, or play in independent leagues like the USL to build your resume. Many soccer standouts went undrafted or took alternative routes before climbing the ladder to become MLS stars and earning call-ups to FIFA international squads.
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