Athletic Resume for College Recruiting: 2025 Guide

If you are serious about playing in college, you cannot just hope a coach stumbles on your stats or your highlight video. You need a clear, organized athletic resume for college recruiting that makes it easy for coaches to understand who you are, how you play, and whether you fit their program.

Think of your recruiting resume as your scouting report plus your school report card, all in one place. It is the first impression many coaches will get before they ever watch you live or hop on a call.

This guide walks you through exactly what to put on your athletic resume, how long it should be, examples of what coaches want to see for different sports, and how tools like Pathley can turn your info into a living, AI-powered recruiting profile.

Why your athletic resume still matters in 2025

College recruiting lives online now. Coaches scroll through emails, recruiting questionnaires, social media, and platforms like Pathley every day. They have limited time and hundreds of prospects to evaluate.

According to NCAA data on the estimated probability of competing in college athletics, only a small percentage of high school athletes will ever play at the next level (https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2018/5/25/estimated-probability-of-competing-in-college-athletics.aspx). That means every touchpoint with a coach has to be sharp.

Your athletic resume for college recruiting does three important jobs:

Gives coaches a quick snapshot of your academic and athletic profile without digging.
Shows you understand the process and can communicate like a college athlete.
Makes it easy for coaches to decide whether to request more film, watch you live, or start a conversation.

In a world where everyone is sending random emails and DMs, a clean, targeted resume instantly separates you from the noise.

What is an athletic resume for college recruiting

An athletic resume for college recruiting is a one page (or one screen) document or profile that presents the essentials a college coach needs to evaluate you quickly.

It combines your academic information, athletic measurables, key stats, video links, and basic background into a format that is easy to skim in under a minute. Coaches should be able to answer three questions right away:

Does this athlete fit our academic standards
Does this athlete fit our athletic level and position needs
Do I want to see more film or information

This can be a PDF document you attach to emails, a shared link to your Pathley profile, or both. The point is that everything important lives in one place.

Core sections every athletic resume for college recruiting should include

You do not need anything fancy. You do need the right information, in the right order, presented clearly. Here is what to include.

Contact and basic info

Make it impossible for a coach to lose track of how to reach you.

Full name
Graduation year
Primary sport and position or event
Height and weight
Dominant hand or foot if relevant
Home city and state
Cell phone number
Email address that you actually check
Parent or guardian contact information
Links to your Pathley profile and highlight video

Use a simple header at the top with this information. Coaches often screenshot or print your resume, so make sure your name and contact info are easy to see.

Academic profile

Coaches are recruiting student athletes, not just athletes. Many programs will not even consider you without an academic fit.

High school name and city
GPA (unweighted and weighted if possible)
Class rank if it helps you
Core course GPA if you have it calculated
SAT, ACT, or other test scores if available
Planned or current college major interests
Notable academic honors such as National Honor Society, AP Scholar, or honor roll

Be honest and up to date. Leaving your GPA off usually raises more red flags than just listing it.

Athletic measurables and key stats

This section gives coaches a quick idea of your physical profile and on field performance. It should be specific to your sport and position.

Examples of useful measurables include:

Height, weight, wingspan
Hand timed or laser 40 yard dash, 60 yard dash, or similar speed metrics
Vertical jump, broad jump, agility tests
Position specific numbers like throwing velocity, exit velocity, serve speed, club head speed, max lifts if appropriate

Then add your performance stats, with context:

Season averages and totals for your last season or two
Varsity vs JV stats clearly labeled
Club or travel stats if they better represent your competition level
Event finishes and rankings for individual sports

Always label the level of play and the season. For example: Junior year varsity, 2024 season or Summer 2024 club season.

Teams, competition history, and level of play

Coaches want to know who you play for and what level you compete at.

High school team, coach name, and coach email or phone
Club or travel team, coach name, and contact info
Key events, tournaments, or showcases you have played in
All conference, all region, or all state selections

If you have moved schools or clubs, you can add a quick note so coaches understand your path and why your stats may look different year to year.

Video links

In most sports, film is what gets a coach truly interested. Your resume should point them straight to your best clips.

Primary highlight video link
Full game footage links if available
Practice or skills clips for technical evaluation if helpful for your sport

Use a short description next to each link so coaches know what they are clicking, such as 2024 junior season highlights or Full game vs State Champs, March 2024.

Schedule and upcoming events

One of the most practical things your athletic resume for college recruiting can do is help coaches find you in person.

High school season schedule or link to it
Club tournaments, showcases, ID camps, or combines you plan to attend
Jersey number and position you typically play

Update this section often. When a coach opens your resume, they should not be looking at last season's schedule.

Awards, leadership, and character

Plenty of athletes have good stats. The ones who become leaders in college programs usually show it long before they get to campus.

Add things like:

Team captain roles
Leadership positions in school or community
Volunteer work or service projects
Coach's awards, sportsmanship awards, or MVP honors

Keep it short, but do not be afraid to highlight things that show you are coachable, reliable, and a good teammate.

References

Coaches talk to other coaches. Make it easy for them.

High school coach name, role, phone, and email
Club or travel coach contact information
Trainer or position coach if they know your game well

Ask each person before you list them, and make sure they know what level you are targeting so they can speak to that.

How long should your athletic resume be and how should it look

Most athletes only need a one page resume or a single, scrollable online profile. Coaches rarely read more than that on a first look.

Keep the design simple:

Use a clean font that is easy to read
Use clear section headings like Academics or Athletic Profile
Use bullet points instead of long paragraphs
Leave some white space so it does not feel crowded

If you are sending a file, export it as a PDF with a smart file name, such as Lastname_Firstname_2025_Midfielder_Profile.pdf. Avoid sending Word or Pages files that might look different on a coach's device.

On Pathley, your information lives in a dynamic profile instead of a static document, so coaches always see the latest version without you having to resend a new file each time something changes.

Sport specific tips for your recruiting resume

The core structure of an athletic resume for college recruiting is the same across sports, but what you emphasize should match how your sport is evaluated.

For time and distance sports

If you compete in track, cross country, swimming, or similar events, coaches care a lot about verified times, distances, and progression over time.

List your primary events with season and personal bests
Include meet names and dates for your top performances
Note whether times are FAT, hand timed, or converted
Highlight championship appearances and placings, not just regular meets

You can also link to meet results on trusted sites so coaches can cross check your marks.

For stat heavy team sports

For sports like basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and baseball, your resume should blend measurables, stats, and context about your role.

Include per game stats that matter for your position such as points, assists, digs, goals, saves, hitting percentage
Note whether you are a starter, rotation player, or role player
Add team record and level of competition to help coaches interpret the numbers
Mention any club or travel teams where you play a different or bigger role

Video becomes especially important here, because stats do not always show decision making, athleticism, or defensive impact.

For position specific sports like football and soccer

If your sport has very different roles by position, your resume should be crystal clear about where you project in college.

List your primary and secondary positions
Include position specific measurables like 10 yard split for linemen, shuttle times for skill players, or punting averages for specialists
Share clips that focus on the techniques and skills coaches look for at your spot

Do not try to be everything. If you are a receiver in college, your resume and film should make that obvious.

For judged or artistic sports

In sports like gymnastics, cheer, and dance, your competitive level, routines, and skills matter as much as your scores.

List your level, divisions, or age groups clearly
Include best scores and placements at major meets or competitions
Add skills lists with what you can throw or perform consistently
Include high quality video that shows full routines from multiple angles if possible

Coaches in these sports often rely heavily on video, so your resume should act like a clean table of contents for your film library.

When and how to share your resume with college coaches

A strong athletic resume for college recruiting only works if coaches actually see it. Build it once, then use it everywhere.

Emailing college coaches

When you reach out to a coach by email, include:

A short, personalized message that shows you know their program
A link to your Pathley profile or online resume
Your PDF resume attached, if the program prefers attachments
Your highlight video link in the body of the email

Keep the email itself short and let your resume do the heavy lifting. Coaches appreciate athletes who respect their time.

Online questionnaires and recruiting forms

Many programs use recruiting questionnaires to collect information. Having your resume built ahead of time makes these much faster.

You can copy and paste details from your resume into forms without scrambling for GPA, test scores, coach contact info, or stats you have not tracked.

Camps, showcases, and visits

Bring digital and physical versions of your resume to events. Even if a camp has its own system, a clean one pager makes a strong impression when you introduce yourself to a coach.

Some athletes print their resume on a single sheet and keep a small stack in their bag so they can hand it to coaches who ask for more information.

Updating and following up

Your resume is not a one time project. Update it at least once each semester or after major events:

New GPA or test scores
Fresh stats and season results
New video links
Upcoming schedules and events
New awards or leadership roles

When you have a meaningful update, you can send a short follow up email to coaches with a quick note and a link to your updated profile.

Common mistakes that quietly hurt your recruiting chances

Even strong athletes lose attention from coaches because of small issues on their resume. Avoid these traps:

Leaving off GPA or academic info entirely
Using an unprofessional email address
Forgetting parent or guardian contact information
Sending huge file attachments that will not open on a phone
Listing exaggerated or unverified stats or times
Ignoring context like level of competition or role on your team
Letting your resume go out of date for an entire year

Remember, college coaches are evaluating your organization and reliability along with your ability. A sloppy resume can send the wrong message even if your talent is real.

Sample layout for your athletic resume

Here is a simple structure you can use as a starting point for your athletic resume for college recruiting:

Header: Name, graduation year, sport and position, contact info, city and state
Academic section: High school, GPA, test scores, potential majors, academic honors
Athletic profile: Height, weight, measurables, primary stats
Teams and competition: High school and club teams, coach contacts, major events
Video: Highlight and game links with short descriptions
Schedule: Upcoming games, tournaments, showcases, ID camps
Awards and leadership: Captains roles, awards, community or school leadership
References: Coach and trainer contact info

You do not need fancy graphics. You do need accuracy, clarity, and a layout that feels easy to scan on a laptop or phone.

How Pathley turns your profile into a living recruiting resume

Traditional recruiting services often lock your information into static profiles that are slow to update. With Pathley, your athletic resume becomes a living, AI powered profile that actually works for you.

Pathley helps you:

Build a complete academic and athletic profile that functions as your digital resume
Organize stats, measurables, and video links in one place so coaches see the full picture fast
Discover realistic college matches based on your current profile, not wishful thinking
Track roster changes and coaching moves so you know where your position is really needed
Get AI feedback on how ready you are for different levels and where to focus next

Instead of constantly editing documents, you update your Pathley profile once and share the same link in every email, questionnaire, and message to college coaches. When something changes, coaches automatically see the latest version.

Organizations like the National Federation of State High School Associations remind families that only a small fraction of high school athletes will move on to college sports (https://www.nfhs.org/articles/college-recruiting-what-are-my-chances/). The athletes who do make it are usually the ones who treat the process like a serious, long term project.

Your athletic resume for college recruiting is one of the most practical tools you can control right now. Build it well, keep it updated, and use it to start smarter conversations with coaches instead of sending random, incomplete messages.

If you are ready to turn your information into a powerful, coach ready profile, you can create a free Pathley account in a few minutes. Head to https://app.pathley.ai/sign_up, build your profile, and let Pathley help you find and connect with the colleges that actually fit you.