Frequently Asked
Questions

3–5 minutes is the sweet spot. College coaches watch hundreds of reels and have very little time. The goal is to show your best plays — not every play.

• Basketball: 3–4 minutes is ideal. Anything over 4 minutes risks losing the coach's attention.
• Football: 3–5 minutes is standard. Position-specific reels can go slightly longer.

Studies show coaches make a decision about an athlete within the first 30–60 seconds. Put your single best play first, not second.

Quality over quantity. 8–12 elite plays beat 25 average ones every time. Here's what coaches want to see:

• Lead with your best: Don't save your top play for the end. Coaches may never get there.
• Show variety: Mix offense and defense. Show different situations — not just one type of play repeated.
• Hustle plays count: Coaches love seeing effort — diving for loose balls, sprinting back on defense, boxing out hard.
• Game film only: Skip practice drills. Real game situations show you can perform under pressure.
• Avoid team highlight clips: Make sure YOU are clearly visible in every clip.

Yes — highlight reels are the primary recruiting tool coaches use.

According to NCSA research, over 80% of college coaches say highlight reels are one of the most important factors when evaluating a recruit. Most coaches review reels before deciding whether to invite an athlete to a camp or make contact.

The key is making the reel easy to watch: clear video quality, the athlete clearly identified, and concise length. A well-made 3-minute reel will get watched. A 15-minute raw game dump will not.

Tip: Always email the reel directly to the coach with a short, personal message — not just a link dump.

Coaches have strong preferences that most athletes don't know about:

• No music: Most college coaches prefer no background music. They want to hear the game — the crowd, the whistle, the play call. Music can feel unprofessional in a recruiting context. Clipt defaults to No Music for this reason.
• Landscape (16:9): Send the landscape version for email and recruiting platforms. Coaches watch on laptops and desktops, not phones.
• Hard cuts: Clean, instant cuts between clips. Fancy fades and effects look amateur to coaches who watch 50 reels a week.
• Jersey visible: Make sure your jersey number is on screen and readable. Coaches can't evaluate you if they can't find you.

Yes, absolutely. You should update your reel every season — or even mid-season after a strong stretch of games. Coaches are actively recruiting throughout the year, and a fresh reel can reignite interest from programs you've already contacted.

With Clipt, building a new reel takes minutes. Simply come back, upload your new clips, and rebuild. Your previous settings (name, sport, color, music) will be saved so you don't have to re-enter everything.

Tip: When you email an updated reel to a coach, mention what's new — "Wanted to share my updated reel after a strong junior season" — so they know to open it again.

Yes — Clipt is completely free for athletes.

We believe every athlete deserves a professional recruiting reel, regardless of their budget. Building, customizing, and downloading your highlight reel costs nothing.

There are no watermarks on the coach version. No hidden fees. No subscription required.

We're working on premium features like AI-powered clip detection and automatic game film analysis. Those will be optional paid upgrades — but the core reel builder will always be free.