From Green Level to Next Level: How Hudl’s Athletic Department Package Created a Collegiate Atmosphere at Green Level High School
Jun 21, 2024
4 Min Read
Hear from AD Colin Fegeley on how Hudl’s athletic department package helped athletes get recruited at Green Level.
High school sports are special moments in a kid’s life.
From bonding with teammates to the lessons learned, the memories stay long after graduation. Green Level High School athletic director Colin Fegeley recognized the importance of high school sports and wanted to make them unforgettable.
Fegeley set out to create a collegiate-style atmosphere for Gator athletes. The reason? For many of them, varsity sports would likely be the pinnacle of their sporting careers, and he wanted to ensure it was a meaningful experience for them.
The idea started with players but quickly extended to coaches too. Fegeley realized this type of atmosphere could benefit everyone involved and decided to run with it.
“My philosophy with our coaches is like, I want to do everything I possibly can to take things off their plate,” Fegeley said. “I want them to be able to coach and not have to worry about the other stuff that comes with it.”
A lot of work went into this collegiate-style vision, and Hudl helped turn his dream into a reality.
Creating a Collegiate Atmosphere
The first step in creating a collegiate atmosphere was equipping the coaches and players with the necessary technology. The Hudl Focus camera eliminated the need for coaches to find parents or fans to film. Thanks to automatic starts and stops, the camera can be easily controlled via an app on a cellphone. The camera system also made it easy for coaches to record drills or new plays at a moment’s notice.
Hudl Assist for basketball and volleyball has saved his coaches time thanks to advanced stats and in-depth reporting. For football coaches, the implementation of Hudl Sideline and iPads on the football field provided coaches the ability to make adjustments on the fly, and gave Friday night games a Saturday or Sunday feeling.
“I know the football staff absolutely loves what they’re able to do with Hudl Sideline and the iPads,” Fegeley said. “That’s what the kids see on Saturdays and Sundays and we want to bring that to them at our school.”
Fegeley recalled that twenty years ago, football coaches would often stay late after Friday night games, working the VCRs and driving to a McDonald’s forty-five minutes away to exchange tape with the opposition. But with tools like Hudl, high school sports tech has leveled up, making it easier on both coaches and administrators.
Giving Every Athlete the Shot They Deserve
In building his collegiate-style vision, Fegeley made sure to focus on the equity between men’s and women’s programs. Initially, only football and basketball teams were using Hudl. Teams like soccer and volleyball hadn’t come around yet, so he was hesitant to sign up for an athletic department package.
But once he signed up for the department-wide solution, he quickly realized the impact it would have on all of the sports in his building.
“It kind of came full circle to me to say, ‘Well, wait a minute now. We need to give this opportunity to all of our kids, especially the recruiting platform’,” he said. “ …So when it comes to the equity piece across all of our platforms, this is a place where we can make sure that we’re giving it to all our kids and all of our coaches have the digital tools to be as successful as possible.”
The two main areas of impact came from the Hudl platform and the recruiting capabilities within it. Access to film has helped jumpstart player development, while the recruiting tools have helped kids turn college sports dreams into reality.
“It has enhanced our student-athlete’s ability to get their film out there and be recruited,” he said. “And it’s made our coaches' lives easier. They absolutely love it.”
Owning Their Recruiting Journey
Helping athletes reach their potential, both as athletes and individuals, is important for everyone in the Green Level Building.
Thanks to Signing Day events throughout the year and photos of former athletes plastered on photo boards inside the school, Gator student-athletes are constantly reminded about the possibility of playing at the next level. These reminders extend to the school's monthly newsletter, where they have a section titled “From Green Level to Next Level” with write-ups showcasing how former Gator athletes are faring at the collegiate level.
Those celebrations of alumni serve as both motivation and an example of what can be achieved with hard work and determination.
“Without Hudl and the kids being able to go in there and make highlight tapes, edit their game film and get stuff out to college, we’d be in a much more challenging spot,” Fegeley explained. “The last few years, we’ve sent two dozen kids each back in 2023 and 2024 to the next level to play collegiate athletics. So we’re really proud of that as a new program. And Hudl’s been instrumental in that.”
Learn how your school’s investment in a Hudl athletic department package can elevate your program and develop your players to reach the next level.
