The USA TODAY High School Sports Recruiting Tips are provided by our recruiting partner, Playced.com.

Nobody is perfect, but the ideal recruit for a college coach is a student-athlete that maximizes his or her potential in the classroom, on the field, and off the field. You can’t be perfect in every area, but if you keep these thoughts in mind college coaches will be much more likely to reach out to you.

In the classroom

Being a good student and getting good grades will open more doors than athletics ever will. Conversely, not getting it done in classroom is the deadbolt lock on the door of college opportunity. Can you imagine losing a chance to play for a college you have always wanted to play at because you didn’t care about your grades?

Bottom line, coaches want, expect, and need you to be a good student. In most cases, being an academically disciplined recruit shows:

• You are well-rounded and have balance in your life.
• You can be trusted off the field.
• You can manage your time appropriately.
• You probably have a good on-field IQ.
• You respect your future.

On the field

Obviously, the “ideal recruit” has some athletic ability. College coaches first take notice of you because of your physical tools. They want to see that you can compete at their level without physical limitations. There is no getting around that, but here are some other “on the field” attributes that matter:

• You lead by example in practice, in the weight room, and during games.
• You care about your teammates.
• You put the team first.
• You respect the game, coaches, and officials.
• You love to play.

Physical talent is certainly something you need to possess to become a college athlete. Add these qualities to the mix and you are going to be very appealing to college coaches.

Off the field

There is a huge difference between coaching and babysitting. College coaches don’t want to be babysitters. For that reason, here are some off the field characteristics of an ideal recruit:

• You don’t mis-use social media.
• You stay out of trouble and obey the law.
• You understand what a privilege it is to be a student-athlete.