A subscription recruiting news site covering high school football recruiting for one specific state in real depth, the players, coaches, and college interest that national recruiting sites only cover for 5-star blue-chip prospects.
Difficulty
MediumStartup Cost
Low$1,000 – $5,000Market Size
Small247Sports charges $139.99/year for VIP access and its 2025 merger with Rivals now bundles both national brands under one subscription, real evidence of sustained willingness to pay for recruiting coverage, but both properties are built around national blue-chip prospects and major programs, leaving most in-state recruiting news thin.Competition
MediumTime to Profit
3 – 6 monthsMarket timing
247Sports charges $139.99/year for VIP access, and its 2025 merger with Rivals folded two of the three major national recruiting brands into one combined subscription, real evidence that football fans will pay for premium recruiting coverage at real scale. But that consolidation also means less independent competition at the national level, and both brands remain built around blue-chip prospects and major programs, leaving real room for genuinely deep, state-specific coverage of the three-star-and-under prospects and small-school stories national sites don't have the bandwidth to chase.
Fair fit
General score for this idea, not personalized to you.
Mixed signals, solid on proven demand but ltv & pricing power is a real challenge.
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This is a content business built on one person's (or small team's) ongoing relationships and evaluation credibility, if that person leaves or burns out, the whole product goes with them.
Recruiting news is inherently seasonal, tied to the football calendar, off-season revenue and engagement will be much thinner.
247Sports/On3/Rivals could always decide to invest more in state-level depth themselves, a real, well-funded competitive risk.
Built around national blue-chip recruiting and major programs; in-state depth on three-star and under prospects, and small-school standouts, is thin by comparison.
Same national blue-chip focus as 247Sports post-merger, with even more overlap and consolidation, not built for granular single-state coverage.
Local newspapers have cut sports staff dramatically industry-wide, most can no longer dedicate a reporter specifically to recruiting coverage.
Die-hard high school and college football fans in one state who want deep, state-specific recruiting coverage, three-star and under prospects, small-school standouts, local coaching intel, that national recruiting sites don't have the bandwidth to cover.
Monthly or annual subscription ($5–10/month) for premium recruiting articles, film breakdowns, and a message board/community, with a free tier of basic rankings and news for reach.
Based on ~$7/mo avg revenue per subscriber for this type of business. Estimates assume steady monthly effort.
Where your first customers realistically come from:
You can prototype this in a weekend using an AI app builder. Describe what you want, it generates the code, database, and UI for you.
247Sports charges $139.99/year for VIP access, and its 2025 merger with Rivals folded two of the three major national recruiting brands into one combined subscription, real evidence that football fans will pay for premium recruiting coverage at real scale. But that consolidation also means less independent competition at the national level, and both brands remain built around blue-chip prospects and major programs, leaving real room for genuinely deep, state-specific coverage of the three-star-and-under prospects and small-school stories national sites don't have the bandwidth to chase.
Die-hard high school and college football fans in one state who want deep, state-specific recruiting coverage, three-star and under prospects, small-school standouts, local coaching intel, that national recruiting sites don't have the bandwidth to cover.
Monthly or annual subscription ($5–10/month) for premium recruiting articles, film breakdowns, and a message board/community, with a free tier of basic rankings and news for reach.
This is a content business built on one person's (or small team's) ongoing relationships and evaluation credibility, if that person leaves or burns out, the whole product goes with them. Recruiting news is inherently seasonal, tied to the football calendar, off-season revenue and engagement will be much thinner. 247Sports/On3/Rivals could always decide to invest more in state-level depth themselves, a real, well-funded competitive risk.
1. Pick one state with strong football culture and a real gap in recruiting coverage depth, and start by covering the recruiting class already in progress, not waiting for a new cycle. 2. Build direct relationships with high school coaches and prospects in-state, this is a trust-and-access business as much as a content one. 3. Publish consistently, multiple times per week during season, with real evaluation and film breakdown, not just aggregated offer lists, to build a reputation distinct from free recruiting-tracker sites.
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