Contacting College Coaches
Communicating With Coaches
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Steps to Follow When Contacting College Coaches
How a Coach May Contact a Student-Athlete
Things to Include When Communicating with Coaches
Which Person Should an Athlete Contact?
When Can High School Athletes Start Communicating College Coaches?
When Should an Athlete Begin Communicating With College Coaches?
Questions to Ask College Coaches
When Are Coaches Allowed to Contact an Athlete?
Should Parents Communicate With College Coaches?
Tips Parents Should Follow When Communicating with Coaches
How to Send Highlight or Skills Video to College Coaches
How Long Will It Take to Receive a Response From a Coach? When Should an Athlete Stop Contacting a Coach?
Contacting College Coaches
Timestamps:
When can you contact coaches 2:16
Get coaches contact information 7:07
How to initiate first contact 9:13
Steps to Follow When Contacting College Coaches
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Introductory email
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Follow-up call
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Respond to recruiting letters
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Stay in touch with college coaches
Step 1: Introductory email
An introductory email to a college coach is a great way for a player to introduce themselves, as well as give the coach valuable information. This information can include grad year, position, state, stats, and other information. Click here to write a memorable introductory email.
Step 2: Follow-up call with the coach
If the contact period has begun for an athlete’s sport, they should follow up with a coach by a phone call.
Step 3: Respond to recruiting letters
Coaches might send recruiting messages through various mediums. Overall, it is important for recruits to respond to the coach to develop a relationship with them and to be respectful.
Step 4: Stay in touch with coaches and let them know of new stats
It is important to keep a strong line of communication with coaches during the recruiting process. There are many reasons for an athlete to message a coach to keep the conversation open. These include but are not limited to the following: new athletic or academic stats, planning on visiting campus, and inviting them to upcoming competitions.
How a Coach May Contact a Student-Athlete
Mass Email
College coaches send out mass emails to student-athletes they expect might be interested in their program. It is important to reply to these emails because they might assume a player is not interested in their program if they do not receive a response.
Personal Email
If a player receives a personal email from a college coach, this is a strong indicator that they are very interested in the recruit. Recruits should answer these type of emails as soon as possible by addressing any questions asked by the coach and informing them of their upcoming athletic schedule.
Personal Letter
Such as a personal email, this is a good sign that a coach is highly interested in a player. In these cases, recruits should write a handwritten letter back to the coach acknowledging any questions and thanking them for the letter. They should also follow up with a phone call at some point.
Phone Call
College coaches will set up phone calls with recruits that they are highly interested in. These conversations help coaches and recruits build a relationship and ask relevant questions. In preparation for these calls, recruits should do sufficient research on a school and their athletic program.
College Camp Invite
College coaches will send mass or personalized camp invites to student-athletes. Whether an athlete receives a general or personalized invite, they should consider attending as it gives them the opportunity to showcase their skills to the coach. Student-athletes should also confirm whether they are attending or not. If an athlete cannot attend, they should include a list of their upcoming competitions in their email to the coach to give them the opportunity to see them in action later on.
Recruiting Questionnaire
These questionnaires will typically be the first form of contact recruits receive from college coaches. These forms are designed to give student-athletes information about the school, as well as help a college coach collect some information on athletes that they can use to help build their prospective recruit list. If a recruit is interested in the program, they should fill out the questionnaire.
Things to Include When Communicating with Coaches
ImRecruitable is an excellent resource for an athlete to store all their information and to have their profile showcased to coaches. Sign up for free today!
Some key sources of information to include in communications with college coaches include:
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Highlight or skills video
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Athletic stats (verified by a third party)
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Academic information (GPA, ACT/SAT scores if applicable)
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Contact information (athlete, parent/legal guardian, and coach)
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Athletic Competition Schedule
Which Person Should an Athlete Contact?
It is extremely easy for student-athletes to find a college coach’s contact information because it is typically listed in the athletic staff directory on the college’s website. However, depending on the sport and program, it might be better to contact someone else other than the head coach.
The following can help with this process:
Is there a recruiting coordinator? Larger programs will most likely have recruiting staff. All recruiting will go through the recruiting coordinators; thus, these are the best people to contact when sending an introductory email.
No Recruiting Coordinator? No Position coach? If there is no recruiting coordinator, then an athlete should contact the position coach. If there is no recruiting coordinator nor a position coach, they should contact the assistant coach.
When Can High School Athlete Start Communicating Coaches?
Athletes are allowed to contact college coaches whenever they want. There is no limit on athletes contacting college coaches; however, there are restrictions on when coaches can contact athletes. Click here to find out when coaches can contact high school athletes.
When Should an Athlete Start Communicating With College Coaches?
The recruiting process is starting earlier every year. For athletes who play at the varsity level during their freshman year of high school, they might be ready to start contacting coaches. In general, it is advised that athletes contact coaches before their junior year; however, this is not a hard rule and varies on a case-by-case basis. If an athlete is not sure on when to communicate with a coach, they should have an ImRecruitable advisor assist them with the process.
Questions to Ask College Coaches
Prior to contacting college coaches, it is important for recruits to prepare questions. Asking questions demonstrates to a coach that a recruit is interested in their program, and it also helps give a recruit valuable information on their program. These questions should focus on four pillars: academics, athletics, culture, and finance.
Academic:
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What are common majors taken by athletes on the team?
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What academic resources such as advisors and tutoring are available for players?
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Are any majors off limit for players in their sport?
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What are the academic goals and guidelines expected from players?
Athletics:
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How should athletic updates be shared?
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Are there any recommendations for camps combines or showcases to attend?
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How are athletes evaluated?
Cultural:
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What is the team culture?
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Does the team interact outside of practice and competition?
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Where do student-athletes live?
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Do student athletes typically stay during summer months?
Financial:
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What athletic scholarships are available?
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Are there other forms of aid available?
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What factors are considered when deciding the amount given to an athlete for athletic?
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Is financial aid or scholarship packages offered?
When Are Coaches Allowed to Contact an Athlete?
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(D1) Football, baseball, lacrosse, softball, and women’s basketball: September 1 of junior year
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(D1) All other sports: June 15 of sophomore year
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(D1) Men’s ice hockey: January 1 of sophomore year
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NAIA: generally at anytime
Tips Parents Should Follow When Communicating with Coaches
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Coaches do evaluate how parents act
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Support and guide the athlete through the process. Do not communicate for the athlete.
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Ask coaches questions they would like answered
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Sign up for the right sporting events
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Parents should not limit their athlete’s options and explore various opportunities and divisions
Should Parents Communicate With College Coaches?
In general, it is recommended that a player is contacting the college coach, not a parent. The coach is recruiting the player not the parents; thus, they prefer to be in contact with the player directly. It also demonstrates that a player is able to go through the recruiting process on their own, which shows dedication and responsibility.
How to Send Highlight or Skills Video to Coaches
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Upload video on Youtube
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Link to recruiting video in introductory email
How Long Will It Take to Receive a Response From a College Coach? When Should an Athlete Stop Contacting a Coach?
Coaches have busy schedules so athletes should not worry if a coach does not respond right away; it can take up to two weeks for coaches to respond to a player’s email.
Recruits should stop contacting a coach for any of the reasons below:
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They do not meet academic or athletic standards
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Coach told the recruit that they are no longer recruiting for their specific position
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Program has finalized its roster
Next Section: Emailing College Coaches