Contacting Coaches

WHAT TO EXPECT

College coaches are busy. Unless you're a national superstar, in the top 0.1% in the country, coaches will not look for you. If you are reading this recruiting guide, we are going to assume you are not in that top .01%. Guess what...that is fine! There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of college programs out there looking for a student-athlete like you. That being said, if you sit on the sidelines and wait for your process to happen, you will join all that talent that let their recruiting process pass them by.

Does this discourage you? It shouldn't. On the contrary, this should inspire you to take the initiative to get yourself discovered. Put yourself ahead of the competition by being more proactive than they are. The way you do this is through contacting coaches. Using this section to guide your outreach will empower you to contact coaches with confidence.

Questions frequently arise around the contact rules between high school student-athletes and college coaches. These rules vary greatly from sport-to-sport, which can cause confusion. Be sure to check the NCAA website for specifics regarding your particular sport.

The most important thing you should know about contact rules applies to all sports:

There is not a single NCAA rule that keeps you from chasing your dreams. No NCAA rule is keeping you from inviting a college coach to have a look at your profile and watch your video. Over the years, we have seen far too many people use NCAA rules college coaches have to worry about as an excuse for not taking care of their outreach.

HAVE A PURPOSE

You can send messages to any college program in the country using the SportsRecruits integrated messaging feature. This easy access to coaches means you can worry less about finding ways to reach coaches, and more about the content of your outreach.

To increase the odds of a college coach responding to your message, make sure every contact with the coach has a purpose. Opportunities for reaching out to a college coach include:

• Introduction
• Inform them of an event you are attending
• Added or updated video on your profile
• Added or updated transcript on your profile
• If you are visiting campus
• 5 days before your official campus visit
• On the day of a coach's off-campus visit with you
• On the initial date for signing the National Letter of Intent and two days afterwards

For example, you can inform the coach of an event you are attending, ask questions about the program, request information about the school that cannot be found from published sources, or find out if the coach would like to see your highlight tape.

INITIATE A CONVERSATION

This is where it all starts! Send an introductory letter of interest to every college coach on your Target List. The goal of this initial message is to introduce yourself and to get on the recruiting radars of schools that you are interested in. Personalize this message so that coaches can gauge your sincere interest in their program. Be sure you address the entire staff. Send this message to your initial Target List of Schools. Cast a wide net and begin to trim down as you go.

Be sure to add your own spin to this. It is extremely important to personalize your letter of interest. You want a coach to understand that you have genuine and specific interest in his school and that you have devoted a lot of time to researching his program. Make each letter of interest an original, from start to finish!

Begin the letter by explaining your interest in the school's academic program. Perhaps the school boasts some famous professors whose classes you'd like to attend, or famous graduates who had similar interests to yours. Discuss your educational and career goals, leadership ability, and your personal values. These characteristics demonstrate to the coach that you are a well-rounded person and that you plan on staying in school all four years.

Emphasize your athletic accomplishments and why you feel you can contribute to the team. However, avoid discussing only athletics in your letter. Athletes who regard academics as seriously as they regard sports impress coaches. Remember to emphasize your unique selling point as an individual. In all correspondence with college coaches, include the link to your SportsRecruits profile. This instantly sets you apart from other recruits. Rather than simply communicating interest, you are providing the coach with your profile and video. At the first interaction, you are already demonstrating initiative and value.

KEEP IN TOUCH

After you send your introductory email to coaches on your Target List, it is important for you to maintain periodic telephone and / or email contact with the school's coaching staff. This will let the coach know that your interest is strong and sincere. Our users show that the more outreach you do, the better your chances of committing.

GET COACHES TO YOUR GAMES

Recruiting events are a major part of the college recruiting process puzzle. That being said, you need to understand that recruiting events are not going to get you discovered. Recruiting events are your opportunity to be seen by college coaches who you have already been in contact with.

Understanding the importance of being organized off the field will give you an advantage when the action starts at a recruiting event.

So how do you make sure college coaches are looking for you at recruiting events?

The goal of an event email is to get coaches to come see you play. It is an athlete's responsibility to remove as much friction as possible from the coach showing up on the sideline to watch the athlete in person. Division I schools will need to see you play in person before they express serious interest in you as a potential recruit.

Your event strategy should include sending an event email to any college coaches on your Target List. Make sure to include your event schedule (game times, field number, club, etc). This message should go out a week before any major tournament with your club or a recruiting showcase. If you end up sending a message at the last minute, that is better than nothing!

This is where including a highlight reel becomes very important. Think of it like a trailer to a movie. Is your highlight reel going to get that coach to come see you?

TRACK PROGRESS TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITY

Actions speak louder than words. In the case of college coaches, this could not ring more true. Being attentive to coach activity on your Athlete Profile is crucial. When a college coach displays repeated engagement with your profile, this should signal you to take notice. The college coach may have you on his radar. This knowledge is power, for it gives you focus. Knowing which schools may be interested means that you can focus your outreach efforts and maximize the time you have the coach's attention. Reaching out while you are fresh on the coach's radar increases the likelihood of kickstarting a lasting conversation.

Notifications take on even greater weight during periods when a college coach may not be permitted to respond to your emails. Keeping a close eye on your profile and video views is key. Watching your videos is a strong indicator of coach interest at a time when emailing you back is not allowed.