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How Should You Communicate With College Coaches?

By Next College Student Athlete, 06/14/19, 9:15AM PDT

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Beginning June 15, 2019, D1 college coaches and rising high school juniors are allowed to communicate. This includes emails, phone calls, texts, social media messages and face-to-face contact. Ready to start reaching out to coaches? Here are some tips to help you make a great first impression.

The new coach communication start date is just about here. Beginning June 15, 2019, NCAA Division 1 college coaches and rising high school juniors will officially be allowed to have recruiting interactions. This includes outgoing/incoming phone calls, text messages, emails, social media messages, face-to-face contact and any other form of correspondence. Ready to start reaching out to coaches? Here are some tips to help you make a great first impression.

Start with an introductory email

An intro email is a great way to break the ice and catch the eye of coaches with your key information. Resist the urge to copy and paste or send emails with generic subject lines. To grab attention right away, the subject line should include your grad year, position, state and relevant stats. Example: “2021 RB from IL, 6’2” 220lbs, 4.6 40 yd dash.” At the end of the email, tell the coach when they should expect to hear from you.

Follow up with a phone call

After your initial email, keep the momentum going with a phone call. You’ve already introduced yourself, so your phone call should open up the dialogue for the coach to tell you more about the program and invite you to visit campus. Calling a busy college coach can be nerve-wracking at first. To calm your nerves and get more comfortable over the phone, practice the call with a friend or family member beforehand. Create a list of questions to ask the coach and write a script in case you get the coach’s voicemail.

Stay in touch with social media 

Now that you’ve established contact, don’t fall off the map! Once you get into the groove and start emailing and calling dozens of coaches per week, it’s important to keep the lines of communication open. As you get to know the coach and navigate your recruiting process, use social media to keep them in the loop. Many coaches rely on Twitter DMs to stay in touch with athletes and track their athletic development. Whenever you have a new highlight video or important updates to share, send the coach a DM. 

Which coaches should you contact?

Finding contact info is easy. The vast majority of college coaches have their email addresses and/or phone numbers listed in the athletic staff directory on the school’s website. However, depending on the sport you play, you may have better luck contacting someone other than the head coach. 

Does the program have a recruiting coordinator?

This is the best person to send your intro email. Many larger programs employ recruiting staff members to screen student-athletes. If the program doesn’t have a recruiting coordinator, look for position coaches. If they don’t have position coaches, check for an assistant coach. If not, email the head coach. Just keep in mind that they will likely be more difficult to reach.

Can parents contact college coaches?

All recruiting emails, phone calls, texts and DMs should all come from the athlete—not a parent. Coaches want to get to know you and see if you are responsible enough to manage your own recruiting process. However, parents play a key supporting role. As long as the student-athlete is the point of contact, parents are free to give you questions for the coach to answer. During a campus visit, parents should ask questions about classes, dorm rooms, housing, meals, fitness programs, study halls and tutors. And once their athlete has received an offer, parents can start asking financial aid questions.

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