Communicate With College Coaches

Put yourself in the coaches shoes, there are 7+ million high school student athletes playing every year. Though that number shrinks with each specific sport, coaches have a huge list of student athletes they are considering as a potential recruits. Get ahead of the competition by reaching out early. Your time is now!

Some of the most common questions when it comes to recruiting are around the contact periods between college coaches and student athletes, and these periods vary from one sport to the next. Check out the NCAA Division I and II Recruiting Calendars and Guides for specifics on recruiting timelines and contact periods for your sport. 

Keep in mind that these quiet or dead periods do not prevent you from reaching out to a college coach, nor do they prevent a college coach from being able to have a con­ver­sa­tion with your coach. These periods only affect student athlete-to-college coach com­mu­ni­ca­tion times.

When you’re ready to begin reaching out to college coaches, be sure to always have an intention or purpose. Once you’ve made initial contact you’ll want to continue to follow up with the coach to build a solid rela­tion­ship and let them know you’re still interested in playing for them. 

Here are some examples of when you might consider reaching back out:

• Created a new highlight showing you performing at your best
• Inform them of an upcoming tournament, showcase or event you’re attending
• When you are visiting campus
• A few days before your official campus visit 

Be sure to contact every college coach on your potential school list. Whether they’re a reach school, a school you’re excited about or one you’re not so familiar with — it’s always worth it to cast a wide net and get your name and video in front of them.

You get one first impression, use it wisely.

Do: Reach out with a purpose such as new film to watch, updated test scores or GPA, an upcoming camp or showcase to attend
Don’t: Reach out just to say hello, coaches don’t have time to waste

Do: Reach out to a wide variety of schools at various levels
Don’t: Expect a response from every coach / take it personally if you don’t get a response

Below is an email template to use as an example as you are reaching out to college coaches. Remember to personalize your message to each coach and do not copy the following template word for word — put your own spin on it!

Hello Coach ___(Insert coach name)____,

My name is ___(your name)___. I am a ___(graduation year)___ ___(sport)___ ___(position)___ currently playing for ___(school or club name)___ in ___(city, state)___.

I’m looking to play at the college level and am very interested in attending ___(college name)___ and playing ___(sport)___. ___(college name)___ interests me because ___(reason 1)___, ___(reason 2)___ and ___(reason 3)___. I believe I would be a good fit for your program because ___(reason 1)___, ___(reason 2)___ and ___(reason 3)___.

To learn more about me as a student athlete or watch my highlights you can access my Hudl profile at: ___(insert Hudl profile URL)___ or you can reach out to my coach ___(insert coach first and last name)___ at ___(insert coach email address)___ or ___(insert coach phone number)___.

Thank you for your con­sid­er­a­tion, I hope to hear from you soon. Go (insert school mascot)! 

(insert your name)
(insert your email address)
(insert your phone number)

1. Review the NCAA Division I and II Recruiting Calendars and Guides for specifics on recruiting timelines and contact periods for your sport. 
2. Send a per­son­al­ized initial email to all potential schools on your list