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Twenty-Five Reasons to Contact a College Coach

By Next College Student Athlete, 06/22/18, 12:00PM PDT

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Don’t leave your future up to chance by waiting for college coaches to find you

In short, don’t shy away from sending a message to a college coach, even if the NCAA recruiting rules and calendar prevent the coach from contacting you back at that time.

If there’s only one piece of advice that you remember about the recruiting process, it’s this: You must be proactive and reach out to college coaches at programs of interest.

Don’t leave your future up to chance by waiting around for college coaches to find you. Instead, research schools and teams you’re interested in and show them why you’d be a great addition to their roster.

Your initial communications with a coach will be about introducing yourself. However, after your first few emails and calls, it’s equally important to follow up with coaches, so they know that you’re still interested in their program. The problem is that many athletes just aren’t sure what to say or write in their follow-up communications with college coaches.

If you are ever at a loss about what to talk about, we’ve put together a conversation starter pack with a list of reasons to reach out to college coaches. If there’s a school you’re really interested in, reach out every other month or so to stay on the coach’s radar.

  1. You have a new highlight video.
  2. Your travel/club team just released its schedule, and you want to invite the coach to upcoming games and tournaments.
  3. You want to tell the coach that you will be at their camp, and you’re looking forward to meeting them in person.
  4. You just received a new accolade or recognition such as all-league, all-region, all-state honors (also academic recognition).
  5. You have a new personal best that you’re proud of (assists, bench press, rebounds, etc.).
  6. You recently got new combine numbers, which reflect that your off-season training has really paid off.
  7. You have your ACT or SAT results to show that you’re academically eligible.
  8. You want to congratulate the coach after one of their athletes received a prestigious award.
  9. You were impressed by a coach’s recent win.
  10. You’d like to schedule an unofficial visit at the school and want to know the best time to meet with the coach while you’re on campus.
  11. You just applied to the school.
  12. You received a scholarship offer from another school and would like to know if this coach is close to offering before you make your decision.
  13. You just had your best game of the year and want to share the footage with the coach.
  14. You developed a new skill that will make you an even more valuable recruit.
  15. Your team just won a championship.
  16. You’d like the coach’s advice on skills or training to work on.
  17. You have a new reference you want the coach to contact.
  18. You’re emailing the coach to set up a phone call.
  19. You want to know what tournaments the coach will be attending this summer to see if your schedules align.
  20. You’d like to know what camps, combines and showcases they will be attending so they can watch you compete.
  21. You are congratulating the coach on winning an honor or award.
  22. You received your eligibility stamp of approval from the NCAA Eligibility Center or the NAIA Eligibility Center.
  23. You noticed that the university just won an award and you’d like to congratulate the coach.
  24. You’re visiting the campus and want to confirm your meeting time.
  25. You’d like to know if they need more video footage in order to better evaluate you as a recruit.

If you’re targeting NCAA Division I or Division II schools, you might be aware of the NCAA recruiting rules and calendar, which regulate when and how college coaches can contact recruits. For many sports, the NCAA recruiting calendar has dead periods and quiet periods, during which times coaches’ contact with recruits is limited. However, athletes can always contact coaches — only coaches are required to comply with these rules.

In short, don’t shy away from sending a message to a college coach, even if the NCAA recruiting rules and calendar prevent the coach from contacting you back at that time. Coaches will still see your message and, if they are interested, get in touch with you when the rules allow.

ABOUT NEXT COLLEGE STUDENT ATHLETE

NCSA is the world's largest and most successful collegiate athletic recruiting network. A wholly owned subsidiary of Reigning Champs LLC, NCSA's 700 teammates leverage exclusive data, proprietary matching algorithms and personal relationships built over nearly two decades as the industry leader to connect tens of thousands of college-bound student-athletes to more than 35,000 college coaches nationwide across 34 sports every year.

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