How To Get College Coaches Emails

How To Respond To A Personal Letter From A College Coach

The best way to respond to a handwritten letter is with another handwritten letter. Write a simple thank you note, acknowledging that you received their letter. Recruits should also follow up with a phone call to let the coach know they appreciate their message and that they are interested in the program.

Sample Email To College Coaches

Email has become the preferred method for introducing yourself to college coaches. Just having talent, playing for a travel team and attending showcases does not guarantee you will get discovered. Using email and some hard work, you can ensure college coaches know who you are and how to contact you.

The recruiting process is starting earlier than ever. In an effort to lock up the most talented recruits, the top colleges are recruiting and offering scholarships to athletes in the 8th and 9th grade. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from initiating contact with a recruit before their junior year of high school, but, they can talk to you if you if you contact them first.

How To Cold Email College Coaches So You Get Them To Watch Your Highlight Tape

I’ve surveyed over 20 college coaches and asked this one simple question:

What would you guesstimate the breakdown of how you found your recruits? Examples- going to tournaments, cold emails, ncsa or other recruiting networks, the proximity to your school, or recommendations from high school or club coaches.

Every college coach responded the #1 or #2 way of finding their recruits was prospects cold emailing them.

It’s one of the best means for you to get yourself recruited, yet 80% of emails we get are copy and pasted emails.

So, what is the best way in achieving the goal of your cold email advancing your recruitment?

If you do these three things you will have the basis of a good cold email that should entice a college coach to watch your highlight tape. Make sure your highlight tape is good enough, otherwise you won’t get a response.

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Getting A College Coach To Respond To Your Emails

If you are a high school golfer, chances are you have sent tens if not hundreds of emails to college coaches. However, for many of you, the number of emails you send does not always equal the number of replies you get. Check out some of the tips below to help ensure your emails to coaches are read and receive a reply.

Subject Line

This is possibly the most important piece of your email to a coach. College coaches receive hundreds of emails every day from interested athletes, make your subject line stand out. Remember, this is the first thing a coach sees when opening your email. Focus on putting tangible information such as stats, tournament averages, rankings or academic achievements.

Example of a good subject line:

Name Graduation Year/State Tourn. Scoring Avg. GPA or ACT/SAT Score Video

Length of email

Less is more! Your introduction email should only be about 3 paragraphs in length. The first paragraph is a quick introduction to yourself talking a bit on your golf game and academics. The second paragraph focuses on answering the question, why do you want to go to that school and why would you be a good fit for their golf team? The third and final paragraph opens up the dialogue by thanking the coach for their time and asking questions that require a response from them.

Swing video

Punctuation & Grammar

Time of day

Season

How Often Should You Email College Coaches

A critical factor in whether or not college coaches will respond to your email promptly is if it catches their attention. It helps to be strategic in contacting coaches to get eyeballs on your talent right away. Emailing coaches every day for weeks is not the best strategy. You have to strike a balance between dedicated and annoying. This can be tricky, but keeping a few things in mind can help you with your college coach contact strategy.

Start Strong: Start by contacting the college coach multiple times in the first week you reach out. After sending your introduction email, its acceptable to follow up with a phone call to the coach that same day. Within a few days, you can send a follow-up email if you havent heard back yet. Wait about a week, and then send a final email, referencing your previous attempts to get in touch with the coach and your desire to connect. Starting strong shows the coach your passion for playing for them, but leaves the ball in their court when it comes to responding.

Personalize The Email: College coaches can tell when youve sent an email out to several coaches. Using generic language and or even copying multiple coaches on an email comes across as unprofessional and lazy. Personalize your email with information about how your skills will match the program or things you like about the program. Adding small details about the school or coach show that youve done your research and are very interested in playing for that school.

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Complete The Online Questionnaire

Pretty much every school will have an online questionnaire that college coaches use to gather initial details of potential recruits.

Completing this form is another method to grab the attention of college coaches.

Coaches will use this information to continue along with the recruiting process so this is a vital step.

Some universities even have a place to include a link to your highlight reel. I still recommend sending the contact email described earlier but including your link in the questionnaire is also a good idea.

How To Email A College Coach About A Visit

When to send: Student-athletes who are in the process of being recruited by a school and is interested in visiting campus should send this type of email to college coaches. Wait to bring up a campus visit until after youve had an initial phone conversation with the coach and can get a better idea about where you stand on their recruiting list and know whether its a good fit for you.

What to include: Available dates to visit campus, who will be attending and what youd like to accomplish.

Example:

Hi Coach Smith,

Congratulations on a great season! I saw Jane Doe was awarded MVP and 1st team All-Conference at the banquet. It has been a lot of fun to watch the games online this year.

As we talked on the phone, Im very interested in scheduling a visit to campus with my parents and sister! Id love to meet with you and the coaching staff in person along with some of the players. Im excited to see what campus life is like during the school year. I would also like to meet with an academic advisor to discuss the areas of study Im interested in.

Below are the dates we are available to visit campus this month.

I also uploaded a new highlight video from a recent tournament with Team Select Silver in Chicago. I am #32. You can watch it here: .

Please let me know if one of the above dates will work for a campus visit. I will give you a call this Friday at 5 p.m. CT to reconnect. I would also like to hear your feedback on my video!

Thanks,

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How Long Do College Coaches Take To Respond

One of the most important things to do if you want to be noticed by a college coach is to send them an introduction email. In that first email, start by introducing yourself, providing some athletic statistics and attaching your highlight video. College coaches are familiar with this format and will respond if they are interested in giving you a spot on their roster.

College coaches receive hundreds of emails every week during the recruiting season, so it can take them some time to respond to your email. Generally expect a response from a college coach about two weeks after sending your introduction email. If they respond within this timeline, youre likely high on their priority list of recruits.

Of course, the more you contact a coach, the more likely they are to notice you. Sending follow up emails and making follow up phone calls can be the best strategy to get a coachs attention even if they arent responding to your emails. Theres a fine line between being persistent and pushy, though. By being polite and respectful in your contact with a college coach, you can send the message that you are dedicated to both the sport you play and the program.

Got Talent Get A Plan Get Recruited

Your sophomore daughter has faithfully been attending Showcases with her volleyball team. Her club coach has been telling you college coaches are watching, but after a couple of Showcases no coaches have called. No one has emailed. Youre all starting to feel discouraged. Shes wondering if she has what it takes to be a college athlete after all.

And then it happens. The Monday after the latest Showcase, your daughter receives an email like this one. Your family dances like kids in the kitchen when your daughter reads you the email off her phone.

Hi _______,

Im Jane Smith, the assistant coach at State University. We are looking for a 2021 MB and after watching you in several matches at Southern Showcase, I love how dynamic and athletic you are and think you could have a great future here, at State University.

Im sure youve probably just begun your recruiting process, but Id love the opportunity to speak with you about our program and your college interests. Youre definitely on our radar as a top 2021 MB and we will continue to follow you throughout your club season.

All the best,

Assistant Coach Jane Smith

You collect yourselves after the initial excitement, and your spouse says what you are all thinking:

What is our next move? Does she email the coach? Call her? Do we? We are so excited but want to do things the right way!

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Recruiting Column: Emailing College Coaches Get It Right

So, you want to play your sport in college, but youve hit one minor obstacle. College coaches dont know who you are. Guess what, join the crowd! You are a part of the 98% the athletes who arent highly recruited. If you really want to play at the next level, then its up to you to do something about it. Its February and pretty soon another school year will be behind you. You cant afford to procrastinate another day.

There are only so many ways to generate interest from college coaches. You can sign up for a camp, try to connect on Twitter, schedule some unofficial visits, or you can be strategically emailing colleges coaches of schools that match your abilities. I know youve heard it before, but the most efficient way to start a dialogue with a college coach is to send emails to programs that match your abilities. One word of warningspend the time to get it right, or your email will be deleted after the coach reads just a few words. And remember, college recruiting is a little like baseball. If you get a hit in 3 out of 10 at bats, youre an All-Star. If you get 3 responses from 10 emails, you will find a place to play.

Things To Keep In Mind

Edit Your Emails: Be sure to edit all your emails to college coaches before sending them. Youll want to verify that you have the correct email address, check for any spelling or grammar mistakes and that your message strikes the right tone.

Keep It Professional: Whenever you communicate with a college coach, keep your tone professional and respectful. They are recruiting hundreds of players at once, and their time is valuable. Acknowledging that by being polite and considerate can help you stand out from other recruits.

** Whats Important To The Coach:** Always think about the coachs perspective when sending an email or making a phone call. Considering what the most critical part of your message is for them will help you formulate a concise email that grabs the coachs attention.

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Follow Up Email To Camp Invite

When to send: Student-athletes who receive an invitation to a camp should send a follow up letter as soon as possible. Let the coach know you received the invite and whether you will be attending.

What to include: Call out that you received the invite and whether you will attend. If you are attending, let the coach know what youre looking forward to most about the camp.

Example:

Hi Coach Smith,

I received your invite to the Generic Universitys Elite Camp in July, and wanted to let you know that I filled out the forms online. Im looking forward to meeting you and some of the current players. Im also excited for the campus and athletic facilities tour after our lunch break!

Here is a link to my latest highlight video: You can also contact my high school coach, Jane Doe, at or 555-555-1234.

Please let me know if there is anything else you need from me before camp.

Thanks,

Use This Checklist Before You Send Your Email

Have a professional sounding email address Creating a new email account is free there is no excuse for emailing a coach using your baller420@aol.com email address. Make it something simple with just your name and graduating class johndoe2015@gmail.com.

The title needs to make the coach want to open it Include your name, position and graduating class in the email. Coaches appreciate being able to tell what the email is about in the title. For more on that, go here.

Do proper research You should know things like if there are athletes from your hometown on the roster, how many upper classman at your position, the teams record and the athletic background of the athletes currently on the team.

Collect the coachs email and phone number There are several ways to get a coaches email address. You can use our free recruiting profile or go to the athletic website and look for the staff directory. Here is how to find a coaches contact information.

Spell Check and use proper grammar This is not the time to use text speak. Have someone read the email before you send it.

Follow up your email with a phone call The phone is the best way to get a hold of a coach, you should follow up you email with a phone call.

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Come Up With A List Of Possible Colleges

Coming up with a list of REALISTIC possible colleges to play basketball at is probably the HARDEST, but most important step. Its extremely difficult because the majority of parents and players are not very realistic about the level at which they or their player can potentially play.

Realistic is the key word here. Were not talking about colleges that a player dreams about playing at. Were not talking about the Dukes, Kentuckys, Arizonas, North Carolinas, UCLAs, etc. of the world. These schools pretty much have their recruits locked in by the time players are in 9th or 10th grade, and theyre all top 50-100 players.

So, for the rest of the players, how do you come up with a realistic list of colleges at which you could potentially play?

Firstly, do not ask mom and dad . Instead, ask the high school coach, AAU coach, local scouts, etc. the level at which they think the player can play.

It may be DI, DII, or DIII. Depending on the answers a player gets, he or she should then start doing some research and come up with a list of colleges that they are interested in.

Put Up The Stats On The Field And In The Classroom

One of the first things coaches will ask potential recruits has nothing to do with the lacrosse field How are your grades?

To get college coaches attention you have to make academics a priority in high school.

Simply put an above average lacrosse player with poor grades will have trouble getting the attention they deserve.

If youre an elite player, coaches can make exceptions depending on the school. But to play in the Ivy League for example, theres no exceptions, you have to have the grades.

Recruiting for lacrosse goalies is extremely competitive. So when faced with two goalies with similar lacrosse talent, if one has better grades, he/she gets the advantage.

So while youre focused on putting up stats in the goal also be extremely focused on putting up stats in the classroom.

As and Bs in AP classes with a strong SAT score is ideal.

Some coaches will also take note of an upward trend so if youve struggled academically your freshman and sophomore year but can turn it around and show progress your final two years, coaches will take notice.

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The Best Ways To Contact Coaches

Each sport and coach is unique in the way they prefer to communicate with recruits and evaluate potential scholarship athletes. Because you wont know the best way to contact each coach until you try, we cover all of the methods below. Each link takes you to more information about each of these methods and how to make sure you are using them correctly to get noticed and get recruited.