How To Email A College Coach
Sending an email is one of the best ways to introduce yourself to a college coach. But reaching out to a coach youve never spoken to can be intimidating, and the problem is, many student-athletes struggle with what to say to college coaches. So, weve put together a few resources, including examples and templates, to help you feel more confident when emailing college coaches.
Heres a quick rundown on how to write an email to a college coach:
- Craft a good subject line.
- Introduce yourself with the basic information college coaches want to know right away.
- Include eye-catching athletic and academic stats.
- Give an action item to the coach.
- State when youll follow up.
How To Contact College Coaches
Once you’ve made your list of College Coaches, created your recruitment video, and gotten all of your academic info together, it’s time to take the sometimes nerve-racking step of actually reaching out to the coach.
Coaches can’t see everyone, it’s impossible… So make yourself known!
Here are some other tips to get you started:
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Template For Emailing College Coaches
When it comes to coach emails, it can be easy to fall into the trap of copy-paste-send . But athletes who do this have lower chances of getting their email seen. Its important to provide coaches with the information they want to see but you must do your own research and personalize each email to the school and coach youre addressing if you want your email to get noticed.
Use this template as a guide for sending introductory emails to college coaches:
Dear Coach ,
My name is . I am a at in and will be graduating in the class of . I have a .
I am and play for my team. Some of my proudest accomplishments are . Last season, I . In the off season, Ive been working to improve on .
To view the rest of my athletic stats, highlight video, academic stats and personal statement, please visit my online profile at: . Please feel free to contact my , , at , for information.
Attached is my upcoming schedule. I would appreciate it if you could watch me compete in person. .
I will be calling you on to further discuss my interest in . I look forward to talking with you!
Thank you,
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How Do You Sending Highlight Videos To Colleges
There are a few different ways that you can send highlight videos or highlight hudl tape to colleges. The easiest way is to use a video hosting platform like YouTube. After you have created your video, you will need to add a video link or recruiting process to it in the About section of your YouTube account.
You can also send videos directly to the email addresses of your admissions counselors. You can also upload videos to a website like Vimeo and add a link to it in your profile.
When you are sending videos to colleges, it is important to make sure that the video quality is a good fit and that it is properly formatted. Make sure to include your name, degree, and the name of the college that you are sending it to in the About section of your video.
Finally, make sure to keep in mind the timeliness of your videos. They should be sent at least six months before you plan to enroll in the college recruiting process so that they can be reviewed.
Lets First Go Over A List Of Dos When Writing An Email To A Coach
- Keep the email short and sweet: College coaches are VERY busy people. The last thing they are going to do is read a 2 page novel about you loving to play baseball and you have been playing since you were 3. Keep it to about 3 short, factual paragraphs.
- Have a 3 paragraph limit: Paragraph 1 should include your name, grad year, high school and a specific reason WHY you are interested in that particular school. Paragraph 2 should include key facts about you including 60 time, exit velocity, arm strength from you position as well as a link to a short youtube video. You can also include your ACT/SAT score and GPA in this paragraph. Paragraph 3 should include who you are playing for in the summer and fall and a link to your schedule. Finally, you should include at least 3 references and your contact information .
- Keep the subject line clean and to the point: In the subject, just list your name, grad year and high school . For example, mine would be Tad Reida, 2003 grad, Western HS
- Resist adding anything else: You want the introductory email to be short, sweet and for it to be read. If the coach wants more information, likes what he sees and has time to respond, he will!
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You Dont Need The Extras
Music
Many coaches, when watching recruit videos, put the audio on mute, so dont worry about music. But if you do decide to include music on your video, make sure it is appropriate. Ask yourself, will a coach feel comfortable hearing this music in their professional office setting?
Introductions
Introducing yourself at the beginning of a video takes up precious time that should be spent on skills or game highlights. Let a slide with your contact information serve as your introduction .
Special Effects
Flashy video transitions arent a necessary component of your recruiting video. Coaches are watching purely for the content they want to see your skills and your game play dont feel like you have to spend time or money on making your video look professional.
Slow Motion
Avoid altering the speed of your video coaches want to evaluate your speed on and off the ball, slow motion distorts that.
Make A Solid Introduction
To make a solid impression, make sure the coach knows who you are. You can either do a video introduction that introduces yourself, like ScoutingZones Tara Parker recommends, or a textual introduction slide. Either way, recruits should include their name, position, number, year of high school graduation and some way for coaches to reach back to them.
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Sending Highlight Videos To Colleges
Highlight videos, if well-made, can spark a college coachs interest. In order to increase the likelihood of them watching your highlight video, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to find.
Uploading Your Highlight Video: Before sending your highlight video to a college coach, you should upload it to a streaming service like YouTube. This makes it much easier to access – both for you and the coaches you plan to send it to. When you upload your highlight video, make sure the video is high quality and relatively well-filmed. While it doesnt need to resemble a Hollywood movie, coaches should not have struggle to evaluate you using uneven, poor filming.
Proper Etiquette: After you have uploaded your highlight video online, you can begin distributing it to college coaches. You should send them an email with a clear subject indicating that your highlight video is included. In the email, make sure to include a sentence or two about your interest in their program and thank them for taking the time to watch the video you attached.
Highlight Videos: The purpose of highlight videos is to emphasize what makes you a good athlete. Look at your highlight video as an opportunity to show off your talents to coaches without them having to come to one of your games. A quick review of your highlight video can help coaches identify you as an athlete of interest to them.
How To Get Coaches To View Your Highlight Video
Its no secret that highlight and skills videos are essential to the recruiting process. In fact, student-athletes who include a highlights/skills video on their NCSA recruiting profile are 12 times more likely to be viewed by a college coach than those without one.
However, simply adding a highlight video to your recruiting profile is not always enough to get noticed by a college coach. Instead, recruits need to be proactive in their recruiting and learn how to market themselves to coaches.
Check out our tips below for how to send highlights and skills video to college coaches and how to get coaches to view your highlight video!
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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,
Social media: @tay_jones
Know The Right Angles
You might have a good camera, good editing software and a great jump shot, but you have to have the right camera angles to highlight your abilities. Basketball players: A baseline angle wont be the best option when youre playing offense on the other side of the court. Baseball players: Coaches will want a side view of your swing. Think about your sport and your position, and use common sense. Give coaches the best angle to see your talent.
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How To Post Video To Your Profile
The most effective/easiest way to add a video to your profile is to upload the video file or link from Hudl or YouTube directly from your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other devices by selecting the “Add Video” button. Your videos can be 3 minutes each, a maximum of 600MB, and almost any format of video, including .mp4, .mov, etc. You can also select the video website link/URL option from the drop-down menu to upload videos from YouTube, and Hudl. Right now, we only support video link uploads from YouTube or Hudl. If you have videos from other sites, you can copy the video links and paste them into your timeline from your profile page. This allows your videos to be viewed by college coaches instantly within your profile.
How To Email College Coaches
One of the most asked questions we get is how to email a college coach. Sending an introductory email to a college coaches can get your foot in the door with a program youre interested in and give a coach the opportunity to conduct their initial evaluation of you. However, emailing college coaches as a means to get discovered isnt as effective as it was five years ago. Coaches are getting hundredsif not thousandsof emails from recruits. Simply sending an email isnt enough to get a coachs attention. You need to create clear, concise emails with attention-grabbing subject lines to give yourself a chance at the coach opening your email, reading it and responding.
Insider Tip: Download the NCSA app in the App Store or on to email coaches, get notifications, get coach contact info, create and manage custom email templates.
Before you start emailing college coaches, there are a few specific details you need to know first. Heres a rundown of what well be covering to help you better understand how to email college coaches:
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Welcome To Prospectreelscom Sports Highlight Videos
Prospect Reels, a division of Prospectsites.com, is a leading college Sports Recruiting Video production company that specializes in Sports Highlight Videos. We are dedicated to helping high school athletes achieve their dream of playing at the next level by producing eye-catching media, custom made to send to coaches who are seeking high quality and well produced college sports highlight videos. Whether you play basketball, football, baseball, soccer, or any other sport, we offer the highest-quality recruitment videos anywhereGuaranteed!
There is nothing more powerful and impactful to a college coach than a high school sports highlight video. Let us help you get on the radar and on the roster of a college sports team by turning your favorite sports highlights into highlight reels.
The college sports recruiting process can be complicated and we understand that. You dont have to embark on the journey alone, if you just want some advice, go to our Contact Us page and send us a note. We are happy to help!
ProspectReels.com was started by the father of 2 high school athletes and we have helped numerous athletes get to the next level. We want to do one thing, help you get recruited to play college sports. You have to have a plan and we will work together with you to bring that plan to life. Stay up to date with our latest news
Sharing Highlights And Skills Video On Social Media
When it comes to Twitter or Instagram, Coach Beckwith suggests following coaches and programs on your target list as a way to increase views and shares of your video. Actively engage with a coachs or programs social media by sharing, liking, commenting or retweeting their posts to let them know youre focused on your recruiting and interested in their school.
Along with posting highlights to your recruiting profile and emailing college coaches, sharing your recruiting video on social media is a great way to get or stay on a coachs radar. Coach Drake recommends prospective recruits tag coaches or programs theyre interested in, or direct message them for a quicker response time, especially if theyve already connected with them via email or phone pinging a coach might get them to check you out .
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Send An Athlete Highlight Video
Most College coaches require a player highlight video, so try to give them a professionally edited highlight video. You can learn how to shoot an excellent highlight video yourself and continually update college coaches on any athletic achievements. Be sure to alternate your highlights, keep the final video edit to less than five minutes, and only show your best plays!
Were Sorry We Couldnt Complete Your Request
Due to federal privacy regulations, your student-athlete has to be 13 years old to create an NCSA profile.
According to information you submitted, your student-athlete is under the age of 13. If there has been a mistake, call us at 886-495-5172. Well fix it right away.
While youre here, we invite you to educate yourself on the recruiting process. Here are two of our most popular articles:
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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,
Social media: @taylor_smith
Defensive Linemen: Focus On Tackle Technique And Using Your Hands
Learn how to make a football defensive line skills video during COVID-19 and what college coaches are looking for at your position/level. Watch our football defensive line expert analyze skills footage and get actionable tips for showcasing the skills coaches want to see in your video.
NCSA Recruiting Coach Bill Perkinswho has over 25 years of experience as a football defensive line coachhighlights what football defensive line players need to include in their skills video, including:
- Showcasing their use of hands, change of direction and ability to burst
- Key drills to run, including the Bag Slap, 45 Degree Break, Punch and Slide and Bag Step Over
- What football coaches are looking for, like explosiveness, power and the ability to be extremely physical
- Combining practice drills with strength and conditioning footage to display your athleticism
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