What To Send To College Coaches

How To Write An Interest Email

Emailing is a great resource because it allows you to introduce yourself, be professional, and share important information about you as a student-athlete. Below we have suggestions on what to include and how to best convey interest.

Personalize: Coaches receive tons of emails from prospective recruits. They are unlikely to respond if your email is generic and doesnt reflect genuine interest in the form of a personalized message. Make sure to address the coach, talk about specific aspects of the school and program that interest you , and include a detailed introduction about yourself and how that ties back to your interest in the program.

Include Various Contact Points: Its highly necessary that you include the contact information of your current coaches. The main reason is that if youre emailing a coach before theyre permitted to respond, they have to reach out to your coach to arrange a time for you to call them and talk. If you dont include this contact info and the coach isnt allowed to respond, they will have no way of getting in touch with you and your efforts likely wont amount to anything. Your current coaches can also be great advocates for you and further express your interests to college coaches, so having these references can be very effective. Lastly, youll obviously want to include your own contact info in your closing including your name, email address, phone number, and address, sothe coach can ultimately respond to you and further the communication.

Recruiting Tip: Sample Emails To Send To College Coaches

By Fred Bastie, Playced.comMarch 26, 2018 8:14 am

By Fred Bastie, Playced.com | March 26, 2018 8:14 am ET

USA TODAY High School Sports has a weekly column on the recruiting process. This isnt about where just the top five-star athletes are headed but rather a guide to the process and the pitfalls for student-athletes nationwide from Fred Bastie, the owner and founder of Playced.com. Playced.com is an industry leader in college recruiting. Their technology-based recruiting software identifies the right colleges for potential recruits to pursue and their recruiting advisers provide a recruiting experience that is trusted by college coaches and backed by a money-back guarantee.

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 strategically email colleges coaches at 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. Keep in mind that the first email you send has to be personalized, relatively short and provide an easy way for a coach to quickly make a decision on whether or not he or she is interested in responding to you. A follow up email should be similar, but with a slightly different message.

Example of an introductory email

Subject: Requesting camp/workout info, Offensive Line, Class of 2018

Coach Smith,

Thank you for your time,

Roger WilliamsEmail:

Keep It Short And To The Point

• Coaches receive hundreds of emails from athletes each year, so refrain from telling them your entire sports history.
• This applies to your subject line as well. Make it something short & eye-catching.
• Choose one or two major awards or accolades in athletics or academics, and mention it. But don’t list every accolade you have ever received – they can see that on your profile!

Recommended Reading: Is Penn Foster Recognized By Employers

Questions About Life As A Student Athlete

• If I am having trouble with my academics, is there any tutoring or other support available to student athletes?
• How do your players balance academics with athletics?
• What is the team GPA?
• What do the players major in?
• Are there any players majoring in my major?
• How many players graduate?
• If there is a conflict with academics and athletics, how is it handled?

St Phone Call With A College Coach And What To Expect

Before your first phone call with a college coach, there is a lot of preparation that needs to be done. By now you should have solid research on the program and practiced your responses with either a friend or family member. So, how do you know what to do when a college coach calls? Former D3 Head Coach Pam Monier and former D1 and D3 college swimming coach Danny Koenig break down what prospective recruits should expect during their first phone call with a college coach, including:

• What questions college coaches will ask you
• How to let coaches know youd make a great addition to their program
• Why confidence is keywhen talking on the phone with college coaches

Read Also: Penn Foster Vs Ashworth College

Do Research And Make Sure You Have The Best Contact Information

Before taking the time to reach out to a college with an introductory email, be sure to spend some time researching the school to make sure that it is a good fit. As weve already mentioned, it is generally not a good idea to use mass email services that will send a message out to virtually every school. Following this advice means taking the time to craft each email to coaches personally, and that could add up to a substantial amount of time.

In order to avoid wasting your own time as well as the time of the coaches, start of by doing some research and create a list of schools you would consider joining. The recruiting process as a whole can sometimes feel overwhelming to go through, and a good way to help manage this is to keep a clear focus on schools that are realistic fits, instead of feeling pressure to appeal to every school out there.

Aside from helping you to have a more narrowed in focus, doing background research before starting the email process will also help the content of your messages. Having solid information to reference will help you make a more appealing case for what it is you have to offer a school and will help you craft an email that focuses on areas that the college considers valuable.

Helpful Examples For Emailing College Coaches

By Jason Smith, NCSA Director of Recruiting ServicesAugust 14, 2018 12:05 pm

By Jason Smith, NCSA Director of Recruiting Services | August 14, 2018 12:05 pm ET

USA TODAY High School Sports has a weekly column on the college recruiting process. Here, youll find practical tips and real-world advice on becoming a better recruit to maximize your opportunities to play at the college level. Jason Smith is a former NCAA DIII athlete and college coach at all three division levels. Jason is just one of many former college and professional athletes, college coaches, and parents who are part of the Next College Student Athlete team. Their knowledge, experience, and dedication along with NCSAs history of digital innovation, and long-standing relationship with the college coaching community have made NCSA the largest and most successful athletic recruiting network in the country.

If you havent already guessed, recruiting involves a whole lot of emailfrom introducing yourself, following up, and then responding to college coaches. It can be pretty daunting, especially when youre not exactly sure what to say.

But a well-crafted email can be the reason you receive a second evaluation and stay top-of-mind with college coaches. So, putting a little extra effort in writing them is definitely worth it.

You May Like: College With Low Gpa Requirements

Q: Im Ready To Send My Info To Colleges What Should I Write In The Letters To Coaches

A: The #1 Rule to getting coaches to notice you is that they MUST see you playeither on person or on tapeto have any legitimate interest in recruiting you. So before you send college coaches letters or emails, get your highlights and game film together and get them on YouTube or Hudl. Upload 3-5 minutes of highlights from the season and a few of your best games if coaches see something they like on your highlights , they may move on to evaluate game film to get a better picture of your overall talent, size and speed.

Along with your video, be sure to send your Student-Athlete Resume, which gives coach all of your information in a quick glanceheight, weight, grades, high school and contact info. Along with your Student-Athlete resume, feel free to send an optional short letter or note expressing your interest in their school and upcoming HS/AAU schedule if available.

Understand that programs get up to a hundred unsolicited emails or letters from prospects each week and are sometimes going through stacks of them scanning for key information that they may have interest in. If your accomplishments and size/speed dont jump off the page in 20 seconds or less, they may move on to the next profile. They may only watch 30 seconds of your film and move on. Prepare to have several unanswered emails or phone callsunderstand that its part of the process and that coaches are overwhelmed with daily calls and emails from recruits.

Provide A Link To Game Film And Recruiting Profiles

We already know that college coaches are going through large amounts of email trying to sort potential recruits. They do not have time to sit and read long drawn out emails from potential student athletes that fail to get to the point. If the messages you send fit that description, they will likely be skipped and will give you no reward for the time you spent writing them.

One way to avoid doing this is by linking to your game film and any recruiting profiles that you may have in the introductory emails that you send to coaches. This way instead of having to write a lengthy message that shows what you bring to the table, you can stick to giving a quick overview and then the coach will have an easy way to learn more if theyre interested by following the links you provided. This way your message wont get skipped for being too lengthy and hard to read but will still provide an opportunity to gain a good idea of who you are as a prospect.

Don’t Miss: How Much Are College Classes

The Final Takeawayshow Them The Best Version Of Yourself

Take all of these emails seriously. Be yourselfyour greatest self. Use your best writing and show the coach respect. Make the most of each message, and the coachs time, by asking a few good questions and doing your part to learn more about the team.

Ready to start messaging college coaches? Create your free profile here.

READ MORE:

How To Respond To Mass Emails From College Coaches

Whether the athlete is seriously considering the program or not, they should draft a response thanking the coach for their email. Its important for athletes to leave a good impression, regardless of their interest level in a particular program. If the athlete is interested, they should include a link to their NCSA Recruiting Profile and the contact information of a previous or current coach who the college coach can reach out for a reference.

Also Check: What Is The Best College In Maryland

Sample Recruiting Email To College Coach: Athletic

When tosend: Student-athletes who have a strong athletic background and competitive stats should send this type of introduction email to college coaches to highlight how they can make an impact on the teams performance.

What to include: Key athletic stats, measurables and awards highlight video, skills video and/or game footage schedule for upcoming competitions.

Example:

Dear Coach Smith,

Ive been following University College for a while now and was really impressed by your teams performance in the championship game last year against State. I am reaching out because I would love to be part of this competitive team and win a championship.

My name is Jane Doe and Im a 62 junior forward at Generic High School in Chicago, IL. I am a four-year varsity starter for my high school team and was recently honored by being named the Regional Player of the Year. Last season, I averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game. I believe my work ethic and athletic talent would be a great match for your program.

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 AAU coach, Joe Taylor, at or 555-555-1234 before the tournament for more information about my desire to play for your program.

Thank you!

How To Write A Follow Up Email To A Coach

If youre serious about playing sports in college, you probably have a list of schools and coaches that you dream of playing for. To make that dream a reality, you need to start by forming a relationship with a college coach. The best way to reach out to college coaches is by email. Once youve sent an introduction email, youll likely want to send a follow-up email to that coach.

The best way to write a follow-up email is to focus on why youre reaching out and why the coach should care about you. Its crucial to communicate at a good time and write in a professional tone as well. College coaches appreciate student-athletes who have personalized the email, as it shows youre detail-oriented and passionate about their school.

The same principles apply with a follow-up email to a coach as with any communication with a college coach. Work on establishing a good relationship by providing the information coaches need, responding quickly and being concise.

Read Also: Brandon Charnas

Myths & Facts About Outreach To College Coaches

Reaching out to college coaches can be intimidating. Are you imposing on them? Are you reaching out too early? Too late? Do they even care about your student? There’s a lot of anxiety about the process. Here we’ll present five myths about outreach to college coachesand then bust them, so you and your student know the best approach to take.

Emailing College Coaches & Sending Your Highlight Footage

Emailing College Coaches & Sending Your Highlight Footage

Emailing your target list of college coaches is critical in attempting to establish your interest in becoming a part of their program. Including a highlight video in your email is a great way for you to allow coaches to quickly familiarize themselves with you and your athletic skills

So how do you get started and stand out?

Personalization

You want to begin by personalizing the emails you send to coaches by including the coachs name in your introduction. Dont send out a mass email to all of your coaches just saying Dear Coach. You want to take the little extra time to show the extra effort.

This personalization will help build a relationship with the coaches as well as generate a conversation. It is important that you send the email from your personal college recruiting email address

For each email that you send to a college coach, you want to make sure to include the key facts that these coaches are looking for in your first email such as:

• Why you are specifically interested in joining their program

• Where they can find your statistics and achievements both individually and as a team

• Camps, Clinics, or Tournaments you will be attending in the near future

Do you have an email that has been designated for recruiting?

Your email should include your name

Keep it professional!

Keep in mind: Not all coaches are going to immediately respond to your emails, and this is OK.

Sending Highlight Videos to Coaches

You May Like: College Hill Vsu Episodes

Questions To Ask College Coaches About Cultural / Social Fit

• How do the athletes on your team interact with each other? Do they hang out together outside of practice and games?
• What is housing like on campus? Is the housing situation different for athletes?
• Are student-athletes required to live on campus all four years they attend school?
• Do teammates typically live together on or off-campus?
• Do athletes stay on campus during the summer? What about winter or spring breaks?
• Is it realistic to have a part-time job, volunteer or get involved with other clubs during the off-season?
• What are the biggest challenges your student-athletes face at school?
• What is campus life like?

How To Talk To College Coaches On The Phone : Dos And Donts

What you should do:

What you shouldnt do:

• Dont be timid. A phone conversation gives recruits the opportunity to sell their potential, ask questions and get feedback on where they stand in the coachs recruiting class. Talking to college coaches on the phone is also a great way to show your personality.
• Dont only talk about athletics during coach phone calls. Remember, coaches want well-rounded athletes, so recruits should highlight how they can positively contribute to the teams athletic, academic, and cultural success.
• Dont dominate the call. It is important for recruits to find a balance between talking about themselves and their interest in the program. Its important to have questions to ask a coach on hand but be sure to let the coach ask questions, too.
• Dont give short answers. Avoid answering questions coaches will ask recruits with a simple yes or no response. Coaches are more likely to pursue a recruit if they feel the athlete portrays excitement and is actively engaged in the phone call. Try your best to relax when you call a coach. This is an introductory conversation to get to know each other, not an interview.

Read Also: Take One Class At Community College

Tip : Do Your Research

Before you head to the NCAA website and download the womens soccer coaches contact list into your email, do a little research. There are over 1,000 womens soccer programs out there and while emailing every school might sound like a great idea, not every school is going to be the right fit for you. It is important that you research the programs you are interested in.

Here are a few good questions to get your research started:

• How many players do they have in your position already on the team?

• Does the school offer a program of study that interests you?

• What is the history of the program ?

• Are there players from your state or area on the team?

• Is the tuition financially feasible for you and your family?

• Does the program offer any camps you can attend?

Once you have the answers to a few of these questions , you should have a general idea if the school is one you would like to pursue.