When and What to Say To College Coaches
Student-athletes can contact college coaches at any time, but coaches must adhere to the rules laid out in the NCAA’s recruiting calendars. Because coaches are limited to when they can reach out to student-athletes, they like it when recruits initiate conversation. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that just because you can reach out to a coach doesn’t mean you always should. Being persistent in your communications without over-stepping can be challenging, but doable.
There are two important things to keep in mind when thinking about when and how to follow up with a college coach. Make sure your communications provide value and are consistent.
- Provide value. Every coach communication should have a purpose for why you are reaching out. You shouldn’t just pick up the phone, or shoot off a text message, without a reason. Instead, find ways to strategically reach out to coaches and provide information that will improve your chances of being recruited.
- Be consistent. This is where student-athletes who are organized in their recruiting will stand out. You want to communicate with coaches at a consistent pace. Keep track of when, where and how you are reaching out to college coaches. And do the same for when coaches reach out to you! Be sure to pay close attention to how often you are reaching out to coaches without hearing anything back in return. You don’t want to risk annoying coaches with peppering communications.
How often should you check in with college coaches? If you are a freshman or sophomore who is being heavily recruited, check in with your target schools fairly often—every two or so months. Once you hit your junior year, it’s important to start emailing and calling more often—about once a month. As a senior, you should be in communication with coaches every two or three weeks.
When reaching out to a coach for the first time or following up, make sure you’re not emailing or calling them too late or too early. Coaches have different schedules depending on their sport, season and program, so they may not be able to get back to you right away.
As a reminder, student-athletes can contact coaches at any time, but coaches must adhere to the rules laid out in the NCAA’s recruiting calendars. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that just because you can reach out to a coach doesn’t mean you should. If you don’t have a reason to reach out, you risk annoying the coach.
Reasons to Update a Coach
- You have a new highlight or skills video
- You have new key stats that demonstrate how you’ve improved as an athlete
- You received new, higher SAT or ACT scores or want to update them on your grades, GPA or NCAA core course requirements
- You want to let them know you’re attending their camp, and you’re looking forward to meeting them in person
- You want to know what additional information they need, like more video or a recent transcript, to evaluate you as a potential recruit
- You want advice on what camps or combines to attend, or what events they’ll be attending so they can watch you compete
- You’re applying or just applied to their school
- You want to congratulate them (or athletes on their roster) on a big win
- You are coming to visit their school and want to know the best time to meet with them while you’re on campus
- You (or they) received an honor or award, like all-league, all-region, all-state honors or academic recognition
- You have received a scholarship offer (from another college)
- You want to share your summer training, tournament or camp/combine schedule
- You want to know where you rank in their recruiting class or what types of athletes they typically recruit
- You want to know if they are going to offer you an official visit or scholarship
- You’re following up with a thank-you call after a campus visit
- You have a new reference you want the coach to contact, like a club or high-school coach
- You’d like to set up a phone or video call to learn more about them, their program and their interest in you as a recruit
- You established a new personal best, gained a new skill or beat a higher ranked opponent
- You want their advice on how you can improve your athletic skills and techniques
- You signed up for the NCAA or NAIA Eligibility Center, requested your NCAA amateurism certification or the NCAA Eligibility Center deemed you eligible to compete at their school
Once you’ve contacted or followed up with a coach and your conversation is coming to an end, remember to always tell the coach when they can expect to hear from you again, or ask if they have any preferences around receiving periodic updates on your recruiting. Then, make sure they have your contact information and confirm the best way to get in touch (email, text message or phone call).
There are plenty of other reasons you may have for contacting a coach. If you have a question, or you just hit another milestone, it doesn’t hurt to let the coach know. Going the extra step and being able to comment on the coach’s program and school is even better. It shows coaches that you’ve done your research, are genuinely interested in their program and aren’t just sending out another mass email.
How Often Should I Contact Coaches
Former D1 and D3 swim coach Danny Koenig sat down with Phil Wells, former D1 football player, to discuss what to share with college coaches and when. Both agreed that while consistent communication is key to building a relationship with coaches, it’s important for recruits to demonstrate their passion for the sport in these conversations.
How to Communicate With College Coaches
These days, pretty much everyone has their phone on them at all times, which means they have multiple ways to communicate at their fingertips. But not all methods of communication are created equally. It’s important to know when each avenue to reach out to a coach is appropriate.
- Emails: It is expected that you will communicate with coaches via email. This method is the easiest way to formally show interest, share your recruiting profile and keep coaches updated on your performance and status.
- Phone calls: Communicating with coaches by calling them shows you’re proactive and dedicated. It also gives both sides a chance to feel out the personality of the other to determine a good fit and build a deeper relationship.
- Texts: Coaches are allowed to text, and you should always respond, but be aware of your tone. You wouldn’t text a coach the same way you text your buddies.
- Social media: Coaches can look at your various social media pages and send you direct messages. Before you start communicating with coaches, make sure your social media presence is “clean” and is the image you want to project.