How to Email a Coach
Sending an email is one of the best ways to introduce yourself to a college coach. But reaching out to a coach you’ve never spoken to can be intimidating, and the problem is, many student-athletes struggle with what to say to college coaches. So, we’ve put together a few resources, including examples and templates, to help you feel more confident when emailing college coaches.
Here’s 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 you’ll follow up.
How to Create a Subject Line
When it comes to coach emails, the subject line is a critical piece. Without an eye-catching subject line, a coach won’t even open your perfectly craftedemail. Before opening an email, college coaches want to know three things: who you are, where you’re from and how you can benefit their program. When crafting a subject line for college recruiting emails, be sure to include:
- Your graduation year
- Your sport position(s)
- Your location (city and state)
- A unique, or interesting fact about you. For example, do you have a lightning fast 40-yard dash time? Are you looking at an academic-focused school that will be impressed with your ACT score? If you compete in a sport in which club teams are really important, consider adding in your club team and/or the tournament you’ll be at next.
What to Say in the Email
You’ve laid down the groundwork, now it’s time to write the email! When emailing college coaches, the goal is to respectfully introduce yourself, your skills and interest in being recruited. So, as you think about how to write an email to a college coach, visualize an inverted pyramid.
The top section of the email is where you need to grab the coach’s attention. This is a great time to show coaches that you’ve done research on their program in about 2-3 sentences. Use a recent stat about the team that interested you, or explain why you’d like to play for them.
The middle section of the email is perhaps the most important when it comes to emailing college coaches. This is where you give a little more information about yourself, including athletic and academic standouts, to tell coaches why you would be a good fit for their program. Include the following information in the middle section of your coach email:
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Your general information: Name, graduation year, location, high school and club name
- Academics: GPA, test scores, if they would be important information for the coach you’re emailing.
- Athletics: Sport specific stats and relevant measurables.
- Contact information: your phone number and email, as well as the contact information for your high school, or club coaches
The bottom section of the email should be giving college coaches a specific next step, such as letting the coach know you will be giving them a call at a specific date and time or inviting them to come see you compete.
Whatever you do, avoid sending mass, generic emails out to all the coaches you want to contact when emailing college coaches. The coach will know if you took the time to personalize your email, and it will make a difference. Coaches want to recruit players who are genuinely interested in their program—most don’t have the time and resources to recruit an athlete who is not likely to commit to their school.
How to Start the Email
Like your subject line, your opening paragraph needs to be attention-grabbing and personalized. The opening sentence, or two, should be different for every coach email you send – this is where your research comes into play! The information you gather about the school and sports program will dictate what you say to college coaches.
If you’re looking at academically-focused schools, lead with how impressed you are by their academic record, or mention specific players who have recently won honor awards. If you’re sending emails to college coaches with a winning record, point out that you’d love to be part of such a successful legacy.