how to contact a college coach
How To Contact College Coaches.
Reaching out to college coaches is one of the most important parts of taking control of your recruitment. Learn who to contact, what to include, what to say and how to follow up.
Find The Right Coaches.
Don't start by sending the same message to every college you can find. Start by identifying programs that make sense for your athlete and then find the appropriate coaches to contact.
The goal isn't to contact the most coaches possible. It's to contact the right coaches with a thoughtful message that gives them a reason to learn more about you.
Give Coaches A Reason To Learn More.
Your first message doesn't need to tell your entire life story. It needs to make it easy for a coach to understand who you are and quickly evaluate whether you could be a potential fit.
Keep Your First Message Simple.
A strong recruiting email should be short, personal and easy for a coach to understand. Avoid sending a huge block of information. Give the coach the key details and make it easy to learn more.
What makes a good introduction?
Introduce yourself, explain why you're interested in the program, give the coach enough athletic and academic context to evaluate you, and provide a simple way for them to learn more.
My name is [Name], and I'm a [graduation year] [position] from [location]. I'm very interested in [School] and wanted to introduce myself.
I'm currently playing for [Club/School] and have experience playing [relevant information]. I'm also maintaining a [GPA] and am very interested in learning more about your program.
I've included my recruiting profile and highlight video below. I'd love to learn more about your program and whether you feel I could be a potential fit.
Thank you for your time,
[Name]
[Phone]
[Email]
[Recruiting Profile]
Don't Stop After One Email.
College coaches are busy. A lack of response doesn't automatically mean a program isn't interested. Professional, thoughtful follow-up can help keep your name in front of the coaching staff.
Give It Time
Don't immediately send another message. Give the coach reasonable time to see and respond to your initial communication.
Add Something New
When following up, give the coach a reason to open the message. Share an achievement, new film, upcoming event or meaningful update.
Stay Professional
Keep communication respectful and concise. Your communication style is part of the impression you make on a coaching staff.
What If The Coach Still Doesn't Respond?
Don't take one unanswered email as a final answer. Review your target list, your introduction, your recruiting profile and your film. You may need to adjust your approach, expand your school list or continue developing your athletic profile.
Knowing What To Do Is One Thing. Actually Doing It Is Another.
Recruiting can involve researching schools, finding coaches, sending messages, following up and keeping track of conversations across dozens of programs.
Take Control Of Your Outreach.
NextUp gives athletes the tools and resources to organize their recruitment, identify opportunities and connect with college coaches through a network of more than 50,000 coaches.
Start Your Recruitment →Ready To Start Talking To Coaches?
If you're not sure which schools to target or how to approach your recruitment, speak with a NextUp recruitment advisor about your situation.
Talk To A Recruitment Advisor →