During the recruiting process, every student-athlete wonders what exactly a college coach is thinking. You’ve done your research and identified your top schools, and you’ve sent out the right emails with catchy subject lines. But how do you know if the college coach has taken the bait?
You can tell if a college coach is interested in you as a recruit if they’re actively communicating with you through letters, emails, phone calls, texts or social media. If a college coach reaches out to you after receiving your emails, then they are interested in learning more about you or recruiting you.
Another big sign that a college coach is interested in you is if they contact your high school or club coach. Because of NCAA contact rules, college coaches may not be able to reach out to you directly. They might ask your current coach about your skills and abilities or to find out when they can watch you play. Coaches will sometimes come to one of your games to see you play. This isn’t something coaches will do for a wide pool of recruits, so it’s a sure sign that they’re interested in you.
What Does It Mean If A College Coach Contacts You?
One of the most significant indicators of whether or not a college coach is interested in you is if they reach out to you. You’ll have a higher chance of hearing from a college coach if you reach out to them first, so be sure to be sending emails and making phone calls to your top coaches. But there are ways to tell how interested a coach may be, depending on what they say and what channel of communication they choose.
Email: If a coach sends you a response to your introduction email, they likely want to learn more about you. Respond within a reasonable time frame, provide a link to your highlight video and let them know where they can watch you play. If you haven’t heard back from a college coach you’ve emailed, don’t be discouraged. It can take a while for coaches to respond because of their schedules. If they’re interested, you’ll get a response eventually.
Invite To A Camp: College coaches send out hundreds of invites to university sports camps every year. This is where a lot of coaches find their recruiting prospects, however. Camps allow coaches to watch you play and evaluate your skills compared to other recruits. It helps to know the coach or have an established relationship before going to a camp so that they can be looking out for you individually.
Phone Call: Receiving multiple phone calls at home from a college is a big sign that a college coach wants you to play for them. College coaches call student-athletes if they are sincerely interested in recruiting them so they can find out more about their personality.
Invite For An Official Visit: Beyond getting an invite to a camp, a college coach may invite you to campus for an official visit. An official visit is an all-expenses-paid trip to tour the school, have a meet and greet with the team and talk with the coach. An invite to an official visit is a sign that a college coach is seriously interested and actively recruiting you.
College coaches are busy people with packed schedules. If you hear from them, it’s a good sign that they’re interested in having you on their team. If you’re able to talk with a college coach in-person or over the phone and the coach gives you their personal cell phone number or email, they are interested in you.
What To Do If A College Coach Is Interested In You
So you can tell that a college coach is interested in you from their communication. But what should you do about it? Depending on whether or not you’d like to join their program, there are a few things you can do.
Always Reply: Even if you are not interested in playing for a school, respond to the coach’s email or phone call. You never know what connections that coach has or where you’ll end up in the recruiting process. Always sending a polite response may come back to help you later on in the recruiting process. If you are seriously interested in playing for a college and the coach emails you, you should respond as soon as you can. Let the coach know essential details about you and include a link to your highlight video. It would help if you also let them know where they can watch you play next. Emphasize your interest in the program and use clear and concise language—and remember that coaches are busy!
Set Up A Phone Call: A phone call is a great way to build your relationship with a college coach and give them a chance to get to know you. In your introductory email to a college coach, let them know you’ll be following up with a phone call. That way, they’ll be expecting your call and be more prepared for the phone call. The same principles of communication for coaches that you would use during an email still apply to a phone call. Be yourself and be respectful of the coach’s time. Use a phone call as a time to feel out whether the coach is interested.
Secure An Offer Letter: Your end goal in the recruiting process is an offer letter. Being clear that you want to play for a coach will help a coach see that you’re interested in their program. Keep in touch with college coaches regularly so that you have a sense of where you’re at on their list of potential recruits.
Even if you sense that a college coach is interested in you or that you’re one of their potential recruits, your job isn’t done yet. You’ll still need to keep in touch with the coach to stay on their radar. Following up can help you stand out from other recruits and eventually secure an offer from a college coach.
Signs A College Coach Is Not Interested In You?
There are some reliable signs that a college coach is interested in having you play on their team, but on the flip side, there are also signs that a college coach is not interested in you. It helps to do your research on schools before starting the recruiting process, so you know where your skills stand on a national stage.
No Response: If you don’t hear from a coach, likely, they’re not interested in you as a recruit. Don’t worry, though! Sometimes recruits back out later in the recruiting process, and a college coach is left scrambling and will reach out to you. For now, though, your time is better spent contacting college coaches at other schools on your list.
Generic Recruiting Materials: At the beginning of the recruiting season, schools will send out generic letters about the recruiting process to hundreds of student-athletes. These recruiting questionnaires are a tool for coaches to provide information about their recruiting process to student-athletes. However, they are not a reliable sign that you’re on a coach’s radar. A more personalized letter or personalized recruiting information is a more reliable sign that a coach is interested in you.
College coaches know their team and program the best. If they don’t think you will be a good fit for their program, it’s best to take their evaluation and move onto other schools. Just because one college coach isn’t interested in you doesn’t mean there are plenty of other excellent schools out there for you.
Things To Keep In Mind
NCAA Contact Rules: The NCAA has specific regulations that prevent college coaches from responding to student-athletes at certain times during the year. For this reason, you may not hear back from a college coach at certain times of the year. But student-athletes can’t commit any infractions by reaching out to coaches, so there’s no need to hold back from sending a coach an email.
