Emailing College Coaches
Start the new year out right by getting a head start on the recruiting process! It’s never too early or too late to start! There are some great articles and tips out there on how to structure letters and emails to send to college coaches. Club tournaments start this month, so what better time to start getting your name out there and let coaches know when you are playing than now!
Here is a very helpful article that lays out an outline when emailing coaches.
I won’t go into the entire article, I will let you read as you please, but I will just emphasis a few of the main when emailing college coaches. If you can, I would suggest using an email that is your own that you can check year-round, whether it is a Gmail, Yahoo, etc. and not use a high school email address.
1) Email as MANY coaches as you can! This can never hurt you and can only network you to more opportunities!
2) ALWAYS give your club and/or high school coaches’ contact information (If you are younger than a junior, NCAA coaches will not be able to email you back).
3) BE HONEST about your height, vertical touch, and approach touch. Adding a couple of inches may look great on paper, but eventually the coach is going to see you play so it is important to be completely truthful!
4) Include your tournament schedule, they will most likely want to see you play in person.
5) It’s ok to boast yourself up in this email! Remember, you are essentially trying to sell yourself to this college coach, so include all of your athletic awards and academic accolades (GPA, ACT/SAT score if you have taken it), show that you are well-rounded! Also, give some truthful information about yourself: tell them if you are hard-working or coachable, college coaches want players to have great qualities!
6) PERSONALIZE EACH EMAIL: Exactly like this article says, coaches can tell when you mass email. Include a simple sentence that shows that you are knowledgeable about their program. (Example: “I would love to be a part of a competitive program that has x amount of consecutive NCAA tournament berths.”)
7) If you have one, include a link to your recruiting profile. If you do not, include a link to a video of you playing whether it be a game film, highlight reel, or skills video.*
*Learn how to structure a highlight video here: https://prepdig.com/2018/06/how-to-make-a-highlight-video/
And remember, if a coach does email you back, reply in a TIMELY MANNER! They have busy schedules so always thank them for their time and respect them by replying quickly. This will also leave a great impression!
Make it your New Year’s resolution to put time into the recruiting process! Don’t sit back and wait to get recruited, be proactive and get your name out there! It’s hard work, but ultimately extremely rewarding and life-changing!