When Should You Call College Coaches?
During recruiting, a lot of your focus will be on creating a relationship with college coaches. You want to know if they are interested in you and if you have the potential to be a good fit for their team. Most student-athletes introduce themselves to potential college coaches through email or phone calls. But when should you call a college coach?
You should call college coaches after you’ve sent a couple of emails introducing yourself to the coach. Hopefully, the coach will have seen your emails, but even if they haven’t, you can reference your previous attempts to get in touch. Coaches like to see recruits who are interested in their program and passionate about playing for them. Reaching out multiple times shows your interest and dedication to their school.
College coaches are very busy and have a lot of priorities to balance. It’s critical to find a good time to call to fit into their schedule. Most college coaches are running practices or coaching games during the season, so be strategic about when you call. Don’t call on a night that you know the coach has a game, and wait until after practice to reach out—usually after 6 pm. Out of season, you’ll have more flexibility in when you may be able to contact a college coach. Of course, you can always leave the coach a voicemail if you aren’t able to talk to them directly. In your message, you can leave your phone number and let them know you’ll be in contact again.
If you don’t hear back from a coach, they may be restricted from responding by NCAA rules. Coaches can’t respond to phone calls from recruits until after June 15 of a recruit’s sophomore year or September 1 of their junior year, depending on the sport. It can be a good idea to wait until after these dates have passed to reach out to college coaches. However, student-athletes aren’t restricted in when they can reach out to college coaches, so there’s no need to worry about breaking NCAA rules when making calls.
Why Should You Call College Coaches?
It’s common for recruits to follow up with college coaches over the phone after sending a few emails. Coaches are familiar with this process, so don’t be worried about annoying them with your phone call. Reaching out over the phone is a chance to set yourself from other recruits and showcase your personality.
Show Your Interest: Because we rely on digital communication so much, it can feel weird to make a phone call instead of sending an email or text. While both of these channels of communication are effective at contacting coaches, a phone call can set you apart from the crowd of other recruits. It signifies your interest in the program and willingness to be a little uncomfortable to get what you want.
Be Yourself: Calling a college coach can be a great way to show your personality. Talking over the phone conveys your personality in a way that email or text cannot. It’s over a phone call that coaches can get to understand why you want to play for them. Calling college coaches is a great way to prove your confidence and ability to tackle any situation.
Get To Know The Coach: Just as a phone call is an excellent way for college coaches to get to know their recruits, you have an opportunity to get to know a college coach better. Depending on their personality and approach, you may be able to tell whether or not you want to learn more about their coaching style from a quick phone conversation. After the call, take the time to reflect on what the coach was like and if you felt like you would work well together.
Calling college coaches is an essential step in the recruiting process—one that should be taken advantage of for many reasons. Taking a step outside your comfort zone can set you up for a better chance for a spot on your dream school’s roster. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a college coach, especially after you’ve sent a couple of introductory emails.
What Should You Say To A College Coach?
When making phone calls to college coaches, hopefully, you’ll have done your research beforehand. This way, you’ll know how many coaches you want to call and which schools are on the top of your list. It’s equally important to know what you want to say to a college coach during the call. Here are a few things to make sure you cover during your phone conversation:
Your Details: The most important part of the call is making sure the coach knows who you are. Introduce yourself confidently, including your name, graduation year and your team/position. Mention the introductory emails that you’ve sent and then ask the coach if now is a good time to talk. If it’s not a good time, you can schedule a better time over the phone or in a follow-up email.
Why You’re Calling: The conversation will flow much more naturally if you are direct and to the point about why you’re calling. Let the coach know why you’re interested in their program and in being part of their team. From here, the coach can be honest with you about whether or not they’re interested in having you as a potential recruit.
If the college coach doesn’t pick up on the first call, you can leave a brief message with your contact details and the reason why you’re calling. You might want to follow-up with another phone call the next day as well. It can be hard to figure out the best time to connect with a college coach, but if you stay persistent, you will be able to get a read on if a college coach is interested in you.
Should You Email Or Text College Coaches?
So, you know how important it is to call a college coach. But there are other ways to communicate with college coaches and develop a relationship with them. Ultimately, you want coaches to get to know you a little bit so that they will extend an offer for an official visit. On this visit, you’ll have an all-expenses-paid visit to meet the team and talk one-on-one with the coach. It’s important to communicate using all available channels to make an impression on a college coach. Here are the benefits of each mode of communication:
Email: Email is the best way to first reach out to a college coach. It’s in this email that you can introduce yourself, provide relevant athletic and academic statistics and provide the link to your highlight video. Email is a great way to provide resources for college coaches to look through. It’s essential to send an email to a coach before calling, and it can be strategic to follow up after a phone call with an email as well.
Text: As texting becomes more ubiquitous, it’s slowly being considered more professional and less taboo. If a college coach gives you their personal number, it’s acceptable to reach out with a quick question. You will likely want to wait until you know the coach pretty well before texting them.
Social Media: Social media can be a useful recruiting tool. Keeping your own social media profiles updated and professional can help give coaches a better idea of who you are and how you fit on their team. You can also use social media to send DMs to college coaches. The same rules apply to social media as with any other communication method. Use a professional tone and always refer back to the reason why you’re reaching out—you want to play for the coach!
With all these different ways to contact college coaches, it’s necessary to understand the benefits of each method of communication. The most important thing to remember is that you should be using all these channels paired with phone calls to make a strong impression on college coaches.
Things To Keep In Mind
Parents: Parents should not be reaching out to college coaches for their student-athletes. Coaches are recruiting the student-athlete, not the parents. They want to get to know their recruits and their personalities. Getting a personal phone call from a recruit shows that they have the time-management and leadership skills necessary to be successful in college.
Before The Call: Make sure you do your research before calling up college coaches. Rank all of your top schools and choose which coaches you are going to call based on which schools are your priority. Know some important facts and statistics about their coaching style and program. Dropping some of this knowledge during the phone call can help you stand out from a crowd of other potential recruits.