How to Email College Coaches? Tips to Prepare You.

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If you are a student athlete and are looking for ways to begin the process of communicating with college coaches, USP has some excellent tips for you to start as soon as possible.

Starting Communication With a College Coach

As a Student-Athlete, junior year in high school (2 years before your graduation) is the perfect time to start your recruiting process, and email is the best way to initiate communication with college coaches.

It is crucial that you (the student) reach out to the college coaches directly rather than your parents. College coaches want to communicate directly with you and get to know you to see if you would make a good fit for the team.

But before sending out an email to coaches, it is important to prepare a few things. Here are a few tips for preparing an email to college coaches:

Do your research.
You need to be well informed about the school you are applying to. There are many aspects to consider when choosing a university. As potential college athletes, college coaches constantly look for players who can create an impact on the team. This means that college coaches search for players who can fit into the top of the lineup. Ask yourself, I’m I at that level now? Will I be at that level by my freshman or sophomore year in college?You also need to have a full understanding of the school’s academic profile. Top academically ranked schools will require a higher level of education, stronger applications, and higher grades in order to become admitted. Ask yourself, do I have the necessary test scores (SAT/ACT and TOEFL) in order to be admitted? Will I be able to reach those scores on time for my application?.

Lastly, it is important that you understand everything about the school’s team budget, which determines how many scholarships the college coach can offer. The athletic division and its conference can help you figure this out.
Have an appropriate email address.
Having an appropriate and professionally-looking email address is an important aspect when communicating with a college coach. Avoid silly and inappropriate email addresses when sending out an email to coaches (e.g tennis.5uperstarrr; redchilipepperz; etc.).Using your name and last name will look best (e.g don.draper@email.com)
Prepare a recruiting video.
It is very unlikely for a college coach to visit you and watch you compete in person. The most effective way to demonstrate to a coach your skill level is through a video. We always advise our students to produce a realistic unedited video, for tennis players this could be a simulated match video, with a few games or a whole set at most. For a golfer, we recommend playing at least three holes (par 3, par 4, par 5) recording all the strokes.Your recruiting video shouldn’t be a Hollywood production, you can do it with your parents, a friend, or your coach. All you need is a camera (or a cellphone with a good camera) and very basic editing skills. Once the video is produced, then the email writing starts.
Use a clever subject line.
This is probably the trickiest part, as you may suspect college coaches receive too many emails, standing out and getting the coach’s attention in their inbox it’s not an easy task. Trial and error might be needed, use different subject lines providing hints about yourself without saying too much. Try to personalize the subject with something about the coach or the school.Remember, the goal of the subject line is to get the coaches to open your email, they don’t need to see your whole story on the subject.
Introduce yourself and explain your why
Name, age, country of origin, college entrance, and high school graduations are some of the things college coaches will need to know about you. They also want to know why you are choosing their school. Be specific, you have already done your research so it is now time to use it.Tell the coaches what you love about their school, the athletic program, the academic options, the campus, the location, anything you love about the school, and why it is your number one choice.
It’s not about the Scholarship
We encourage our students to have the mindset that the email is not for them to receive a scholarship offer, but to get a phone call with the coach to learn more about the team and the school’s profile. Your goal is to establish a connection with the coach, exchange several emails, connect with them, have a zoom call, etc.The topic of your finances and scholarship opportunities will come soon enough. But don’t start the conversation with that. Avoid using the “S” word.

If you would like to receive a sample or email or would like to learn more about communicating with coaches and the recruiting process, reach out to us via email at contact@universitysports.com

At USP, we guide our students in every step of their recruitment process to make sure they’ll get the best outcome possible. Contact us to get help on your recruitment today.