Understanding The Recruiting Process

While college athletic recruiting relies heavily on digital communication—like texting, email and social media messages—college recruiting letters still play a major role. However, it can be difficult to interpret what a specific piece of mail from a coach really means. If you receive a typed letter with your name inserted in a few places, are you actually getting recruited by that coach? Why did the coach send you general school information? We’ve broken down the different types of college recruiting letters that you might receive and how to respond to each one.

                            How to know if a college coach is interested in you 

When coaches recruit in-person and show up to events, it’s not too difficult to spot them and pick up on their interest in you. However, things have gotten a bit more complicated since recruiting has mostly moved online. As more and more initial recruiting contacts go digital, many student-athletes struggle to understand if and when they’re getting recruited by a college coach. College coaches convey their interest in many ways, and some are more clear-cut than others. Recruits should keep in mind that not every coach is going to show their interest in the same way, and even their interest will mean something different depending on the type of program.  Wondering how to know if a college coach is interested in you?  

Here are 8 common ways coaches show interest in you:

1.  Recruiting questionnaires. Coaches send questionnaires to hundreds, if not thousands of underclassmen and upperclassmen. Questionnaires are used to gauge your interest in a program, so filling them out—and sending a follow-up email—is essential if you’d like to remain on their list of prospects. Personalized camp invites. 

2.  Camp invites can be tricky, as many programs will send out “mass” invites to try and get as many athletes to sign up and attend their events. However, if a coach specifically mentions that they know who you are or that they’ve watched your highlight or skills video, it’s a good indication that you’re on their list of recruits to watch and evaluate at the event. 

3.  Emails from college coaches, recruiting coordinators or coaching staff. Most coaches and athletic staff communicate primarily via email, especially as the initial point of contact, and may ask you for more information regarding your athletics, academics and interest in their school or program. 

4.  Social DMs. If a coach follows you on social media, sends or responds to a direct message, you can be confident that they’ve at least noticed your profile. Keep your social media profiles—or at least the one you use to reach out to coaches—sport-centric with a link to your recruiting profile or highlight video so they have easy access to your athletic and academic info. 

5.  Phone calls or texts. If you’re fielding calls or texts from a coach, chances are you’re relatively high up on their list of recruits. While a coach’s contact info, like office phone, are usually available online, giving a recruit their personal cell or email can mean they’re treating you as a prospective recruit.    

6.  In-person contact. If a coach introduces themselves at a recruiting event or at your high-school, you can be confident that they noticed or heard about your athletic abilities. Likewise, if a coach asks you for your upcoming high-school, club or event schedule, they probably want to see if they’ll have an opportunity to meet and evaluate you in person. 

7.  Unofficial or official visit invites. Being personally invited for a visit indicates clear interest from a coach. When coaches ask you to go on an official visit, paid for by the school’s program, they’re using their budget to show off their school and create an impressive experience for you as a recruit. Keep in mind that not all programs have similar budgets, so being asked to go on an unofficial visit can also display their interest! 

8.  Verbal offer. Receiving an offer is a huge accomplishment—congratulations! Remember that while a verbal offer may mean you’re a top recruit, it’s also not legally binding yet, and the coach can technically withdraw it for any reason. If you decide to accept a coach’s offer, stay in touch with them up until Signing Day to ensure you still have a roster spot on their team.