The following information is designed to help you with your desire to become a student-athlete at the collegiate level. Through this process, it is important that you remember one thing – You are responsible for yourself. There are a lot of people that can help you out – counselors, high school coaches, club coaches, parents, family, and more – but you are responsible for this process. You are responsible for contacting college coaches, making sure that you are taking the right classes, calling college coaches back, and all components of the recruiting process. Do not rely on other people to make you successful.  Use them as a resource but ultimately you need to make it happen if you really want to play at the next level.  Get your name out there. Contact at least one coach each week, or around 50 a year. That may sound like a lot, but building relationships with multiple coaches might just result in several scholarship options when it’s time to choose a college. Steps to success:

 

 

STEP #1: Research each school and coach. Find out specific information about the athletic program you’re interested in and the academic areas as well. Other items to research include location, weather,
facilities, level of play, and cost of attending.

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STEP #2: Complete a questionnaire by mail or on-line from the college team website.

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STEP #3: Send an email to the coach. You can’t expect college coaches to know who you are and want to give you an athletic scholarship simply because of your athletic success. There are thousands of other student-athletes out there that you are competing against. You have to set yourself apart and get in contact with the coaches you may want to play for. Email can be a quick way to reach out to coaches, but taking the time to send written letters may get you noticed as well.

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STEP #4: Phone Call. A conversation with a college coach allows the student-athlete and the collegiate athletic program to see if they are a good fit for each other. This conversation will give both sides the opportunity to find out crucial information. As a student-athlete, it is important to remember that first impressions are extremely important and that you don’t want to waste the time of the coach. The questions below are a general guide to help the student-athlete get necessary information during the conversation. Prepare for the conversation with the coach and they will notice.  Here are a few things to keep in mind while preparing for a conversation with a coach: First and foremost, PREPARE! While a prospect might not know the exact time a college coach will be calling, every recruit should recognize that phone conversations will be a significant portion of a recruiting relationship. With that in mind, prospects should write down a list of 15 questions that they could ask a coach…and keep it handy! While the conversation should flow naturally, it will only help a potentially nervous student-athlete to have a set of questions prepared ahead of time that they can always ask a coach. A prospect should never ask if they will receive a scholarship during an initial conversation unless a coach brings up the topic.  Recruits should maximize the conversation by only asking questions that they can find answers to by talking to the coach directly. They should not waste this valuable opportunity by asking questions that can be answered through a brief visit to the college’s website. Each conversation serves as a limited chance to develop a real relationship…make the most of it! Do not be afraid to ask coaches about themselves. Often times, recruits only ask questions that pertain to their life and neglect to find out anything personal about the coach. It’s important for a recruit to get to know a coach (their interests, their family, etc.).

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 NCAA Eligibility Center 

National Letter of Intent

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