How To Email A College Coach About A Visit?
If you’re at the point in your recruiting journey where you’re seriously considering colleges, you’re probably trying to plan visits. An unofficial visit can help you decide which school is the best fit for you. But how do you email a college coach about a visit?
To email a college coach about a visit, you should express your interest in their program and ask if they are available on some upcoming dates to meet with you on campus. Your tone should be polite and respectful, and you should precisely communicate what you would like from the coach, whether that’s a one-on-one meeting or a tour of the athletic facilities. Ideally, you will have been emailing the coach consistently and developed a relationship with them before planning an unofficial visit.
When you decide to email a college coach depends on what grade you are in. NCAA regulations prohibit Division I college coaches from communicating with student-athletes and their parents before June 15 of their sophomore year or September 1 of their junior year, depending on the sport. Although the NCAA doesn’t prohibit student-athletes from reaching out to college coaches, coaches may not reply if you try to set up a visit before these dates.
What To Include In Your Email To A College Coach About A Visit
There are a few points you should include in your email to a college coach about a visit. You might have been emailing the coach for a while before you plan a visit, so if you already have a relationship with a coach, you can be more informal. If you’re emailing the coach for the first time, following a format can help you organize your thoughts and minimize some of the anxiety around emailing a college coach.
Introduce Yourself: Start by introducing yourself, including your name, year, high school and position you play. It might even be a good idea to add those details in the subject line of the email. You want the coach to know who you are so they can think about where you would fit on their team. You can talk about some of your relevant skills or stats and include a link to your highlight video if you update it, or the coach hasn’t seen it before.
Express Interest: Although it may seem obvious, it’s essential to tell the coach you’re interested in playing for them. Coaches are looking for recruits committed to their school and willing to put in the work needed to be successful. You can show the coach this by doing your research on the school and explaining what specific things attracted you to the program. Try to connect yourself to the program, either through a short anecdote or comparing your athletic abilities to current players.
Make The Ask: The most important part of the email is letting the coach know you’re planning an unofficial visit. Be upfront and ask the coach if they’re available to meet with you one on one during your time on campus. Be flexible with scheduling and throw out a few dates to see what works for them. For the best chances of catching the coach at a good time, stay away from busy weekends like homecoming or weekends with big games.
Close Respectfully: To end the email, thank the coach for their time and let them know that you’re looking forward to talking to them. If the coach is interested in having you as a recruit, you can expect them to email you back within a week to schedule a time to meet.
Coaches receive hundreds of emails from potential recruits every year. To keep your email professional, make sure that your email address is appropriate, and double-check for spelling or grammar errors before sending it. Writing a professional and personalized email to plan a visit can help you stand apart from other recruits.
How To Plan An Unofficial Visit
Emailing a college coach is an integral part of planning an unofficial visit. Unofficial visits differ from official visits because you are responsible for paying for the visit and any expenses related to it. You’re also responsible for planning all the aspects of the visit. You should meet with the coach at every school you visit, but there are a few other things you should do at every school.
Tour Campus: Most schools provide campus tours for free through the admissions department. On an unofficial visit, you should sign up for a campus tour apart from the athletic department. Tour guides take prospective students through all the most well-known spots on campus, including the dining halls, dorms, libraries and class halls. A campus tour is a great way to get a feel for the college and get a sense of whether it’s a good fit for you.
Meet With Advisors: If time allows, you can schedule meetings with an academic advisor. Academic advising can help explain some of the best educational options and majors available to you at that school and evaluate whether you are on track to meet the academic requirements to be admitted to the university.
Practice With The Team: On some unofficial visits, you may have an opportunity to meet the team and practice with them. There are NCAA regulations that prevent every recruit from having to try out for the team, but depending on your sport and division, you may get a chance to work out with the team. You should bring some athletic clothes to wear if you get to work out with the team. Team workouts are a great way to assess your chemistry on the team and get a feel for the group dynamic.
Tour Athletic Facilities: You may also get the chance to tour the athletic facilities during an unofficial visit. If the coach has time, they can take you to where the team practices and plays. You can ask what their facilities are like during your meeting and see if they offer to show you around.
You can go on an unlimited number of unofficial visits, so you have plenty of opportunities to tour the campus and get a feel for the school.
How To Talk To A Coach On A Visit?
If you successfully emailed a college coach and have a visit planned, you’re probably thinking ahead about preparing for the visit. During your meeting with the coach, there are some things you should keep in mind.
Prepare Questions: You should be thinking about your most pressing questions for the coach. Think about some things that you’re curious about regarding the recruiting process or the team dynamic. You also want to ask questions relating to academics, like what kind of majors most of the players have or what academic support is available for student-athletes. Meeting with a coach during an unofficial visit is an excellent opportunity for you to ask any questions that might come up during your tour.
Do Your Research: Equally as important as preparing questions for coaches is to prepare answers. Do some research on the school so you’re ready to explain why you’re interested in the school and where you think you can impact the team. You should also research the coach and communicate what elements of their coaching style resonate with you.
Be Confident: Coaches want to get to know you during visits, so being open and approachable is essential to make a good impression. Confidence is key, and it is one of the best ways to stand out from other potential recruits. Coaches are looking for student-athletes who are confident in their abilities and willing to work with a team to become stronger. Letting the coach see your personality can help them decide whether you’d fit on the team.
Preparing for the visit ahead of time will help you make a good impression on the coach. Putting the work in now to research questions and develop some of your answers for commonly asked questions can pay off later on during the recruiting process.
Things To Keep In Mind
Parents: Many parents want to ease some of the pressure that student-athletes feel by reaching out to college coaches. However, most college coaches prefer to hear from the student-athletes to get a sense of how driven and capable they are. Student-athletes who can balance sports, school and recruiting prepare themselves for balancing many different priorities in college.
Coach’s Perspective: It’s important always to consider the coach’s perspective when you’re communicating. You want to think about how an email would sound to them and what aspects of the message would be most important. Coaches are very busy with their current team, besides just recruiting new players, so transparent and concise communication helps them out a lot.