How To Tell A College Coach You Want To Commit?

As a recruit with one or more offers available, there comes a time when you need to make a decision and choose a school to play for. Though it is exciting, this process can be challenging for a number of reasons, and you should understand the different ways it can be navigated.

To tell a college coach you want to commit to their program, have a conversation either in-person or over the phone. You want to emphasize how you and the program fit together and what impact you will have on the team both academically and athletically. Mention the relationships you have built with the coaches, players and support staff in your conversation, and remember to be yourself.

Below we go into further detail on how to tell a college coach you want to commit to play for their school.

Different Ways To Communicate That You Want To Commit

If you’ve decided that you’re ready to commit, there’s a few different ways that you can communicate this to a college coach.

Phone Call: Often, a phone call is the most appropriate way to commit. It can be the quickest and easiest way to contact the coach. It’s better than an email because it is more personal and you’ll be able to receive a very direct and quick response as opposed to putting it in writing and not knowing what’s next. However, it is recommended that you do follow up the phone call with something in writing such as an email, which allows you to solidify the conversation and engage the coach with your enthusiasm about the opportunity.

In Person: Expressing that you want to commit in person is always better because it’s the most personalized way to communicate and will allow you to ask more questions and confirm the commitment in a more genuine way. However, there are many circumstances when this option is not available, such as being a recruit who lives far away from the school with no opportunity to meet the coach in person to talk. For these athletes, a phone call is the best option, but if you have the chance to meet the coach in person to tell them that you want to commit, you should try to do so.

It’s recommended that you avoid email in expressing your desire to commit, and instead use more personalized, verbal methods of communication.

What To Say When You Tell A Coach You Want To Commit

Regardless of whether you call or meet in-person, you’ll want to be prepared on what to say so that the coach is engaged in your reasoning and ready to fulfill your desire to commit. The best case scenario is that you have already been given an offer by the coach and it is now just your responsibility to make a decision. However, there may be instances where a school is at the top of your list and you need to make a case for yourself to the coach. In either case, it’s important to say the right things and present an argument for the fit on an athletic, academic, and personal level.

Athletics: When telling a coach you want to commit, a good starting place is to detail the reasons why their team is, athletically, the right fit for both you and the coach. Be specific and tell the coach exactly what you love about their team, their level of competition, their history, their playing style (offense/defense methods, statistics, etc. – sport and team specific). Also, talk about exactly how you fit into the equation and can benefit the team on the playing field. Coaches recruit hundreds of players who offer different talents and backgrounds, but at the end of the day it’s about fitting into the scheme and the culture, so make sure the coach knows how you will fit into theirs.

Academics: While you are committing to play a sport, coaches appreciate hearing other reasons why you want to commit. Talking about academics is a great way to further your case. Mention the academic reputation of the school and/or specific curriculums that meet your passions or life goals.

Relationships And Personal: There are a number of personal elements that can solidify your reasoning for wanting to commit. By this time, you’ve probably developed extensive relationships with the coaching staff and other players, and have had a chance to be on campus one or more times. Be sure to express to the coach how the people, the social environment, and the teammates are a selling point for you. Coaches love well-rounded players who want to dedicate themselves to the program and overall culture of the school, so it can be helpful to outline how all of these personal elements are the right fit for you.

You never want to ask directly for an offer, but these are some ways that you can make a case for yourself and open up the opportunity that you want. Make sure that if you do express these things to a coach that it’s genuine and serious because there are many options out there for both you and the coach and you both want to commit to a situation that is best for both parties. Evaluate your interest on an athletic, academic, and personal level before making a commitment or expressing that you want to make one.

Overview Of The Commitment Process

Before coming to the point where it’s time to commit, there are numerous other steps in the overall recruiting process, so it’s helpful to understand a general overview of the communication and timing so you’ll know when to expect when it’s time for you to commit to a school. The exact details can vary for different sports and different divisions within collegiate athletics, but often the steps from initial interest to signing an official offer follow a general order.

Visits: When you get to the stage in recruiting where you’re being invited on official and unofficial visits and coaches are coming to see you play and meet your family, you’re leaping into the advanced stages where an offer might be looming. At this stage, you’ll have extensive phone and in-person contact with coaches, and you’ll start to become more informed on the logistics of achieving the ultimate goal – landing an offer.

Verbal Offers: In most cases, coaches will complete most of their evaluation and extend verbal offers to a number of players. When a verbal offer is made, coaches will usually give athletes a limited amount of time to accept and make a verbal commitment or reject and move out of the recruiting pool for that school. Verbal offers and commitments are technically non-binding and unofficial, but are expected to be honored by both parties. The important thing is to be prepared to make a decision when you get to this stage of the recruiting process, because a verbal offer can come at any time. You should try to make it clear to the coach before this stage that a verbal offer would interest you and worth it for them to extend.

National Letters Of Intent And Official Offers: Nothing is official until you sign a National Letter Of Intent (NLI), which is a binding contract between the school and the athlete. This is the official commitment which, if signed, will legally declare that you will attend the school as a student-athlete.

With an understanding of the steps leading up to a verbal commitment, you should gauge where you are in the recruiting process and prepare your answer if you are extended an offer.

Things To Keep In Mind

Understand Timing And Be Prepared: Remember to keep track of where you are in the recruiting process so you can be prepared to receive an offer or start expressing your interest in making a commitment. Coaches will start sending out verbal offers after official visits and family contact in most cases, so start thinking more about potential decisions when you get to that point in the recruiting process.

Best Ways To Communicate: When telling a coach that you want to commit, it’s best to do so in a personalized manner - preferably in-person but a phone call is also appropriate in a lot of scenarios. Avoid using email to commit to a college coach.

The Right Fit: The most important thing about making a commitment is making sure that the fit is valuable for both the school and the athlete. Think about the athletics but also the academics and personal factors that speak to this fit, and be sure to convey them with coaches when telling them that you want to commit.