How to Know If a College Coach is Interested in You
Once you have put in the work of identifying schools and reaching out to coaches, your list of potential colleges will takes shape based on what coaches are interested in you. Not every program you contact is going to be interested in you and not all coaches’ interest is the same. It is important you know how to read a coaches behavior to gauge how interested they are. In this article I explain the common ways coaches show interest and how that show of interest lets you know how serious they are.
No Contact Means No Interest
Rule number one, if a school hasn’t contacted you (or your coaches) in any way, don’t assume they are interested. Many people think a program might be interested in them, but isn’t showing interest yet because of the NCAA contact rules. The truth is, if a college program wants you to know they like you, they will find a way and they won’t wait. There are several different types of interest from coaches and they all mean different things.
If a Coach Gives You Their Personal Contact Info, That is a Great Sign
College coaches guard their privacy and while you can often find an email address and phone number for them on the school website, their personal info isn’t listed there. If you are a high value recruit, a coach will give you their personal cell phone number. Additionally, some coaches have a personal email (not listed on the school website) and they might give you that as well, so you can easily contact them. If you are fortunate enough to get this info from a coach, use it and show interest by calling and emailing your with questions.
Personal Letters or Emails Saying “We Know Who You Are”
The next best level of contact to receive from a coach is a letter, email or phone call, letting you know they know who you are and they will be continuing to watch you. This usually means they have you ranked in the second tier of their recruiting class and your offer (whatever it will be) will need to wait until they know what is going to happen with their top ranked recruits. This is a great position to be in (most schools miss out on their top recruits). If you are getting this type of interest, you will have to be patient because your offer is going to be determined by the recruits they have ranked ahead of you.
Impersonal Letters Inviting You to Camps or to Fill Out a Recruiting Questionnaire
The introductory level of interest a college program will show you is sending generic letters inviting you to camps or asking you to fill out a recruiting questionnaire. While this is better than not receiving anything, many athletes take this to mean the program is seriously recruiting them and they don’t follow up properly. Think of this a request for a highlight video or upcoming schedule; these coaches are looking for the info they can use to make a preliminary evaluation and see if they want to follow up and watch you more. It is critical you respond to any school that shows interest and don’t stop until you are getting personalized letters or phone calls.
With the stress and anxiety of the recruiting process, it is easy to over think communications with college coaches. If a program is very interested in you they will show it. If you aren’t getting the “we are in love with you” vibe from a school, they are probably still interested, but you might not be the top recruit. Keep working at it and your options will begin to materialize.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us or create a recruiting profile to talk with a scout.