If I receive a letter from a coach does that mean I am being recruited?
Just getting a letter from a college coach does not mean you are being seriously recruited. Some programs send out thousands of letters to a mailing list of student athletes just to see who is interested. That said, if you are receiving specific kinds of letters it could mean you are being seriously recruited and you need to move quickly. Here is a breakdown of the different letter types, what they mean and what you should do if you are receiving them.
- General letters about the school – These types of letters are non-personalized generic letters about the school and program. They are not signs of serious recruitment and are usually sent to hundreds if not thousands of recruits. You should respond to the letter with your own letter, email or phone call if you are interested in the school, but don’t think this means the coach is watching you. You should still be sending them film, stats and attempting to talk to a coach directly.
- Typed personalized letters asking you to contact them – These letters are usually sent after a college coach has made an initial evaluation of you (usually online or at a tournament or showcase). This means the coach likes what they saw athletically, and wants to move forward with the recruiting process. Coaches will send out letters like this to 50-200 athletes in order to find out who is serious and begin reducing their list of recruits to the most qualified athletes. It is critical you follow up in a timely manner to ensure the coach knows you are interested ahead of other athletes.
- Hand written letters letting you know they will be at your games – If a coach has indicated they are watching your games and evaluating you in person, it is a clear sign they are very interested. It doesn’t guarantee a scholarship yet, but means you have a better chance than most. At this point you should be scheduling regular contact (either on the phone or email) and trying to decide if this is the type of school you want to attend.
As a recruit or parent it can be really difficult to decipher how interested a coach is based on their interactions. If you have questions about a particular coach or just general questions, contact me on Google+ (my email is available there) or create a recruiting profile and one of our NCAA certified scouts can contact you.
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