Professional communication is an essential part of the recruitment process for collegiate athletes. Just like improving your sports skills, it takes practice and refinement.
We know that responding to recruiting coaches can be tricky. It’s not an innate skill, but something you’ve got to learn and develop. You’ll want to make sure that your communication skills are up to the task. Schools want to see that you’re interested in maintaining balance in your life as a student athlete, which means cultivating a diverse set of skills.
Below, we’ll go over some things you can do to highlight your communication skills with a college coach.
Why your response matters
How you respond to a college coach’s email is directly correlated to a coach’s perception of you. A college coach wants to know that you can communicate effectively. Your communication skills often reflect your maturity and breadth of skills off the field; fine-tuning them can only benefit you.
Having a thoughtful and timely response versus a quick, text message-style response says a lot about you as a potential athlete and student. Knowing how to email a college coach with professional content demonstrates that you are serious about the program and are showing it the respect it deserves, indicating that you’ll be a stellar representative of the program even after you retire from sports.
Email communications might be the first interaction you have with a potential coach for your undergraduate studies. Making sure that interaction is positive and leaves a good impression is important. You want to build trust and reliability early on.
Tips on how to structure a response and what to include
Below, we’ll go over the factors that you want to think about when responding. You’re going to be a collegiate athlete, and a coach is going to expect you to respond appropriately. Be sure to ask good, relevant questions, not just what you think they want to hear. A well-structured email helps coaches quickly understand who you are, what you bring to the table, and why you’re reaching out.
Athletic statistics
Athletic statistics can help a recruiting coach understand where you are in your field. It can help highlight what you’ll bring to the table and how you can help the team. Your statistics will show a coach how you might compare to other potential athletes.
When you’re sharing these stats, try to keep it as objective and emotionless as possible. List helpful data points like times, ranking, positions you’ve played, height, weight, and season averages. A coach will appreciate clarity and ease of access to this information.
Academic achievements
While you are looking into an athletic position, academic achievements are also important. They will show a potential recruiter that you’re able to do well in school as well as out on the field. It’s particularly relevant for eligibility as a collegiate athlete.
When listing this information, follow the same principle for athletic statistics: keep it objective. Share your GPA, test scores, academic honors, and intended major. Don’t comment on them or talk about how hard it was. You want to avoid sounding arrogant and instead come across as qualified and mature.
Exploring your options as a collegiate athlete? Explore UB’s athletic teams and learn how student-athletes are supported on and off the field.
Highlight videos
If you have any highlight videos, pick 1–3 to include in your email. Be sure to talk about what you’re attaching and why. Recruiting coaches receive a lot of emails, so you’ll want to make sure you point out that there is an attachment to view.
Pick a video or two that really highlight your strengths as quickly as possible. Label each video and write a few sentences explaining what each video includes.
Keep it positive and professional
Keep your emails as succinct as possible while including all the right information. Recruitment coaches get a lot of emails, so knowing how to respond to a college coach email — and doing it well — can help your chances of getting an offer.
Don’t forget your “thank yous” at the end of the emails. Thank them for their time and consideration. A simple demonstration of manners like this can make a big difference in their perception of you. They want to know that you’re not only interested in playing sports, but also developing as a professional.
Common mistakes to avoid in your response
- Casual tone: Keep all your email exchanges with universities professional. Don’t use abbreviations or a casual tone. You’re not texting your friends — avoid slang and emojis.
- Spelling and grammar errors: Read your emails aloud to catch all your errors. Run your email through a spell checker to make sure everything comes out well. Proofread multiple times and have someone else proofread if you can.
- Delayed response: Make sure your responses are consistently prompt. You don’t want a coach to wonder if you got their email. A delayed response might make a coach think that you’re not interested, so stay on top of your inbox. How to email a college coach largely involves proving your reliability.
Start your collegiate athletic career at University of Bridgeport
At University of Bridgeport, coaches are excited to communicate with you on and off the field. With an array of sports teams, UB is a top choice among collegiate athletes. We emphasize a balance of athleticism and academic excellence in an environment conducive to student-athlete success.