Do you communicate effectively with college coaches?

If not, you’re leaving potential options on the table.

How well you communicate is a HUGE factor in the success of your recruiting process.

The players I work with who communicate effectively end up with more options, regardless of their talent level.

Without effective communication, the following questions will go unanswered:

• How can you get on the radar of college coaches?

• How do you determine a coach’s interest level?

• Why isn’t the coach responding?

• What is the next step in the process for a particular school?

• Etc.

Here’s the MOST important question that will go unanswered:

• Which school/program is YOUR best fit?

Have you:

• Sent a bunch of emails without getting a response?

• Received only camp invitations and requests to complete questionnaires?

• Stopped receiving communication from a coach who showed interest initially?

• Attended a camp, but still don’t know where you stand?

• Etc.

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you need to communicate more effectively.

How?

You first need to understand the cycle of communication within the recruiting process.

I’ve distilled this cycle into four steps:

1. Introduction

2. Interest

3. Offer

4. Decision

Communicating effectively will help you move from one step to the next seamlessly.

Let’s look at each step in more detail.

The Communication Cycle for College Baseball Recruits

1. Introduction

Introducing yourself to college coaches is the obvious first step.

Once you determine your target schools, I recommend introducing yourself via:

• Email

• Twitter

Here’s a thread I wrote a while back with advice on introducing yourself via email:

Check out this newsletter for advice on using Twitter:

Here are the essentials:

• Name

• High School

• Club/Travel Team

• Profile/Videos

• Metrics

• Stats (varsity level)

• Academic Information (GPA/ACT/Major)

• References (coaches, advisors, etc.)

You should also include WHY you’re interested in the school.

2. Interest

What’s the goal of your introductory messages?

Attracting INTEREST!

If a coach expresses interest, you’ve entered the second step of the communication cycle.

Don’t automatically assume a coach’s response to your introductory email or DM indicates interest.

Many initial responses will include:

• A camp invitation

• A request to complete a questionnaire

• Or both

Often these are sent without even reading your message.

My advice for camp invitations:

Ask to schedule a phone call before committing to attend the camp. If the coach isn’t willing to schedule a brief phone call, it’s not worth attending.

My advice for questionnaire requests:

Complete the questionnaire, then reply and ask to schedule a phone call. Again, if the coach isn’t willing to talk on the phone, he’s not interested.

What are some signs of high interest?

• The coach responds to your introductory message with high praise for your skill set, indicating he did watch your videos.

• The coach sends a text message

• The coach gives you a call.

• The coach calls your references.

• The coach invites you to visit campus.

Your main goal:

Progress from emails (or DMs) to texts and phone calls to a campus visit as quickly as possible.

3. Offer

The final (and most important) sign of interest is an offer. Offers come in three forms:

• Scholarship

• Walk-On

• Roster Spot

Here is the breakdown of scholarships allowed at each level of college baseball:

• NCAA D1 = 11.7 scholarships (can be divided between 27 players)

• NCAA D2 = 9 scholarships

• NCAA D3 = No athletic scholarships

• NAIA = 12 scholarships

• NJCAA D1 = 24 scholarships (tuition + room/board)

• NJCAA D2 = 24 scholarships (tuition only)

• NJCAA D3 = No athletic scholarships

These are the MAXIMUM allowed scholarships, but not all programs are fully funded (meaning some institutions don’t financially support the full number of scholarships allowed).

If you’re not offered a scholarship, you might receive a walk-on offer. Different programs handle walk-ons differently, but a walk-on offer doesn’t necessarily guarantee a roster spot (you might be cut).

Since the D3 levels can’t offer athletic scholarships, the best they can offer is a roster spot. This means you’re guaranteed a spot on the team (you won’t be cut).

The nature of the offers you receive can help you estimate a coach’s interest level, but they aren’t a perfect indicator. You may be the top recruit for a D3 program (which can only offer a roster spot) and receive a small scholarship offer from another program that isn’t nearly as interested.

The most important number to consider is the final out-of-pocket cost for each school (including athletic scholarships, academic scholarships, grants, loans, work study, etc.).

DON’T be afraid to talk to the coaching staff and/or financial aid office at each school about your offers. If you don’t understand something, ASK!

When should you expect an offer?

Often the head coach will make an offer during your campus visit.

If he doesn’t, don’t leave campus without asking about next steps. Don’t leave the process open-ended.

Here are some questions you can ask:

• What are the next steps?

• If I decide to attend school here, will I at least have a roster spot?

• Is there a possibility for me to receive athletic money to help pay for school?

The coach may tell you that he needs to see you play more before making a decision about an offer, but at least you’ll be clear on where you stand?

4. Decision

The final step in the communication process is up to you!

You get to decide whether to commit to a program or not.

Either way, communicate with the coaching staff appropriately.

If you decide to commit, call the head coach to let him know. Say something like this:

“I’ve decided to accept your offer and am excited to join your program!”

This is a fun conversation!

The conversation won’t be fun if you decide to decline the offer, but still necessary.

If a coach has invested time and resources recruiting you and liked you enough to extend an offer, he deserves a phone call (not a text message or email). Say something like this:

“I really appreciate the offer to join your program, but I’ve decided to commit to [other school] instead.”

The coach will likely ask why you chose the other program instead. Have some legitimate reasons prepared:

• You felt a better connection with the coaching staff.

• You think your opportunity for early playing time will be better.

• You like the academic opportunities better.

• Etc.

The coach may seem upset in the moment, but he will respect you for calling to let him know.

I hope this helps!

Feel free to reply/comment with any questions and/or insights.

All the best!

- Matt

P.S. If you'd like to schedule a free consultation with me to discuss your specific recruiting process, reply to this email or sent me a text at 319-883-0242.