I’ve wrote before about the importance of introducing yourself to college coaches via emails and/or social media.

How you reply to the coaches who respond to your introductory messages is also very important.

I’ve seen players get stuck after sending introductory messages because they don’t reply effectively.

The most common responses from college coaches are as follows:

• Camp Invitation

• Complete Questionnaire

• Confirmed Interest

• Generic Response

• No Interest

ALL of these responses need skillful replies.

The following are ACTUAL email responses my players have received from college coaches. I’ve included examples of good and bad player replies to these emails.

Camp Invitation

A camp invitation is the most common response you will receive from a college coach after sending an introductory email.

Here’s an example:

This type of response is frustrating because it gives no indication that the coach watched your videos.

Going to the camp MIGHT be beneficial, but ONLY if you can determine…

• The coach is in need of your position for your grad class

• The coach watched your videos and has a positive first impression

Here’s a BAD reply to this email:

This reply does NOTHING to help you determine if going to the camp is ACTUALLY worth your time and money.

Try this response instead:

This reply put the ball back in the coach’s court to respond back to you. If he’s not willing to answer your questions, going to the camp is likely NOT worth your time and money.

Here’s an alternative reply that I like even better:

I LOVE this response because it puts the ball back in the coach’s court to respond back to you AND it asks them to communicate in a more personal way.

If the coach isn’t willing to schedule a phone call, going to the camp is likely NOT worth your time and money.

If the coach IS willing to schedule a phone call, you can ask specific questions during the call to get feedback on your videos and determine his initial interest level.

Complete Our Questionnaire

Asking you to complete an online questionnaire is another common response to introductory recruiting messages.

Here’s an example that one of my players received:

If you receive this response, complete the questionnaire as requested, then reply.

Here’s a bad reply:

Why is this reply bad?

Because it doesn’t ask to move the process forward. We still need to find out if…

• The coach is in need of your position for your grad class

• The coach watched your videos and has a positive first impression

Here’s a better response:

This puts the ball back in the coach’s court to respond back to you.

As I mentioned above, if the coach IS willing to schedule a phone call, you can ask specific questions during the call to get feedback on your videos and determine his initial interest level.

Confirmed Interest

The BEST response from a college coach is one that confirms interest right away.

Here’s an example that one of my players received:

Your reply to this message is obvious…answer his question:

Here’s another example:

This is a positive response because the coach expresses interest, but he still doesn’t propose a next step.

Here’s a bad reply:

This reply is open-ended and does nothing to move the process forward.

Here’s a good reply:

Again, this put the ball in the coach’s court to respond and ASKS to move onto the next step.

Here’s another example of a response from a coach that indicates interest:

This is MUCH better than a camp invitation because the coach is inviting you to workout with the team (NOTE: NCAA schools aren’t allowed to have you workout with the team).

Here’s a poor reply:

Instead, suggest some specific dates that work well for you:

Alternatively, if you want to learn more about the program before committing to the visit/workout, ask to set up a phone call:

Here’s a final example of an email one of my players received indicating positive interest:

This is a great response because the coach is offering to move onto the next step of the recruiting cycle (a phone conversation) without you having to ask.

Reply like this:

If he doesn’t respond withing 24 hours, send a text with the following message:

If he doesn’t respond within 48 hours, call him. Leave the following voicemail if he doesn’t answer:

Generic Response

Sometimes coaches will respond with a very short and generic response such as:

Most of the time the coach won’t actually stay in touch unless you continue to engage with them.

I recommend replying and asking to schedule a phone call:

Again, this reply puts the ball back in the coach’s court to reply back to you (do you sense a theme!).

If the coach isn’t willing to schedule a phone call, he’s likely not really interested in “staying in touch.”

Not Interested

Some coaches are VERY up front and honest if they aren’t interested. Here’s an example:

This type of response will sting at first (nobody likes being told they aren’t wanted).

This response, however, is MUCH BETTER than a generic camp invitation, a generic request to complete an online questionnaire, or a generic “we’ll keep in touch” message.

Why?

Because the coach is letting you know exactly where you stand so you don’t have to waste time continuing to try to engage with him.

When the coach tells you he’s not interests, reply like this:

You could also ask for some clarification:

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.