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NOVEMBER 2009

The Importance of Developing a Plan and Following Up

Now that fall high school sports are almost over, it’s time to get really active in your college recruiting process.  Over the last two months we have focused on campus visits and how to evaluate various colleges that student athletes have visited.  This month, we’ll discuss and recommend the next steps you’ll need to take after you have either been contacted by a college coach or after you have visited a college campus.

If you have been an active subscriber to College GAMEplan for a while (from as little as just a couple of months to more than three years in our program) and you are currently a high school senior, you should have been receiving mail and/or been contacted by college coaches by now. 

No matter what response you have received, all of the coaches who have contacted you should be considered coaches that are/maybe interested in you attending their school.  They are coaches with a specific need and coaches looking to fulfill that need.  Perhaps they are looking for specific positions.  Perhaps they are looking for certain GPAs.  Or perhaps they are looking for more depth.  Either way they wouldn’t be looking at your player profile or reading your resume if they didn’t have a need.  So now that you are on their radar screen, use College GAMEplan's step-by-step guide to creat a "reverse-recruiting" program that puts you in control and is designed to separate you from others while convincing the coach that you are the very best person to help him or her. 

Step One:  Visit each campus from the comfort of your own computer by using College GAMEplan's virtual tour feature that instantly connects you to each college's web site.  Use the “College Evaluation Worksheet” to determine which college best matches the criteria you are looking for.  Click on each school's Admissions page to find information on student demographics, tuition costs, and admissions policies.  Then visit the Athletics (or Sports) link.  Here you can usually look up current roster information as well as Coaches information (usually including e-mail address and phone number). Check the team’s overall record, conference record, and schedule.  Check the height, weight and performance statistics of the school’s current players and look to see if they are graduating this year (therefore leaving openings that coaches will be anxious to fill). 

At first, this may seem somewhat monotonous but over time, you’ll get quicker at doing it and you’ll often get a very good idea of whether or not the school might be a good fit for you within just a few minutes of web-surfing.  Note: don’t rule any schools out at this point – just grade them using College GAMEplan's “College Evaluation Worksheet”.  

Step Two:  Use College GAMEplan's Letter Templates to send each coach an e-mail thanking them for reviewing your profile/resume.  Remember, the coaches you will be contacting are probably researching several other athletes in hopes that they will find the best and most well-rounded student athlete.  Contrary to popular belief, most colleges maintain high admissions standards and really do seek to recruit the best, brightest, AND most well-rounded total student-athlete versus recruiting only the best athlete regardless of grades.  Sending a letter after the coach has viewed your profile will: a) demonstrate your attention to detail; b) separate you from almost all of the other athletes he/she may have researched but never heard any more from; or c) provide evidence of your overall personality and well-roundedness as THE best potential student-athlete the school should be most interested in recruiting.

As I said, it is an easy, inexpensive and non-intrusive way to differentiate yourself from other student-athletes.  If you haven’t already heard from the coach, in many cases (and assuming you meet the admissions criteria of the school) this simple step will often generate further communication very quickly. 

Step Three:  Now that you have broken the ice and established contact with the coach, pick up the phone and call him/her.  If you are a senior, you can now for the first time in your high school career, call a coach and he can either call you back or talk to you live.  If you are an underclassman, you can call and leave a message letting the coach know you are interested and following up, but be aware that an NCAA coach will not be permitted to call you back (generally until after July at the end of your junior year but in some sports, coaches may call you one time prior to July).  Since coaches have busy schedules and are frequently away from their office, don’t be afraid to leave a message.  And if you are a senior and leave a message that doesn’t get called back, call them again.  Remember the potential dollars that might be at stake!  Even a small scholarship or grant can be worth several thousand dollars over four years of college.  So don’t be humble, pick up the phone and call the coach to introduce yourself. 

Step Four: Be prepared with “Questions To Ask A College Coach” during the phone call.  Remember, just like everything else, the better prepared you are the more relaxed you’ll be on the phone.  Enjoy the process and don’t be bashful.  Brag about yourself!  Don’t make the coach have to drag information from you.  Understand that coaches have been through these conversations every year with many different students.  It’s in their best interest to make you feel comfortable so therefore, very few are intimidating.  And remember too, that even in the smaller colleges, it is not unusual for coaches to delegate a great deal of the recruiting process to assistant coaches.  So if you can’t reach the head coach, don’t be afraid to call his assistant. 

Like the e-mail letter you sent prior to this step, be proud that you are following a plan.  And remember that most other students who might be vying for your spot on next year’s roster, probably are not “marketing” themselves in the same manner you are. 

I’ve included a list of questions to ask a coach at the link above and it is also listed on the My GAMEplan page of your subscription.  Print it, read it and get comfortable with it before calling the coach. And don’t be afraid to add any other questions that you feel are important to your own situation.

During the conversation, if it’s a school that ranks high on your evaluation worksheet and one that you might be interested in visiting, don’t be afraid to mention to the coach that you’d like to see the campus and that you are considering making a trip there.  If they are interested in you, most coaches will informally invite you to take an unofficial visit of their campus and facilities - they may even coordinate it with their Admissions staff.  Note:  You will be responsible for all your own expenses during these "unofficial" visits. For a list of the differences between “official” and “unofficial” visits, click on our College Visits link or visit the NCAA’s web site at www.ncaa.org.

Step Five:  Just as you sent a thank you e-mail earlier, send another after you have had a conversation with the coach.  For all the same reasons listed in Step Two, you will further impress the coach with your follow up abilities, your attention to detail, your well-roundedness, and your persistence.  Also, if you have a video tape of yourself playing, this would be a terrific time to send it as well.

What if I haven't been contacted yet?

While this article focuses particularly on seniors who have already been contacted by college coaches, the process is similar for seniors, juniors and other underclassmen who have not yet been contacted.  Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen should use College GAMEplan's letter templates to send out letters of introduction that introduce you and your accomplishments to college coaches.  If you are a senior and you have not yet been contacted by any college coach, contact College GAMEplan by email at info@collegegameplanonline.com immediately.  Give us a contact name, phone number and the best time to call.  Since timing is now extremely important, we'll make every attempt to contact you in an effort to personally get your college athletic career on track.  While it's not too late, it is getting very late!

MOST IMPORTANT – NCAA Eligibility Center Reminder  If you are a high school senior planning to play at the NCAA Division I or II level, it is required that you complete and submit your registration with the NCAA's Eligibility Center.  If you have not already done so, visit https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/ to understand its requirements.  Then meet with your high school college counselor to make sure you are academically eligible.  Remember, NCAA athletic scholarships will only be awarded if you are registered through the NCAA Clearinghouse so failing to register not only means you cannot play in college, but it also means you cannot receive financial aid.  Don’t procrastinate, since this is an academic verification process, it can take several weeks to complete the process.  If you plan to commit early, be sure to register immediately.