The topic of contacting schools is a question that I have been asked numerous times throughout recruiting seminars and individual consultations. As with many parts of the process this tends to be very specific to where the individual recruit is at in his/her own recruiting process. Obviously the higher ranked players don’t have to work as hard to contact coaches because they are being sought after by many coaches and will generate enough interest through a smaller number of intro emails. However as you move down the rankings list, the number of coaches you need to contact in order to insure you find the right fit increases. While some will be able to contact a small group of schools and generate enough communication and interest, it is rarely that easy.

I recommend contacting 75 or more schools initially. While this may seem like a lot, from my experience of working with players, they will get about a 20-30% return in regards to receiving a response, of that 20-30% about 50% of those responses are legitimate interest from a coach. Keep in mind that when I recommend “75 or more schools” that simply means that you have researched the school, identified it as a possibility and sent the coach an introduction email with your resume. After you have sent out all of your intro emails you will begin to narrow down the list to your top schools and to the schools where the coach replied to you. From there you need make phones calls and try to set up visits to those schools. Below are a few of the reasons why you need to contact as many coaches as possible:

  • More schools means more options – more options means more marketability – more  marketability means more leverage
  • Having several coaches interested in you is a confidence booster to know that you are wanted and being recruited.
  • Many of the schools that a recruit contacts aren’t within their athletic and academic range so many coaches won’t even reply or won’t consider them to be a prospective recruit
  • You’re much better off to have your initial visits and phone calls with a coach who isn’t at the top of your list. You can get some practice in by talking with coaches at schools that may not be your top choices so that you are more comfortable and prepared at the schools you really want to go to. Then you will also have those as fall back schools in case the others don’t work out.
  • You never know what is going to happen with your game, your goals and your future plans so if you only contact schools that are at your level and above you will miss out on opportunities that may end up being the best fit.
  • When you are looking at all the different aspects that must be considered when choosing the right fit, it can be very difficult to find a school and golf program that has them all (location, tuition, financial aid, size, major preference, coaching style, practice facilities, extracurricular activities, etc…)

“Almost 75% of emails I receive are from recruits who I can’t even recruit”. – Division I Women’s Coach

“Most families do not do their homework to know how good a team is or is not.” – Division I Women’s Coach

“Visit as many schools as you can in order to make the most educated decision about where to go to college.” – Division II Women’s Coach

“Be realistic in schools you contact and visit as many places as possible” – Division I Women’s Coach

“Kids don’t do enough research on more than one or 2 schools and then they end up unhappy” – Division I Women’s Coach

 

If you have any questions about the college recruiting process Brandi can be reached at bjackson@pkbgt.org.