A: Coaches need a REASON to come see you as a prospective student-athlete, it’s an investment and they are very selective about how they spend their time and budget. Coaches are investing travel time, flights, hotel stays, nights away from their family, practice time with their players – they need a reason to come see you.
To have a reason, they need a basic understanding of you as a player and student. They must see you play first (film, tournament, games, camps) or have heard great things about you from trusted sources (combine results, scouting services, prep coaches in your area).
You can contact them directly and send them your video and Student-Athlete Resume, along with a copy of your upcoming schedule. You can ask your HS/AAU/Club coaches to reach out to them, send film and give them their evaluations and recommendations. If you can, attending camp at that school can also be a way to get on their radar and get the process going.
If college coaches like what they see on film, see at camp or if they like what they hear from their trusted sources and prep coaches, and you fit a need they have for that signing class, they will do more research into you and may eventually come see you in person for themselves. Again, you need to give them a REASON to come see you. They won’t devote the travel time and resources to just come by your school to check you out—they want to already have an idea that you might be a fit for their program.
First and foremost, you need to reach out to the assistant coach who recruits your town or position. Do not start the process by trying to reach out to the head coach, you will get through much quicker if you find out which assistant coach is responsible for recruiting your position or town for that school. If they evaluate your play and think you’d be a fit for their program, they will make plans to see you in person, take your info to the head coach and the rest of the coaching staff and your recruitment will go from there.
