You may think that your son’s talent is the only thing that matters to coaches but that’s not true. Coaches want to feel confident that their recruits will succeed in their schools and get along with other players. Talented players can’t help a team if they can’t get the grades needed to stay elligble to play. Coaches are looking for self-confident and responsible players.
Parents should leave the initial contact with coaches to their son. College coaches are recruiting your son to play (not you), and they want to understand what kind of person he is. The only exception would be if the coach contacts you first or includes you when he first contacts your son. Your son needs to be the person who corresponds with coaches during the recruitment process with guidance from you. Here are some DOs and DON’Ts when contacting prospective college coaches:
DOs:
- Edit your son’s emails to make sure the grammar and punctuation are correct and to help him maintain a professional tone throughout the email.
- Create an email account for your son and have him email coaches using that account. It’s very helpful to include your son’s name and graduation year in your son’s email address (e.g., Johndoe2014@online.com). Have your son add his high school to the subject line when he sends emails. Coaches receive countless emails each day, so making it easy to know where your son is from and his graduation year will help him get better recognition.
- Take a role in following up on timelines and unanswered questions. For example, if your son is in a position to choose between schools, make sure you know the amount of time your son has to decide before either of the coaches moves on to another player.
DON’Ts:
- Do not address a coach by his first name.
- Do not send emails to coaches from parents’ email accounts.
- DO NOT EVER attempt to leverage one coach over another in an email or in any other way. College baseball coaches communicate frequently and know exactly what other coaches tell recruits. This is one of the most common reasons why players are removed from recruiting lists.
In Person
DOs:
- Let your son introduce himself to the coach.
- Let your son introduce you and any other family members to the prospective coach. (Make sure he knows how to introduce people properly.)
- Be sure to let the coach know that you and your son are very interested in the program and looking forward to getting to know more about the school.
- Ask where the program finds most of its players (camps, showcases, summer ball, etc.)
DON’Ts:
- DO NOT INTRODUCE YOUR SON TO A COACH.
- Do not ramble and brag about your son to any college coach. Give them a basic breakdown (what school he goes to, what position he plays), and let the coach ask specific questions.
- Do not overshadow your son. Let him do most of the talking. Coaches love players who take initiative and are able to present themselves with confidence.
“I didn’t know much about the recruiting process. This was a whole new experience for me. I let my son contact coaches and take the reigns during this recruiting process. I bounced ideas off him and asked him about his decision to ensure he was truly going to a place where he was going to be happy. This could not have worked out any better for both my son and myself.” –Mom, Active D1 Infielder, CA
