Recently, a prospect that I work with had a high school game that three different college coaches attended to specifically watch her play. All three coaches came away from that game very interested in the prospect and have now started to recruit them, and to think, some people think that college coaches don’t recruit at high school games.
How did this happen? The prospect and I told the coaches that they were going to be in their area playing a game on a specific date and time and invited the college coaching staff to come and watch.
A lot of prospects will do this for tournaments and showcases and maybe at the start of a season, but reaching out to coaches a week or so before you are in the area of a particular college to let them know can pay big dividends. I suggest reaching out every time your club or high school team has a road game to the colleges in that area. I realize not all the colleges are places you might rate as a place you want to attend, but I also think the more schools that recruit you, the more the recruiting process can snowball, and all of a sudden you have more and more colleges that want you on their team.
My advice is to look ahead at your schedules, including club, high school, ODP, really anything for that matter, and look at colleges in the area of where your games will be. Don’t limit this to only showcases and the schools that are planning to attend those. A week or so before your game, email those coaches with specific game times and the location. Having a good video in your profile portion of your email will help a coach decide if attending is worth their time or not, but at the end of the day, coaches want to see recruits play in person! More importantly, if it is a single game, there is more time for the coach to focus on YOU, as opposed to a showcase where they may be there to recruit a whole list of players.
Another added benefit of this approach is that it is easier for coaches to communicate with you after the game, per the NCAA rules, and they aren’t having to race off to the next game at a showcase.
If you want to increase your chances and opportunities, let area college coaches know every time you have a game in their area. Trust me when I say that it will pay off for you.
Like all your outreach to college coaches – your subject line is very important. In this scenario, here is an example of an appropriate, eye catching subject line …
SUBJECT: Playing in your area next Tuesday – 2024 Grad – Dan Rothert – GK
Increase your exposure and opportunities and every time your team plays away – invite college coaches out to evaluate you.