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Written By: Tyler Zupcic
College Recruiting Emails- What Do They Really Mean?
With college fall seasons cooling down, the final push for camp numbers is heating up. For instance, when you receive an email from a college coach do you even know if it's 'legit' or not? I want to breakdown all the different types of emails that are sent from college coaches. Above all, their actual recruiting interest in you.
"My Son Johnny Just Received a Recruiting Email"
All too often, I get an email or a phone call from a parent or client telling me that their son/daughter or themselves received an email from a coach or a camp invite from a coach and ask me what they should do. However, not all emails are created the same. Because of this, there are many different interpretations that are made when the athlete and parent are not informed on what they all really mean.
I wanted to give our clients and our readers information on how to decipher emails they are being sent from college coaches. For instance, here are three different kinds of emails that are typically sent:
- Generic Camp Email
- Moderate Interest Email
- VIP Recruit Email
Using information from previous Baseball Rebellion recruiting articles/podcasts, as well as the help of former Division-1 Volunteer Assistant (and camp email sender) Eric Tyler, we will breakdown the three most common types of emails that high school athletes will receive from coaches. In addition to the proper response to each.
Generic Camp Recruiting Email
This email is without a doubt the most common. Because of this, it is usually sent from an automatic mailing service. The email list is compiled by coaches, operation directors, or interns. Just because you are sent this email does not mean this school is interested in you. But if you do receive it it doesn't mean you're not a prospect to these coaches.
Unfortunately, the NCAA refused to pass the bill to pay three assistant coaches on a baseball staff. Therefore, the volunteers will continue to send these emails to make money.
Here is an example of a generic camp email as well as things to look for:
Ways to Respond to Generic Camp Emails
If this is a school that you are interested in, or a school that you are interested in is attending the camp, then you need to get registered right away to assure you have a spot. After that, reach back out to the coach. Let that coach know that you have registered and are very excited to be attending. Because of this, it could help the coach remember you and maybe pay a little extra attention to you on the day of the camp. Don't bombard them with emails. One follow-up email after you register works.
If it is a school that you are not interested in, make sure you let them know that. That way they can get you off their database and move on to others. However, any time you receive an email from a coach you need to respond.
Moderate Interest Recruiting Email
The next most common email is one where more information is given about the school and the program to the prospective student-athlete. Therefore, there's a good chance that they have seen you play and something you did spark their interest.
What separates this email from others is the fact that some student-athletes can misinterpret this as the school having a high-level interest. However, an informative email is a sign that you could be trending towards being actively recruited by that school. Here is an example of the moderate interest email:
Ways to Respond to the Moderate Interest Recruiting Email
Again, if this is a school you are interested in, you need to respond right away. Let the coach know that you have been researching the school and the baseball/softball program. Next, get the questionnaire filled out immediately. After that, make sure they have all the information they need on you (phone number, high school coach's number, etc.) to contact you further.
Another great thing you can do is set a time where you and your family can go visit that school and watch a game (if the coach does not invite you directly). Above all, make sure you reach out to the coach and let them know that you will be on campus and would like to say "hello". IF they have time.
VIP Recruiting Email- ACTUAL INTEREST
The last email we will cover is one that is rarely sent and is only sent to the highest level of recruits for that university. Because of this, most of the time this email may never even be sent. More times than not this conversation will happen over the phone. However, if you are sent an email like this, we want you to be prepared for what the next steps are and what you should be expecting:
Ways to Respond to VIP Recruiting Email
Typically, when you have received an email like this, the coaching staff has all the information they need on you and might be ready to make an offer. Because of this, you need to get back to the Head Coach (or Recruiting Coordinator) right away. After that, set up a time to visit the city, campus, and baseball/softball facilities.
The quickest way to get yourself crossed off numerous school's lists is to not respond to emails of this magnitude. Above all, if you are receiving this kind of email you are closer to having your dream of playing in college come true.
Tips From College Coaches About Recruiting Email Communication
Here are some email tips that I have heard coaches talk about before that could help you stand out among the masses of prospective student-athletes who they contact:
- Have an email that has your name and graduation year in it.
- (ex: tylerzupcic2009@baseball.com)
- The last thing a coach wants to do is figure out who slickfieldingss2132@baseball.com is.
- ALWAYS put your contact information at the end of your email. Make sure your full name, phone number, address and high school coaches information is included.
- Send your high school and travel team schedule when initial contact is made. This will help save the coach many hours trying to scour the internet trying to look for when you're playing.
- Don't use text abbreviations in your email. Get a dictionary and type out a grammar free, well thought out response.
Have More Recruiting Questions?
In conclusion, if there are other topics that you would like Baseball Rebellion Recruiting to cover please reach out to us! Send your questions or topics to tyler@baseballrebellion.com.
**Disclaimer- I have talked about this in every article and on the podcast and I want to preface this list by talking about it again. We cannot stress enough the importance of BEING REALISTIC with your ability level and schools that line up with your talent**
