Talking To College Coaches on the Phone

With November already here, that means that college football coaches will be spending a lot of their time after practice, calling senior prospects throughout the country. While this is far from the most essential piece of the recruiting process, it is much more important than many think. Not only can you as an athlete find out more about the coach, you can also learn about what the school has to offer. Parents, try not to be THAT parent who stays on the line and listens. You will have to trust your child through this.  

Be Confident

I understand that some individuals love to talk and that others don’t. Some people are just more outgoing and others are more introvert. Despite this, when it comes to talking to a coach, it is very important to not show your shy side and be confident. This may not make or break your chances of a scholarship offer but it could result in the coach not calling you back because communication is hard and trying to get more than one word answers out of you is a chore. 

I recently spoke to a Division I basketball coach and we were talking about a prospect he was recruiting. The coach and the athlete had a number of things in common that included similar backgrounds, similar high schools, and a lot of things that could help foster a productive conversation. This athlete, who by nature is not talkative, made the conversation as difficult as possible. While it is unsure if the coach will call this player back, I am willing to bet it is something that he is not looking forward to and may affect his decisions in recruiting.  

Ask Questions

As a prospect, you should take the time to learn more about the school. Ask questions about the location, their academics, their program, and anything else that comes to mind. These questions will show the coach that you are interested in learning more about their program. If you are naturally a quiet person, it shows that you are interested while letting the coach do most of the talking.  

Keep Your Options Open

If coaches are calling you, it is because they are interested in you. As I said, in regard to the levels of interest from college coaches, the phone call is the highest thing that they can do in recruiting, besides offering you a scholarship. It shows that they want to learn more about you and build a better relationship. Take the time to ask questions and seem interested. I have said it many times but keeping your options open is very important. Even if a Division III coach calls, respect him and offer him your time. In the end, that may end up costing you a chance to get an education at a very strong academic school.

Take Time to Organize and Prepare

If you are a very sought after prospect and are receiving call after call from coaches, it may be important to set up a time to finish your homework and still have a personal life. School work needs to come first and that should be remembered, although these calls are very important in the recruiting process. Another important thing to remember, is always call the coaches back. These people are taking their time to show you that they are interested, therefore it is a common courtesy to return a phone call to them and show them respect.  

All of these points are important in your recruiting process and StudentBlitz can help you with our 1 on 1 counseling to make sure you are taking the right steps to your dream. Create a recruiting profile and send it to hundreds of NCAA & NAIA programs for FREE.
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