MYTH 1: WAIT FOR THE COLLEGE COACH TO REACH OUT TO YOU.

Fact: The process will often start with your outreach. Remember, coaches can't be everywhere, and they only have so much time to spend on recruitment websites. So why not lead them to you? Start with the athletic forms on each college website. Then take a look to see if coaches post their email address; if they do, students should reach out to the coach directly as their second point of contact. In the email, they should introduce themselves both as a student and as an athlete. And while it's important to be humble, now's not the time to hold back—students should include all their impressive stats.

MYTH 2: I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE RIGHT TIME TO REACH OUT.

Fact: The NCAA rules limit only coaches' interactions, not your student's. So reach out! Just remember that a coach might not be allowed to respond to your student for a certain period of time, depending on the sport. The NCAA has four distinct periods of communication: contact, evaluation, quiet, and dead periods. It's important that your student familiarize themselves with these terms, but it shouldn't prevent them from reaching out to a coach. 

MYTH 3: COLLEGE RECRUITMENT IS TRANSACTIONAL.

Fact: When college recruitment works, it's all about relationships. If your student plans to be a college athlete, they need to get along with the coach (and the current team!). A coach is looking for a player who wants to learn on the field and in the classroom and who is willing to make sacrifices for the team. Similarly, students should be looking for a coach who cares about them, understands their needs, and supports them. Understanding these roles means that your student needs to be open and honest with the coaches, stay in touch, and ask lots of questions. 

MYTH 4: I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL I AM GOOD ENOUGH BEFORE I REACH OUT TO COACHES.

Fact: College coaches want to know a student and their growth in their sport. That means it’s almost never too early to start the process of outreach. If your student is a freshman or sophomore, they can start by creating an online presence for their athletics. There are plenty of recruitment sites, so they can create a profile there, update it often, include videos as they improve skills, and so on. Down the road, it's a great link to send coaches during outreach. And whenever in the process your student reaches out, they should mention the skills they're working on—and they can even ask for feedback. They may not always get a response, but it shows that they're always looking to improve.

MYTH 5: IF A COACH SENDS YOU A LETTER OR EMAIL, YOU ARE BEING RECRUITED.

Fact: You might be, but it's not a sure thing. Coaches will often start by sending out letters to everyone they can. They then base their next step of recruitment on who responds. So: always respond. Early in the recruitment process, we recommend that students always keep the lines of communication open—you never know what may happen!  As they move along the process, they can politely decline coaches' interest when they're 100% sure they don't plan on attending that school and playing for that coach. Until then, students should keep their options open.



When it comes to college coach outreach, always err on the side of open lines of communication. Your student should be open, authentic, and up for a challenge!