How do I know if a School is Really Interested in Recruiting Me? |
Letters, contacts & visits don’t always indicate you are a coach’s top choice |
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Throughout the recruiting process, coaches
will send letters and emails to prospective
student-athletes as well as attend junior golf
tournaments to assess players’ skill levels
and on-course demeanors. Additionally,
coaches are permitted to phone prospects
beginning July 1st following the prospect’s
junior year in high school. Also at that
time, coaches can have face-to-face contacts
with recruits and their families. These
contacts generally occur on site at
tournaments once the player has finished the
tournament or at the prospect’s home. Campus
visits (both unofficial and official) also
play a key role in the overall recruiting
process.
So what does it mean if a coach sends you a
letter? Is a phone call (after July 1st) a
sign that the coach is planning to offer you a
scholarship? If the head coach (versus the
assistant coach) watches you play at a
tournament, are you someone he wants on his
team? These are a few of the many questions
that junior golfers and their families face
while trying to determine which schools are
really interested in recruiting them.
To help you answer these questions and to
better understand this process, I offer the
following suggestions and explanations:
Hand-written, personalized letters
from a coach are more meaningful than generic
typed letters.
Official visits (offered and paid
for
by a coach) are an indication that you are one
of the school’s top 3-4 recruits among your
graduating class.
On-campus meetings with coaches
held
during an unofficial visit do not necessarily
indicate that the coach is interested in
recruiting you. Oftentimes, they are courtesy
visits.
Regular (at least weekly) email
exchanges from the coaching staff insure that
you are a serious recruit and that the coaches
intend to maintain a dialogue with you
throughout the recruiting process.
Constant on-course playing
evaluations
at a tournament by members of a coaching staff
indicate that you are a top recruit and that a
scholarship offer is imminent.
A courtesy reply letter from a
school
does not mean that you are on their recruit
target list for your graduation class.
An introductory letter and
questionnaire sent to you as a sophomore
indicates that you are one of 20-30 prospects
on that coach’s recruiting list for your
graduation class.
In-home recruiting visits
scheduled by
a coach indicate serious interest and
generally lead to scholarship offers.
July 1st phone calls (following
your
junior year in high school) are a definite
sign that the coach is planning to recruit you
for the upcoming graduation class.
As you experience the college golf recruiting
process and communicate with specific coaches
through letters, emails, contacts, and campus
visits, try to assess how interested each
coach really is in recruiting you. This
analysis will help make the overall process
more efficient and will guide you along the
best path as you target various colleges.
Remember that actions always speak louder than
words, especially in the world of
recruiting.
Coach Brooks
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