Levels of interest from college coaches

When receiving your first recruiting letters at the high school level, it is important to realize the differences between form letters, camp invites, hand written letters, phone calls, and scholarship offers.  These coaches have to find a very broad list of athletes to recruit so when you receive something from a Division I school, don’t be shocked if you are one of 5,000 other players in your class receiving the same letter. 

In reverse order of importance, here is my thoughts on the level of attention that colleges are showing you:

Camp Invite - While it is very true that college coaches will invite players to a camp to seriously consider them for a scholarship, these same coaches have to invite a lot of other players as well.  Some will tell the player that if they are the best quarterback or running back at the camp, they will offer.  And in some respects, that may be true but unlikely to happen.  At basketball and football programs across the country, the pay of coaches is supplemented with money that is earned during summer camps.  So if a coach wants to earn more money, he needs to get more athletes at the camp.  And at the same time, what this coach can do is invite any player who was named All State, All Conference, or All District the previous season.  If one player shocks everyone and eventually receives a scholarship, it was worth the $300 plus to go to the camp.  If not, the coach still gets paid for the camp by the player.  In the majority of cases, the player does leave camp without a scholarship offer. 

Form Letters - These are the generic letters from college coaches that are typed up and not personal at all.  It can include questionnaires (Which are worth filling out), brief talks about the school, updates on the program, and anything generic that has nothing personal about you at all.  This is another letter that could go to 5,000 different athletes throughout the country.  While these are nice to receive, getting one from a Division I school is far from being a Division I player.  Two quick notes about these before moving on.  When I was in high school, I received a questionnaire from the University of Texas El Paso, aka UTEP after my junior year.  This was after I put up less than one point per game.  In that same year, a soccer player who was in my grade had played football his first two years of high school but didn’t as a junior.  After that year, the University of Nebraska sent him a form letter.  So again, form letters mean little to nothing. 

Hand Written Letters - Receiving hand written letters from college coaches means that they are serious enough about you to spend enough attention to write out what should be a personalized note.  While it is unknown how many of these they write, and if they actually do write them (Which is what graduate assistants may be used for), they are a step up the recruiting importance chain.  One thing to note on these hand written letters.  I wrote about an athlete a few years back who was being recruited hard by two Division I football teams in-state and had received hand written letters from them during the spring of his junior year.  And this kid ended up playing sports at the Division III level.  Like I said, hand written letters are a step up but nothing to get a big head about.

Phone Calls - When receiving a phone call from a coach, you know that it is something that they are doing and it is impossible (Well, lets hope) for them to fake.  This gives you as a player a chance to learn more about the coach and their program.  This gives the coach a chance to learn more about you as a person and not just an athlete.  Athletes that are being seriously recruited by a school will receive a call during the open periods.  If you are a quiet kid, make sure to ask the coach questions about the program and show them they you are interested.  While they would not stop recruiting you from this, coaches will dread calling kids who are quiet and tough to talk to.  That is a known fact from coaches at all levels. 

Verbal Scholarship Offers - From what I have learned over the past few years, I personally wouldn’t think that I have an official offer until the paperwork comes in the mail.  Some coaches will verbally offer a player or hint around about it.  Really, this is a big step for you in the recruiting process.  The coach could tell you over the phone that there is an offer for you or while on a visit.  It is something to get excited about and few coaches will go back on their word.  But some may and that is why the official paperwork is what seals the deal.

Written Scholarship Offer - This may come after talking to the coaching staff or even randomly in the mail.  Some schools have been known not to say anything before and the paperwork shows up at an athlete’s house.  This basically means that you are in a great situation and you will likely not have to pay for college.  It is the dream of any athlete and shows that the time and effort you have put in over the past years of your life has paid off.  But it is important to realize that the hard work is only beginning if you are planning to play sports at the scholarship level.