April 17th, 2022 by Mike Getman
How or when to contact college coaches. The rules can be complicated and they change from year to year. This is a basic guide, but you can find all the details at www.ncaa.com. If you have sent out your resume as I spoke about in the Get Soccer Newsletter and made other attempts to let the College Coaches know of your interest, then what are the NCAA rules Coaches must follow about contacting prospects?
Coaches may not call you or return your phone calls until after June 15 leading into your Junior year of High School. After that date, they can call you whenever they wish. Before this time, they can answer your calls and speak with you on the phone, but only if you placed the call.
Coaches can send you a letter or email after June 15 leading into your Junior year. Before that, they can only send you a recruiting questionnaire and information on their camps. They cannot send you any recruiting information before September 1 of your Junior year, even if you sent them something first.
Coaches cannot have direct contact with you off their college campus before August 1 proceeding your Junior year. If you bump in to a coach at one of your games, he can say hello and be polite, but he is not allowed to have any recruiting conversation with you or your parents.
College coaches can speak with your Club or High School coach almost anytime. Most college coaches will call your coaches to learn about your interests and to follow up on any communication you may have sent them. This is typically one of the first steps a college coach will take.
Contact on the college campus is a different thing. Once you step foot on the college campus, the coach is allowed to speak with you or your parents. Full blown recruiting conversations are acceptable once you are on campus. These “unofficial” visits are a great way to get to know the coach and the school. The coaches can show you around campus and answer all of your questions. This is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the recruiting process. These visits are now restricted to your Junior and Senior years in High School.
Participating in a College ID Camp is another great way to get to know college coaches. They can work with you on the field and see how you handle yourself off the field as well. You will also get to know the coaches much better when you are spending that much time together. How do you fit with the personality of the coach? Is this someone you want to spend the next 4 years of your life with? Camp is a great way to find out.