Communication with Coaches

During his junior year my son (2020RHP) would send updates after his starts during the HS and summer season to a few coaches he'd been in contact with, so basically weekly. As interest increased/decreased some ghosted him, and vice versa.

In the end, the school he committed to he had very little contact with, he ended up having 1 email, and 1 call with the RC. After seeing video and rapsodo data early in the spring, the RC came to watch him pitch 2 innings in mid summer, called him the next day, and we went to visit 2 days later.

Some schools asked to be called at regular intervals, some did not. Our experience is the ones further away wanted to talk, lol. My guess is as the coach is making a decision about who he wants, he likes to keep stringing the recruit along, so that recruit doesn’t forget about his program. 

I guess the question is why did your kids continue to do it if they weren't getting much out of it? What are the coaches getting out of knowing that a potential college athlete is having good starts (as expected)? My thought process was always that if the coach cared enough he would be there, or if he only saw him once or twice he would be on a flight to see a start. At the very least a personal camp invite. I figured the more a coach saw you without making an offer was a bad sign. 

I know there was a coach who asked for the fall schedule and then wanted to know how he did. I asked 2019 if he texted ______. He said do I really have to text this guy and let him know I went 1-3 in a meaningless fall game. What is that information going to do for him? 

I understand the stringing along and the don't forget about us approach for the schools, but as a player at what point do you just say this is really unnecessary?

PABaseball posted:

I understand the stringing along and the don't forget about us approach for the schools, but as a player at what point do you just say this is really unnecessary?

Ok I’ll take this one, easy question. The point at which the recruit is no longer interested in that particular school. 

PABaseball posted:

 

I understand the stringing along and the don't forget about us approach for the schools, but as a player at what point do you just say this is really unnecessary?

When my son was committed. Until then, the little extra amount of work it took for my son to do this, we thought it was worth it.

I will bite.  Yes.  From freshman year until he committed we sent an email at the start of the season for high school giving schedule and then summer to every SEC/ACC and most of the Big 12 and other schools that requested throughout midwest and southeast.   We sent updates each week as to how the team and son did in hitting and pitching.  I thought will anyone really care.  That summer, we had 4 or more coaches say they kept up with how he had done through the emails and appreciated the updates.  Some were dropped as there was no interest from one side or the other.  Continued to do this into Sophomore year.  Actually missed a couple of weeks during high school season and had several coaches question us if something happened so we sent them again regularly.  He began receiving offers in his freshman year and increased into his sophomore year.  He received a lot of contact from coaches wanting to know how school was going and other things in his life.  The ones who were really interested even contacted him, legally or not, during basketball and football to know how he was doing. 

I think it is like dating as I have said.  There has to be constant communication to show interest.  it may not be full interest at that time but interest.  Even after offers were made, the school's HC or RC would contact him regularly wanting to know how life was going.  Despite most people on here saying it never happens.  Many even called me to see how he was doing since I was his HS HC and they knew I would be honest I reckon, or they just wanted to keep in touch with me and show interest.   One school that made an offer never contacted him after offer but contacted me regularly because I built a strong bond with the HC.  

After he committed, we contacted every coach that had talked to him at any point or that we had sent anything to thinking them for their interest.  The school that he is at continued to contact him regularly, once a month, through one of the coaches or even a few players that knew him already where he was going.  The HC, PC, and RC came and watched him pitch at least 15 times in summer and fall after committed, never spring.  I don't know that they ever traveled to watched him specifically after he committed but they would always ask when he was pitching each week at Lakepoint or Florida.  Always spoke to me and him.  They also kept up with him through somewhere else because when he had a great game in HS he could count on a text from HC or PC. 

I will also say that it is about relationships.  The summer after his junior year when he had committed to Tennessee we saw about 10 or more coaches who had recruited him as HC, PC, or RC.  They came and spoke to me and him.  One of those who he will now compete against our family has built a strong connection with because of how he recruited and treated our family.  We are friends on several forms of social media and I saw where he had a new child.  I sent him a text and he responded immediately.  We talked about family and he asked about my son's experience at college.  Relationships are built and many last.  We still have friendships with coaches who recruited my middle son 12 years ago.  Many recruited my younger son for a short time not realizing he was the little brother who was running around.  Our experience has been that long term relationships in many cases are built.  It will be interesting to see how it is handled this spring when my son faces about 6/7 of the coaches who he had a great relationship with during the recruiting process and since.

I think the different levels of ball is different.  P5 ball is so competitive that they have to keep up with the players they are wanting.  I don't know if it is the same at D2 or D3 or NAIA or JUCO.  I will say my middle son is college softball and he constantly stays in touch with his girls that he is recruiting until they commit somewhere.  Then after he gets commits he still keeps up with them and goes and watches them play.  Lost a recruit last year because she said another school continued to contact her and come watch her more than he did.

If coaches express interest and want to follow you, you are on their list.  You could be 2nd on their list or 50th, but you are on their list.  There was/is something about you they like, and they are waiting to see if you develop the way they think you potentially might develop, and/or they are waiting to see if the players ahead of you on their list commit elsewhere or their progress stagnates or whatever...

It makes sense to stay in touch with a coach that you want to commit 3-4 years to playing for...

Recruiting is really a 2 way street.  Yes, the player has to sell themselves, but the school/coach has to sell themselves, too

My son had several scenarios with coaches.  Coach #1 followed my son all summer (before junior year) and saw him play probably a dozen games.  When he finally reached out and talked to my son he invited us to campus, my son stayed over, and he made an offer.  This was fall of junior year.  He told my son he could take his time to give an answer.  He called my son every couple/few weeks through the rest of fall, winter and spring, and into the summer of rising senior year.  He was low pressure and just keeping tabs on where my son's head was at.  My son wasn't sure he wanted to go there so he did not commit.

Coach #2 also started following my son during summer before junior year, and after Jupiter he invited us to campus an my son to stay overnight.  He called my son every few weeks through the winter and spring, but no offer.  Perhaps he was keeping son "warm" until they could see more of him in the summer.  During the summer (rising senior year) he watched son play numerous times, invited him to campus again, and made an offer.

Coach #3 engaged my son during summer of junior year, called regularly for an entire year, but never offered.  This was a head scratcher for us, but I've concluded my son was never his first choice and he was keeping son "warm".

Coach #4 reached out to my son in June of rising senior summer, and went to see him play in Georgia and Arizona, then invited him to campus where we had an amazing weekend, and coach made an offer.  This all happened very quickly once my son scored high enough on his ACT.

I would say that my son initiated contact with coaches 2, 3 and 4 via emails, which he started sending out in the spring of his sophomore year.

My son sent texts to about 10 coaches after every game he pitched in--summarizing how things went, what he did well, what he wanted to improve on, and when his next start would be. I think that provoked some marginally interested people into coming to see him live.

He also had two or three coaches who called so regularly that when one missed a week, my son's first words the next time they talked were "hey, I was worried about you."

When you ask if it was worth it, I think you have to answer that on two or three levels.

Recruiting — yes. Some of the coaches he talked with were ones he was pursuing, others were pursuing him. It was all a big "just want you to know I care dance" along with some legitimate getting to know if they were a fit for each other.

Future — the mantra at our house is "if pro baseball doesn't work out, son wants to teach and coach." Every one of those coaches he talked to is a future employer or reference for son. And he is a reference for the school. He's much more likely to tell a player coming up about a school where he had a relationship with the coach versus one where he did not.

Acting like a grown up — whatever job my son seeks, the ability to talk to adults in a serious way about himself and his goals and aspirations, and to demonstrate a sincere interest in what the other person has to say, was well worth learning.

Just before he committed a new coach called him — it was the guy's first head coaching job and he'd been in it for just a couple of weeks. Son commented later— yea, he didn't really know what to do or what to ask so I walked him through it. He'll be good eventually.

Iowamom23 posted:

My son sent texts to about 10 coaches after every game he pitched in--summarizing how things went, what he did well, what he wanted to improve on, and when his next start would be. I think that provoked some marginally interested people into coming to see him live.

He also had two or three coaches who called so regularly that when one missed a week, my son's first words the next time they talked were "hey, I was worried about you."

When you ask if it was worth it, I think you have to answer that on two or three levels.

Recruiting — yes. Some of the coaches he talked with were ones he was pursuing, others were pursuing him. It was all a big "just want you to know I care dance" along with some legitimate getting to know if they were a fit for each other.

Future — the mantra at our house is "if pro baseball doesn't work out, son wants to teach and coach." Every one of those coaches he talked to is a future employer or reference for son. And he is a reference for the school. He's much more likely to tell a player coming up about a school where he had a relationship with the coach versus one where he did not.

Acting like a grown up — whatever job my son seeks, the ability to talk to adults in a serious way about himself and his goals and aspirations, and to demonstrate a sincere interest in what the other person has to say, was well worth learning.

Just before he committed a new coach called him — it was the guy's first head coaching job and he'd been in it for just a couple of weeks. Son commented later— yea, he didn't really know what to do or what to ask so I walked him through it. He'll be good eventually.

Good outside of the box thinking. 

Coaches who are smart understand there is nothing lost on building relationships with players. Players who are smart understand the same thing. If a coach never responds to your texts that's fine. Remember that down the road. Players who never respond just remember that will be remembered down the road as well. 

That school that doesn't interest you now might be your best option later. That player that doesn't really interest you now might be your best option later. Remember that. 

During his sophomore year, my son talked to several coaches twice a month (at their request) for almost a year.  Throughout the year, he probably talked to 25 coaches. Some once, some 4-5 times.  He only called when they asked him to.  One that he talked to for the full year was his dream school and arguably, the most elite school in terms of recruiting out there, so he did it. He finally quit talking to them when he was ready to take offer and basically told them he was going to commit to the other school if they didn't offer and they didn't.  Another, the RC left for an MLB job and he didn't connect with the new rc.  One offered towards the end of the year but he wasn't ready to make that decision as it wasn't in his top 5.  Our advice to him was to keep talking to whoever wants to talk to you until you commit.  Don't close doors.  It was stressful for him at times and certainly time consuming, but what's all this for?  You never know when coaches are going to move around, or unforeseen things happen.  I would keep talking to every coach that asks unless it is a school your son knows he would not attend.