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Contacting College Coaches

P PGStaff10,000+ posts
This may not pertain to anyone here, but everytime I read about contacting or marketing ones son, it causes me to cringe. Makes me think of selling a used car. Will anyone buy it if they haven't seen and like it? On the other hand I guess someone has to know that the car is for sale. However, when it comes to baseball players and college, doesn't everyone know the player is obtainable by someone?

College coaches want what they see. They don't worry, too much, about what they haven't seen or don't know. They are busy recruiting what they want. Yet if they hear from a reliable source that there's a very talented player out there it will carry a lot of weight. These reliable sources would not be the player or parent in most cases.

First of all, something I figured out a long time ago. If you tell me how great you are, it's likely to go in one ear and out the other. However, if someone else is telling me how great you are, it will remain between the ears.

A true story

Because of what we do we are around college coaches a lot. Many we consider as close friends and they feel comfortable talking about players with us.

Once we were at an event with about 6 or 7 college coaches shooting the bull in the tower. A certain player (a good player) was brought up by one of the coaches (a well known ACC coach) He mentioned they were interested in the kid until they started getting contact from the parents. It wasn't so much the message they received, but this coach talked to another coach from the SEC and it turned him off.

The email he received from the players parents was exactly word for word the same letter sent to the SEC coach. Something to the affect that the college was his dream school and though he is being recruited by a large number of major programs, none would make him as happy as this college. If the offer to your school is close we will be very excited.

As this coach was telling us this story, most of the others laughed and said they recieved the exact same letter.

Now if the kid was a superstar rather than just another good player it might be different. Except those few that are superstar types don't have to sell anything.

None of the coaches tried to recruit the player above. All mentioned that the "mass" marketing attempt had turned them off. In a small way, the people involved became a laughing stock, though no on e outside that group knew anything about it.

I only bring this up as a reminder. Over marketing can backfire and honesty is important to lots of people.

On another note, even we get information about players and lots of videos. Some of this comes in such a large package that the postage must cost an arm and a leg. When the information gets past 100 pages and the video is an hour long, you have to wonder why. Not to sound rude, but why would anyone care if a 17 year old was an ice skating champion when he was 9 years old? Or that he mows the yard every week.

Maybe I've been hardened over the years, but it seems like the most important thing is to get in front of them and let them see you and decide how much they want you. Then if it still requires a bunch of marketing, you got in front of the wrong people.

I hate it when people refer to us as a recruiting service. I'm not in favor of recruiting services. I want the truth, not a recommendation that someone paid for. Yes, people pay us, and often they get recruited... But it is based on their ability not because they bought a recruiting package. In a way I would consider recruiting services as "over" marketing. I do understand that some are better than others.

I alway get a kick out of someone being responsible for $100,000,000 (or whatever) in scholarships. I would have no idea of the number of dollars in scholarship money players who did our stuff got. I could say $100 Billion dollars and maybe someone might believe it. Truth is, not sure I could tell you exactly how much any player receives in scholarship money. Seems like we don't really need to know that. Scholarship money is based on the players talent and academic ability... Recruiting services and people like us have nothing to do with that.

BTW, I'm referring to what would be described as "over" marketing here. Not to be confused with other types of communication.

Just some thoughts that probably won't help anyone, but controversial enough that maybe it will create some good discussion.
Last edited {1}
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EG Eric G100+ posts
PG, maybe a remedy would be for PG to host a weeklong event in the summer and another one in the winter where you invite every possible college and host several hundred of the top players and conduct your typical showcase event itinerary.

Centralize it in the middle od the US (Iowa, LOL) so everyone can congregate together and have a huge scoutfest!
Blue10Blue10500+ posts
I think your story illustrates how important it is that the KID is the one in charge of contacting coaches. IMHO parents should limit themselves to proofreading, giving reminders to send info in a timely manner, etc...our HS athletic director is a HUGE proponent of having the athlete take ownership of his own "career." I have definitely met some scarily over-involved parents in the stands who I can picture doing what you have described.
S SwampboyHSBBWeb Administrator
PG Staff,

I think you're probably right. As parents, we really, really want to believe that our effort, savvy, and initiative will make the difference in the opportunities our sons get, but our ability to influence the outcome diminishes once we write the check to a competent travel coach.

My son and I tried some limited emails to schools he was interested in. Got some polite responses, a couple looks, and some free tickets to ball games, but nothing real came of it.

Eventually my son did receive a nice assortment of offers. In every single case, the offering school initiated the contact, and none of the offers came from the schools he initially thought he'd be interested in.

When the school he ended up committing to called our house, it was completely out of the blue. The coach said he had seen my son twice, but we had never seen him in the stands and had no idea he might be interested. Ten minutes before the call, we had never given a thought to that school. A week later we were on campus, mouths hanging open as we toured the amazing facilities and hung on every word of the presentation. A week later he committed. So I ask you, who's the better marketer, the coach or the dad? Answer: the guy who does it for a living.

When coaches decide they are ready, they move. I'm not sure parents can do much to motivate them to move or to move more quickly. Parents like to think we're helping, but the coaches call the shots--as they probably should.
S smalltownmom100+ posts
Thanks for the info. We have been getting calls and e-mails from a referral service. When I told them we think we have a handle on what to do, through this website, PG showcases, and good advice from others who have gone through the process, they have been basically rude, telling us they do this for a living(they are professionals) and all the major programs use their sevice. Our son is a 2013 and by the timelines he is in good shape. I hate the pressure they can put on, and the guilt I have been feeling that perhaps I neeed to go that route. I feel confirmation that this is the right path to take.

One more thing. This summer son went to a tryout for a well respected program. It was heavily attended, by potential players as well as colleges. While players were warming up and running 60's, the college coaches held a very good informational meeting as well as question/ answer session for parents. I only wish the kids had heard it as well, as they defined their responsibilities in the process. Possibly this is done and I haven't seen it, but Q/A sessions and college scouting info.directed at the players might be a neat addition prior to some of the big showcases. As son is new to process, possibly this is done and we are just not aware.
CADadCADad5,000+ posts
Players have good, average and bad days. If you've oversold your player and he's seen on an average or bad day that could result in him being crossed off the list prematurely.

I relate it to telling someone how fast your pitcher throws. Let's say you tell a coach your kid throws 89 mph. He touches 89 every now and then on a JUGS. A coach comes to see him and he's throwing 82-84 on a Stalker. That's probably an average or even good day. What's the coach going to think? "Oh well, just subtract 7 mph from what the parent says."

We'd all hope the coach would be looking at arm action, pitchability, etc. and that the pitcher would get a fair evaluation but it's human nature to not like getting bad information.

True story time. A scout saw my son throw on an off day from a velocity standpoint. He probably topped out at 83 and worked less although the movement was pretty good. 2 days later he's at a camp and we see the same scout talking to a JC coach. The JC coach comes over and tells my son he'll be watching him. He throws 85-87 at the camp. The coach who was probably expecting much less is quite interested and that's where he ends up that season.
Last edited by CADad
EG Eric G100+ posts
PG, I was alluding to nixing the 20+ other showcases you already hold across the land and doing a couple huge ones, that way everyone can plan accordingly, raise the cost a little because maybe not as many kids overall will attend so you can make up for the income potential loss. Simplify your business and makes it easlier on college scouts to plan. That is what I was alluding to.
B bbdad200710+ posts
quote:
College coaches want what they see.


So then, shouldn't a player go to the camps offered at colleges he is interested in versus a PG showcase that does not list attending coaches? I understand the part about a PG rating and video footage... But if coaches want what they see - don't they see more in person then some video link they may not care about? Not taking a shot at PG since I am considering signing up for an event. Just agreeing with your post and thinking that the best chance to make a connection with a coach is to have him see you play as much as possible - in person. Showcases, tournaments and camps can all be a **** shoot as well. Good thread BTW... My question is what is the best way to draw that desired attention of college coaches? If you are a pitcher, go to a PG event or showcase, light up the radar gun with 90+ FBs then that attention will come. But what about all those position players that are playing tournaments every weekend on very good travel teams? I know the Senior Fall Classic is a good event to attend. What others are good?
Last edited by bbdad2007
S SR4210+ posts
I am father of a 2012 who is going through the recruiting process. I would second that college coaches do want to communicate with kids and their coaches and not the parents. Obviously during the recruiting visits, us parents attend and that is our chance to ask our questions.

I also would absolutely agree that the more that a coach can see the athlete play the more comfortable they are recruiting him. So far we have used a mixture of playing for a high profile summer team, active summer coach, active high school coach, high profile PG tournaments and college camps.
CollegeParentNoMoreCollegeParentNoMore1,000+ posts
quote:
So then, shouldn't a player go to the camps offered at colleges he is interested in versus a PG showcase that does not list attending coaches?

The key is finding a coach that is interested in your son. I would not attend a college camp unless the coaches have somehow expressed particular interest in advance. At one camp my son went to on his own, he was completely ignored by the HC except for the second day when the coach tried to sell him a leftover catcher's glove. It was that coaches loss, except for the $210 he got out of me! Although my son did figure out he wouldn't be going to his first choice UC.

Stanford camp is exempted from this general statement!
Last edited by CollegeParentNoMore
CollegeParentNoMoreCollegeParentNoMore1,000+ posts
I think you are back to your PG showcases, particular tournaments etc,..... unless your son throws strikes at 90+. You could get lucky with a fall scout team or a connie mack team in my area. Seems like the high end talent is spread over a lot more teams these days then just 5 years ago making it less worthwhile for a scout or coach to attend a tournament or local game.
Last edited by CollegeParentNoMore
ET Everybody throws 90+ now...10+ posts
My son is very near signing with his school of choice and he has been recruited/offered by about a dozen schools...ranging from JUCO, NAIA, high DII and low DI. Most of the contacts were originated by his HS coach, who, incidentally has many contacts with a history of about 2 dozen players in the last few years from his program moving on to the next level anywhere from JUCO to MLB draft. He is a mover/shaker and gets it done and gets the exposure his players deserve. He has attained this credibility by not overselling a JUCO talent to a DI school and not all seniors that play for him get exposure to colleges if their skill set doesn't warrant it. Long story short, when he calls a coach and says he has a kid they might be interested in, they listen because of his past credibility. When he sat down with my son and I to discuss potential schools he was interested in, there was one program I told him not to bother with because I would handle it. They are a small time JUCO in my hometown an hour away from where we live now. Many close family members and I attended school there before they had a baseball team. They are a new program that my nephew played for their first year and I felt confident I could get my boy noticed. My brother's niece is the HC for girls softball for crying out loud, anyway, I called him, left messages, emails, facebook contacts....nothing. Now my son is over 6' 190lbs and throws 90 on a stalker and was getting interest from a lot of schools. This particular coach never responded to my attempts of contact. It wasn't until our HS coach emailed a video to 15 schools, including his, and he called the next day. He wasn't even aware he was calling about the same kid I had left emails and messages about. So, when they tell you that all parent videos and contact is never viewed...BELIEVE THEM.
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
quote:
PG Staff
My son has played in several scouting events and I make video's of every one, so would you say that sending a link to the video and giving your kids up coming game schedule is over marketing?


Jaxx, I would not consider that over marketing. Just don't expect great results.

I do believe that there are people who have so much credibility that colleges pay attention. Some of these people who have earned this respect are high school coaches.

quote:
So then, shouldn't a player go to the camps offered at colleges he is interested in versus a PG showcase that does not list attending coaches? I understand the part about a PG rating and video footage... But if coaches want what they see - don't they see more in person then some video link they may not care about? Not taking a shot at PG since I am considering signing up for an event. Just agreeing with your post and thinking that the best chance to make a connection with a coach is to have him see you play as much as possible - in person. Showcases, tournaments and camps can all be a **** shoot as well. Good thread BTW... My question is what is the best way to draw that desired attention of college coaches? If you are a pitcher, go to a PG event or showcase, light up the radar gun with 90+ FBs then that attention will come. But what about all those position players that are playing tournaments every weekend on very good travel teams? I know the Senior Fall Classic is a good event to attend. What others are good?


Players can go where ever they want. Nothing wrong with attending camps at colleges they are interested in. Maybe they might create some real interest and the college will want to see them perform against good competition.

Position players standout just like pitchers IMO.

Regarding another question.... Long ago we decided it was not productive to list all colleges that attend an event. The college coaches are there to see players and determine if they are interested in certain players. They are not there to advertise and then be contacted by everyone in attendance. They like it better when they decide who to contact.

Some people, not just us, have earned a lot of respect based on past results. So if we are extremely impressed by a pitcher or a player, this will create interest. That interest may or may not amount to a positive result. In the end, we don't make the decision, we just give our opinion. Most baseball people respect that opinion. It's an opinion from people who have a proven track record.

Anyway, I didn't attend for this thread to be about PG. We are not the solution in every case. There are other ways to get decision makers interested. To completely ignore every opportunity is unlikely to work well. My suggestion is... Just do something so people can see you and know you exist. Marketing alone won't get the desired results in most cases.

quote:
PG, I was alluding to nixing the 20+ other showcases you already hold across the land and doing a couple huge ones, that way everyone can plan accordingly, raise the cost a little because maybe not as many kids overall will attend so you can make up for the income potential loss. Simplify your business and makes it easlier on college scouts to plan. That is what I was alluding to.

Eric,

Good points, but we don't have a problem with college coaches knowing what we do or plan. Maybe our biggest problem involves giving out too much information to those who don't actually attend. But to be honest, we are already running the biggest scouting and recruiting events in all of baseball. One of them will take place next week in Jupiter, Florida. There is no event in baseball that will have more college coaches or MLB scouts in attendance. It's a well known fact!

But it (any PG event) is not a must event to attend, there is no such "must" event. Players just need to be seen and there are many ways to accomplish that including going to college camps. There are Major League players that have never been to a PG event. But there are not many who we didn't know about when they were younger. Players need to be seen by decision makers. You can't sell people on a player that hasn't been seen unless those people are just interested in reaching a quota of students. That doesn't happen at scholarship schools. They don't pick players based on marketing efforts.
Last edited by PGStaff
VectorVector1,000+ posts
I find this subject very interesting.

On the one hand I have no doubt that in a perfect world many coaches would like to eliminate parents from the equation as much as possible.
By the same token parents are financially responsible for the kids in many cases, and want to help them choose a school wisely. The trouble is that kids are under more pressure these days than in my time.
Academic standards are much higher, the price of a out of state or private college education is astronomical, and the need to promote yourself is like nothing anyone has ever seen from just a decade or so ago.
Many kids have so little time between studies, sports, chores, extra curricular activities(i.e. community service) that they barely have time to have fun and be kids.
So to expect that most will have the time or wherewithal to be able to write letters/emails and promote themselves to different colleges is asking a lot. Many are not that mature and do not know how to comfortably interact with coaches who are afterall adults.
So naturally if self promotion is the way to get noticed and eventually recruited, it may very well fall on the parents to shoulder that burden.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I would think college coaches would know and understand that.
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
quote:
So naturally if self promotion is the way to get noticed and eventually recruited, it may very well fall on the parents to shoulder that burden

Vector,

It is my opinion that is not the way to get noticed or recruited. Self promotion is basically worthless to most recruiters. They react to what they see and think, not by what the player and the parents might offer.
Last edited by PGStaff
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