9d • Recruiting Advice!
What college coaches actually look for in recruiting emails from players!
What college coaches actually look for in recruiting emails from players
It's important to know the do's and don'ts when sending a recruiting email to a potential coach.
For many high school soccer players, sending an email to a college coach represents the first step in their recruiting journey. But drafting that initial email can be daunting. What do you say? What do you not say? How do you stand out?
As recruits obsess over each word and phrase, college coaches are seeing their inboxes flooded with emails. Coaches receive anywhere from 50 emails per day to 500 per week, especially during peak recruiting season.
Understanding what coaches look for and how they handle incoming emails is crucial for prospective recruits. To help players learn what to do—and what not to do—when reaching out to a coach, we spoke with five New England college coaches about the state of recruiting emails in 2026. The responses range from Division 1 schools such as Fairfield and UNH to Division 3 NESCAC programs such as Tufts and Bates.
Regardless of the league or division, all five coaches agreed on what every recruiting email needs and the common mistakes that raise red flags.
Here’s everything you need to know about sending an email to a college coach.
1. What coaches actually do when an email hits the inbox
College coaches typically receive hundreds of emails per week, especially during the height of recruiting season. But all five coaches said they prioritize opening and reading every email. The most important thing to remember is that your email will be read—and logged.
“I will open an email and read it, especially if someone shows sincere interest in our school,” said UNH women’s coach Steve Welham. “It may get a response right away, then be logged in a list of players who have reached out.”
From there, the goal for all coaches is to see that prospect play live. Thanks to the email, you are now on their radar.
Other programs, such as Tufts, use email in reverse order. The NCAA men’s Division 3 national champions prefer to watch a prospect play live at a game, showcase or talent ID first. After identifying the player, coach Kyle Dezotell will return to his email inbox to retrieve the necessary information.
“We can check to see a student’s class year, grades, club team, etc.,” Dezotell said. “So we use email almost in the reverse order of many programs, as we check after we identify a player of interest.”
Regardless of the order, sending an email is an important first step in the recruiting process, helping college coaches decide whom to see live and helping you, as a player, stand out.
2. What every recruiting email needs
So what do you include in the email?
Fairfield women’s coach David Barrett says to keep it tight and efficient: “Make it short and concise. We don’t need extensive detail on the individual’s accomplishments on and off the field. Just get the essentials to us.”
Here’s a checklist of the essentials all five coaches agreed upon.
- Name, grad year, position
- High school and GPA
- Full club name, level, color, age group
- Jersey number
- A short (3 to 5 minute) highlight video link
- Tournament info, if before a showcase. Include date, field, time, opponent
If you include those six components, you are in good shape. Clarity beats creativity. But if you want to add a little more information, tell the coach why you are interested in their school.
“It doesn’t need to be a personal essay, but something connecting them to Bates is always helpful,” said Bates women’s coach Joe Vari. “For example, I’m looking at small liberal arts schools, and my family used to vacation in Maine.”
3. Red Flags: What not to do
There are several common mistakes. They don’t necessarily end a recruitment, but they do raise issues.
A few key ones right off the bat: misspelling the college or the coach’s name, as well as grammatical errors in the text. Make sure there are no typos.
“Misspelling key aspects shows that it may not be a priority and that your school may or may not be as high on your list,” said Welham.
College coaches also don’t like being included in mass emails with other coaches. Barrett said the email should be addressed to the head coach and one assistant, not the entire staff. “EVERY coach in the To line of the email is a no-no,” Barrett added.
Endicott women’s coach Lauren Pien agrees, saying one of her biggest red flags is being BCC’d on emails to a large group of coaches.
The other red flag centers on parents, such as when a parent is clearly writing emails from the recruit’s account or when a parent writes an email to get their kids recruited.
“While it is OK sometimes, for a parent or coach do the initial outreach, we truly want to hear from the player,” said Welham. “We are looking for players to take accountability during this process.”
Other potential red flags include interest in a major or department the school doesn’t offer, a GPA that isn’t a good fit for that school, or an obvious email template.
4. Why coaches don’t always respond right away
Don’t get discouraged if a coach doesn’t respond immediately. Coaches receive hundreds of emails per week, and it’s impossible to get back to everyone right away.
“It’s important to note that Division 1 coaches cannot respond beyond a thank you, here’s our questionnaire link, here’s our camps and clinics link,” Barrett said. “At the same time, just because you get a thank you or here is clinic information, it doesn’t mean you are being recruited.”
Pien acknowledges that she sometimes takes longer to reply, depending on the time of year, such as during the season or around holidays.
“Sometimes recruits forget that coaches have lives too,” said Pien. “Sometimes players will email on a Friday evening and then expect an email by Monday morning…I try not to work 24/7! But email is my primary form of communication with recruits early in the process, so it’s important for recruits to check their email.”
Dezotell says don’t get discouraged if you receive a somewhat generic response, while Welham insisted that all coaches do their best with responding. “So be patient, persistent and thorough,” he said.
5. Email is just the foot in the door. Seeing players live matters more
Email serves as the introduction between a prospect and a coach. Sending the right email is critical. But it’s just an appetizer for what comes after.
“Get in front of us if you think you’re good enough and smart enough to have a shot at a top institution,” Dezotell said. “We took two players in this year’s class whom we did not know a single thing about prior to them attending our ID clinic. Those are my favorite players to recruit.”
College soccer is also becoming more global. Thousands of players are interested in college soccer, so you have to find a way to stand out.
“Email is great for information gathering,” Dezotell said. “But if you want to play for a top program, you have to stand out when coaches see you play.”
While email is another step of the frenzied recruiting process, Welham has a simple message to help manage the stress. “Remember to enjoy the process and to take your time,” he said. “It’s a 40-year decision, not just a four-year decision.”
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What college coaches actually look for in recruiting emails from players!
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