July 1st is a key date in the recruiting process for most sports. With the exclusion of basketball, it is the date college coaches can initiate phone calls with prospective recruits.
If you are a prep football player, a phone call will not be your 1st contact from a college, but it's an essential step on the process. Sort of like when you ask someone out. If you don't at least ask, you'll never get a yes. Of course, there's always the chance you'll get rejected, but I digress (not that I would know anything about rejection...I have friends that have had this experience).
9 days into this "contact" period, if you haven't gotten a phone call from a coach, that doesn't mean coaches aren't interested. It just might mean they aren't interested- yet. Here are a handful of ways to know if you are on a college coaches' My 3 list (OK, I know it's My 5, but this is a blog, and short and sweet wins the day):
1. Voice Mail is full. When you consider the limited contact the NCAA allows coaches to contact recruits, when the phone rings in early July, this is the first sign you are on the list. And when I say on the list, I mean the no-wait-for-a-table list at Gibson's, not the we-have-plenty-of-open-booths at IHOP kind of list. If coaches are calling, they are interested.
2. Can you come over and play? I remember growing up, when I was new to a neighborhood, making friends was always a bit scary. Especially when I would wander the streets dressed like this-
Can this boy be loved?
Eventually, there was always a nice neighborhood kid who would come over and invite you to play. When a coach not only calls, but then invites you to come to campus for a visit, this is significant. It means not only do they like you, they like you enough to want to meet you. If they say they'll pay for it, more reason for excitement. This type of trip is called an Official Visit. If they say they won't pay for it, but want you to come down anyway, it still means they like you, just not as much.
3. Love letters. Sure, the literal concept might be a bit outdated, but nothing beats an old fashioned hand-written note. Remember when your mom used to make you write thank you notes to your Aunt Gertrude for those hideous sweaters she would sew?
Your mom's point? By taking the time to write, she would know you cared. Same approach to recruiting. If the last piece of mail you received from a specific college was hand-written by the head coach, telling you how fortunate he or she would be to have the opportunity to coach you, you've hit a home run. If you receive a note like this, more then likely you will receive a call next, or vice versa.
And you'll have that same warm feeling Aunt Gertrude did when she read your letter.
