What to do if College Coach won't get back to you

ask yourself this: "given what I know, if this is any indication of how I'll be treated as a team member, is this a guy I want to run for." if the answer is still yes, then keep calling, emailing etc. try to find assistants to call or email.

maybe now you know why the other teams you are looking at are better.

Just because a school is D1 doesn't mean they have any pull in admissions. I know a school that has had national qualifiers in track and XC the last few years and has no scholarships, financial need slots, or support in admissions. Those coaches just recruit based on grades and admissibility, then develop the runners into national qualifiers (hopefully). Schools like this would rather recruit a 10:20 two miler than a 4:15 miler if the 10:20 guy can actually get accepted.

I say move on. It sounds like the coach is either ridiculously unorganized, old as dirt or doesn't care enough about you to give you a response. Either way, it should be a huge red flag. I had the same thing happen when I was looking at colleges. Turned out to be a great decision not to go to the school with the flake coach. Good luck with your search.

if you really want to talk to him, keep calling, maybe just show up at his office one day and talk to him, my coach is terrible at responding to emails, but he's a great guy

roflcopter3 wrote:

if you really want to talk to him, keep calling, maybe just show up at his office one day and talk to him, my coach is terrible at responding to emails, but he's a great guy

This. Some coaches are great coaches but terrible recruiters.

Don't be afraid to name the school and see if any of its runners are on this board. That's actually how I got into the school I currently run at. I had called and emailed and the coach never responded. Finally I posted here in frustration, one of the athletes saw it and got in touch with me, and got me in contact with the coach. And in hindsight, coming here was the best decision I could have made.

Do what you do at your high school if you get a poor grade in a class. Have your parents call the principal and complain, but in this case it's the athletic director.

So sports and academics are really two different worlds. If you cant meet the academic standards to get in it really doesn't matter if the coach is ignoring you or not. He cant just wave a wand and you are admitted. If you really want to go to this school make sure you can get in first and then go talk to the coach in person. If you are as good as you say you are he will be interested. However you may be better off going to a school you will do well in academically and in sports.

contact athletic dept secretary

Yes, find out who his admin is and have him/her set up a 30-minute call. We are in an age in which busy people can't keep up with email and often ignore emails from unfamiliar names.

Same is true to a lesser extent for other modes of communication. There is just an unmanageable flood of correspondence at times.

If this doesn't work, he may have decided that he can't help you. If he's already asked for special dispensation for one or two athletes, he may be out of ammo.

So you want to run in college, eh? You're having trouble getting a coach's attention? Follow these steps to success. Tried and true.

Step 1: Email the coaches back from your other email account. Tell them you're a reporter with the local news paper and you've heard about the XC team's latest hazing antics. Tell him someone's come forward and told you about the streaking runs the upper classmen are making freshman do, butt-chugging rituals, weird after-practice shower games, etc. Don't be afraid to get specific with the names you've heard, like the "XC seesaw" and the "track taste test." Tell him you'd just like to ask him a few questions, and you'd hate for the New York Times or some bigger newspaper to run wild with this story before you can spearhead the "rumors."

Step 2: This will no doubt get the coach's attention. He'll be denying like crazy and be kissing your ass. Hell, he probably won't know any better and will think "are my guys doing these things?!?" After some more back and forth with him, subtly mention your "nephew," [insert your name here], who has run some pretty decent times. Make it known that he's interested in the school, and you wouldn't publish any kind of incriminating story about a school your "nephew" ran for.

Step 3: Expect a call from the coach by day's end. Here's your chance to milk him. Tell him you're not sure if the school is right for you... you'd need some sort of partial scholarship because X state U down the road is offering X deal. Don't get greedy or anything, though. Don't ask for a single room and a full-ride or anything. Just tenderly milk him - just a glass of milk, not a full bucket.

Step 4: By this point, your heart should fill full of pride and honor. Take pride in your accomplishment. Whereas before you wanted to merely walk on, you've now truly earned your spot on the team. Run couragously through your collegiate career, live long, and prosper.

Trust me, I know this works. I would've never gotten attention from multiple distinguished D1 coaches if I hadden gotten a little 'creative' myself... Good luck!