Own the Recruiting Process

What a week! February 4th is National Signing Day, the day that 2009 college recruits sign for a team. The next day, college coaches wake up and trudge back to the office to start it all over again, ready to focus on their next recruiting classes.

February 5th is National E-Mail a College Coach Day. That's the day that your name should show up on a college coach's computer. You want to place yourself squarely on his radar for the next recruiting cycle. This is true whether you've been emailing a coach for a while, or are making contact for the first time.

Emailing even one coach is a huge gesture. It's a way of saying that you're going to take the recruiting bull by the horns -- that you're going to take control of the process. By going to OwnTheProcess.com you can take the pledge along with thousands of other high school athletes to email at least one college coach on National E-Mail a College Coach Day.

What should you say in this email? The first thing to do is check out the team's website. Most college teams update their websites right away on National Signing Day, to introduce their new players to the world. See who these new players are and learn about their backgrounds. Then write your email.

Start your email by congratulating the coach on finishing his recruiting, and share an observation that shows that you actually checked out the team's website. Something like, "Since I'm from Illinois, it's cool to see that you've got two new players from here. I actually played against Cameron in high school this season."

Next, explain that you're eager to prove that you're right player for his team, so next year, you'll be one of the new signings that go up on the team's website.

The most important thing is to stand tall, assert yourself, and say, "I'm going to take control of this." Emailing at least one coach on February 5th does exactly that. Don't miss out on the opportunity to join thousands of other players around the country to establish yourself on a coach's recruiting radar.