Reminders
Turn your checklist into reminders and follow-ups you actually act on.
School list
Build a realistic target list
- Pick 30–60 programs across two realistic divisions.
- Star a top 10–20 for active, weekly outreach.
- Note division, conference, region, and current head coach.
- Check the roster — does your position have an opening in your grad year?
- Re-rank the list every 8–12 weeks as you learn what's mutual.
Coach outreach
Coach contact checklist
- Identify the right recipient (head coach, recruiting coordinator, position coach).
- Save a clean coach record with name, role, email, phone, and last contact date.
- Draft a first email with one specific reason you're writing to this program.
- Schedule a follow-up reminder for 10–14 days after each send.
- Log every reply and move the coach forward in your pipeline.
Email & profile
Email and profile checklist
- Profile complete: grad year, position, height, club, jersey number, GPA, test scores.
- Coach reference name + email listed clearly.
- Signature block with phone, email, and tournament link.
- Snippet Bank built with #intro, #stats, #camp, #academics, #update.
- Per-school Genuine line saved for every starred target.
Video
Highlight video checklist
- 60–90 second highlight reel on YouTube/Hudl/Vimeo (unlisted or public).
- Intro card with name, grad year, position, height, club, jersey number.
- Best 8–10 clips first — assume coaches stop watching at clip 6.
- At least one full point that shows court awareness, not just one skill.
- Updated every 8–12 weeks with new clips and re-shared to active coaches.
Camps & showcases
Camp and showcase checklist
- Confirm which target coaches are actually attending or running the event.
- Email each target coach 1–2 weeks before with jersey number and court schedule.
- Prepare a short, sincere ask ('a few minutes after pool play to introduce myself').
- Bring printed schedule, water, food, and a parent who knows the plan but stays out of it.
- Within 48 hours: thank-you note, what you took away, next-step ask.
Follow-up
Follow-up checklist
- Every active coach has a current pipeline stage and a next-action date.
- Each follow-up adds something new — stat, video, event, question — not just 'bumping this'.
- Re-engage cold coaches at natural milestones: new highlight, big tournament, season recap.
- Move stalled conversations to a slower cadence (every 4–6 weeks) instead of dropping them.
- Review the pipeline together as a family every Sunday for 15 minutes.
Parents
Parent organization checklist
- Shared family calendar with tournaments, visits, deadlines, and calls.
- Digital folder with transcripts, test scores, and award documentation.
- NCAA Eligibility Center or PlayNAIA registration started by junior year.
- Net Price Calculator run for every finalist school.
- Travel and lodging plan for unofficial and official visits.
- Read every financial aid letter in full before any verbal or signature.
Important
A checklist is structure, not a guarantee
No recruiting outcomes are guaranteed
This checklist is general guidance for organizing your recruiting process. It does not guarantee scholarships, offers, coach responses, or roster spots. Confirm eligibility and contact rules with official NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, school, and conference resources — start at our compliance hub.
FAQ
Checklist questions
Recruiting checklist FAQ
Keep going
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The 11-step playbook for athletes and families.
Build your college list
Athletic, academic, financial, and roster fit.
Email college coaches
First-email structure, subject lines, snippets.
Follow up with coaches
Cadence, templates, and how to track replies.
Recruiting tracker
Track schools, coaches, emails, camps, and tasks.
Recruiting timeline by year
What to do as a freshman, soph, junior, senior.