Why do college coaches really ghost athletes in their inbox? In Part 1 of this two-part deep dive, Susan and Jessie break down the hidden reasons athletes get ignored — straight from Jessie’s firsthand experience as a former D1 athlete and partner of a long-time D1 recruiting coordinator.

From understanding a coach’s year-round workload to recognizing when your target list is too ambitious, this episode gives athletes and families the honest truth about why they’re not hearing back. You’ll learn what coaches actually look for when they open their inbox, how evaluations really happen, and how to assess whether your recruiting strategy is aligned or completely off-track.

If your athlete is emailing and hearing nothing but silence, this episode will change the way you approach the process.

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome + intro to today’s topic

01:00 – Meet Jessie and her transfer story 

04:40 – What athletes don’t understand about coaching careers

06:30 – How coaching responsibilities impact email response times

10:30 – Why being “busy” is a very real factor in ghosting

13:00 – The year-long recruiting and coaching cycle no one talks about

16:00 – Why athletes think they’re being ignored

17:00 – Reason 1: Missing key components in an email

19:00 – Reason 2: Your highlight film isn't helping you

22:00 – Reason 3: Asking for a call before you’ve earned it

25:00 – Reason 4: You're emailing too early (and NCAA rules matter)

27:45 – Reason 5: Top athletes still need to signal interest

29:00 – Why coaches almost never call athletes who never emailed them

30:40 – Different recruiting timelines for different divisions

32:00 – Why two athletes with the same ability may hear back at different times

33:30 – The mindset shift athletes need during ghosting

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

Quick shoutout to our podcast sponsor University Athlete. The only volleyball-exclusive recruiting platform used by 95% of college coaches. It’s where athletes get seen, get evaluated, and get recruited. Plus it's free and only takes a couple of minutes to activate your profile. 

Click the link below to claim your free profile.

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If you decide you want to upgrade to the All-Access pass be sure to use the code ‘NXTVB30’ to save 30% on your yearly membership. 

Subscription boxes are all the rave (we get it, they are FUN!) and we’ve developed one for the recruiting process that comes with 1:1 support in our new Set for Success Membership!

Every Month as Member You Get to Choose from One of the Following for Support:

🖥️ 1:1 ADVISING CALL with either Sonja, Jessie or Susan from the NXTVB team.
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