The short answer
Every quarterback email has the same five parts, in this order.
- Subject line: grad year, position, height and weight, your passing line, and hometown. Example: 2028 QB | 6'2" 195 | 66%, 17 TD, 4 INT | Boise, ID.
- Opening: who you are, the offense you run, and one real reason you are writing to that program.
- Stats line: height and weight, completions and attempts, yards, touchdowns and interceptions, a verified 40 if it helps, and GPA.
- Film: a highlight link and a full-game link. No attachments.
- Follow-up: 7 to 10 days later, with new stats, new film, or a camp date.
Write your quarterback email in one step
Enter your sport, position, grad year, strongest numbers, GPA, film link, and target school. The free coach email generator writes the subject line and first draft.
Quarterback recruiting email template (copy and paste)
Replace every bracket, delete any line that is not true for you, and rewrite the fit line for each program so no two emails match.
Subject line formula
[Grad year] QB | [Height] [Weight] | [completion %], [TD] TD, [INT] INT | [City, State]
Coach [Last Name],
My name is [Full Name]. I am a [Grad year] quarterback at [High School] in [City, State]. We run [offense: spread, RPO, pro-style, option], and I am writing because [one specific reason the program fits: the offense, the quarterback coach, academics, the location].
Stats: [Height], [Weight] lbs. [Season or games so far]: [completions] of [attempts] ([completion %]), [yards] yards, [TD] touchdowns, [INT] interceptions[, plus rushing yards if you run]. 40-yard dash: [time], [laser, electronic, or hand] timed at [where], [month and year]. GPA [GPA].
Highlights: [link] | Full game vs. [opponent]: [link]
I plan to attend [camp] on [date]. I would appreciate your feedback on my film and the chance to be evaluated. Thank you for your time.
[Full Name] | [Grad year] QB | [High School], [City, State] | [Phone] | [Email]
Filled example: a 2028 quarterback
Here is the same template filled in for a junior in the middle of his season. The athlete, school, coach, and opponent are made up. The size, speed, and passing numbers sit in the upper bands on NextCommit's quarterback standards.
Subject: 2028 QB | 6'2" 195 | 66%, 17 TD, 4 INT | Boise, ID
Coach Dawson,
My name is Tyler Grant. I am a 2028 quarterback at Ridgeview High School in Boise, Idaho. We run a spread RPO offense, and I am writing because Northgate runs a similar system and has the engineering program I want.
Stats: 6'2", 195 lbs. Through seven games this season: 131 of 198 (66%), 1,712 yards, 17 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, plus 286 rushing yards. 40-yard dash: 4.78, laser timed at a camp in June 2026. GPA 3.5.
Highlights: [link] | Full game vs. Centennial: [link]
I would appreciate your feedback on my film and the chance to be evaluated at one of your camps. Thank you for your time.
Tyler Grant | 2028 QB | Ridgeview High School, Boise, ID | (208) 555-0126 | tyler.grant@example.com
That is about 125 words, signature included. A coach sees the class, the size, the passing line, and the grades before opening the film.
What stats should a quarterback put in a recruiting email?
Lead with size and your passing line, then speed if it helps. The ranges come from NextCommit's quarterback recruiting standards, football recruiting hub, and 40-yard dash pages, linked in the sources below. They are recruiting bands, not cutoffs.
Put the same numbers on one line in the email so a coach can take them in at a glance: "6'2", 195 | spread RPO | 131-198, 66%, 1,712 yds, 17 TD, 4 INT | 4.78 laser | 3.5 GPA."
Film comes first for quarterbacks. NextCommit's quarterback standards say film that shows decision-making and accuracy matters more than any stat, so the film links sit right under the stats line, and the full-game link shows a coach every read.
Name your offense. Spread and RPO programs treat a 4.6 to 4.8 quarterback as a weapon, while pro-style programs will take a 5.0 quarterback who processes fast and throws accurately. Write to programs whose system fits what your film shows.
| What to list | Benchmarks on NextCommit pages | Write it like this |
|---|---|---|
| Height | Power 4 6'2" and up, Group of Five and FCS 6'0" and up, D2 5'11" and up, D3 5'10" and up, NAIA and JUCO 5'11" and up. | 6'2" |
| Weight | FBS 200-230 lbs, FCS 195-225, D2 190-220, D3 185-215. | 195 lbs |
| Completion percentage | Power 4 65%+, Group of Five 60%+, FCS 58%+, D2, D3, NAIA, and JUCO 55%+. | 66% (131 of 198) |
| TD:INT ratio | Power 4 2:1, Group of Five and FCS 1.5:1, D2 1.5:1, D3 1.2:1, NAIA and JUCO 1.5:1. | 17 TD, 4 INT |
| Passing yards per game | D1 200+, D2 175+, D3 150+, NAIA and JUCO 160+. | About 245 a game |
| 40-yard dash | Power 4 4.6-4.9 sec, Group of Five and FCS 4.7-5.0, D2 4.8-5.1, D3 4.9-5.2, NAIA and JUCO 4.8-5.1. | 4.78 laser (camp, June 2026) |
| GPA | No cut line here. Include it in every email; academics are part of every evaluation. | 3.5 GPA |
See which levels fit your numbers
Enter your size, speed, passing line, and GPA in the free Football Recruit Score for a division-fit range.
Follow-up email template for quarterbacks
Send this 7 to 10 days after your first email if the coach has not replied. In NextCommit platform data, a follow-up made a coach reply about 3 times as likely as a single email, and two or more follow-ups made it about 7 times as likely.
Follow-up subject
Following up | [Grad year] QB | [new result, such as "3 more games of film"]
Follow-up email
Coach [Last Name],
I emailed you on [date] about playing quarterback at [School]. Since then, [one new thing: my season line is now [line]; I threw for [yards] and [TD] touchdowns against [opponent]; I ran a [time] at [camp]].
New film: [link]. My next game is [opponent] on [date], and I plan to attend [camp] on [date].
I am still very interested in [School] because [fit reason]. Thank you for your time.
[Full Name] | [Grad year] QB | [High School] | [Phone]
After this one, send an update every 4 to 6 weeks, and only when you have something new. Never send "just checking in."
When should a quarterback send this email?
You can email a college coach at any age. NCAA rules limit when coaches can send you recruiting messages, not when you can write to them. What changes by division is when the coach can write back.
Dead periods do not stop email. In a D1 dead period, coaches cannot recruit you in person, but they may still communicate with you in other ways (D1 Bylaw 13.02.5.5). The 2026-27 FBS calendar has a dead period from November 30 to December 31, 2026.
Pick the day and the hour, too. In NextCommit data, football coaches replied most to emails sent in January, then November and December, on Thursdays and Fridays, and from 11 a.m. to noon Central time, each measured against football's own average. If the school is in another time zone, shift the hour to match.
When a coach replies, answer the same day with what they asked for. Most coach replies in our data arrived within a week of the email, which is why the follow-up goes out at 7 to 10 days.
| Who is writing back | When the coach can send you recruiting emails | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| D1 football (FBS and FCS) | June 15 after your sophomore year | D1 Bylaw 13.4.1 (football has no exception to the general rule) |
| D1, before that date | Only a reply that does not start recruiting, such as an explanation of NCAA rules or a referral to admissions. Camp information can come at any time and is not a sign of recruiting interest. | D1 Bylaws 13.4.1.13 and 13.4.1.14(b) |
| D2 | Any time | D2 Bylaw 13.1.3.1 |
| D3 | Any time (no timing limits on electronic communication) | D3 Bylaw 13.02.10.1 |
| NAIA | Any time (no recruiting calendar restrictions) | NAIA rules for high school students |
Mistakes that cost quarterbacks replies
- Highlights only. Add a full-game link so a coach can watch every read, not only the best throws.
- No offense named. A coach needs to know whether your system looks like theirs.
- An unlabeled 40 time. Say how it was timed, or leave it out.
- The same email to every program. Rewrite the fit line for each school.
- Attachments instead of links.
- A follow-up that says "just checking in." Send new stats, new film, or a camp date.
Send a personalized version to every coach on your list
One template gets you started. A full list runs to dozens of programs across D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and junior college, and every email still needs its own reason that program fits. In NextCommit data, athletes who emailed more coaches heard back more often.
NextCommit is our product, and it handles that part. AI writes a different email for each coach from your stats, film, grades, and goals, you review it, and it sends from your own inbox. The free plan includes 10 personalized coach emails a week and the full database of 45,000+ college coaches at 1,800+ schools. Varsity ($19.99 a month) allows 50 emails a week and adds open and reply tracking and automated follow-ups. Pro ($49.99 a month) allows 200 a week and adds coach DMs on X.
Start free with 10 coach emails a week
Each email is personalized for the coach, reviewed by you, and sent from your own inbox.
Written by
Preston Viltz
Co-founder and Head of Growth, NextCommit
Preston Viltz is a co-founder and Head of Growth at NextCommit. He played college baseball at Sacramento State, Lower Columbia College, and the University of Washington after graduating from Kentridge High School in 2018, and he ran his own recruiting outreach as a lightly recruited player, which is the process NextCommit was built to fix.
- Co-founder and Head of Growth, NextCommit
- College baseball: Sacramento State, Lower Columbia College, University of Washington
- Kentridge High School, Class of 2018
More guides by Preston and the editorial policy.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
- NCAA 2026-27 Division I Manual (Legislative Services Database) Bylaw 13.4.1: recruiting materials and electronic correspondence begin June 15 after sophomore year (football has no exception); Bylaw 13.4.1.13: replies before that date may not start recruiting; Bylaw 13.02.5.5: staff may still communicate other than in person during a dead period; Bylaw 13.4.1.14(b): camp or clinic information may be provided at any time. Checked October 18, 2026.
- NCAA 2026-27 Division II Manual (Legislative Services Database) Bylaw 13.1.3.1: coaches may communicate with prospects and their families at any time (effective August 1, 2024). Checked October 18, 2026.
- NCAA 2026-27 Division III Manual (Legislative Services Database) Bylaw 13.02.10.1: no restrictions on the timing of email, calls, texts, or other electronic communication with prospects. Checked October 18, 2026.
- NCAA 2026-27 Division I FBS football recruiting calendar (fall) Dead period November 30 to December 31, 2026 (calendar updated July 30, 2026). Checked October 18, 2026.
- NAIA: high school students No recruiting calendar restrictions; recruits can communicate directly with NAIA coaches. Checked October 18, 2026.
- NextCommit quarterback recruiting standards Height, 40-yard dash, completion percentage, TD:INT ratio, and passing yards benchmarks by level.
- NextCommit football recruiting hub Quarterback weight ranges by level.
- NextCommit: 40-yard dash times by position Quarterback speed by offensive system and how coaches read hand and laser times.
- NextCommit study: what gets college coaches to reply (2026 data) Follow-up effect and best send windows by sport, each measured against that sport's own average.
- NextCommit pricing Free, Varsity ($19.99 a month), and Pro ($49.99 a month) plans and weekly email limits.
FAQ
Coach email questions athletes ask most
What should a quarterback put in an email to a college coach?
Your grad year, height and weight, high school and hometown, the offense you run, completions and attempts, completion percentage, yards, touchdowns and interceptions, a verified 40 time if it helps, GPA, links to highlight and full-game film, and one reason that program fits you. Keep it to 120 to 150 words.
What stats do college coaches look for in a quarterback?
NextCommit's quarterback standards list completion percentage (65%+ at Power 4, 60%+ at Group of Five, 55%+ at D2 and D3), touchdown-to-interception ratio (2:1 at Power 4), height (6'2" and up at Power 4, 5'10" and up at D3), and a 4.6 to 4.9 40 at the top level. Film that shows decisions and accuracy matters more than any stat.
Should a quarterback put a 40 time in a recruiting email?
Yes, if it is verified and it helps you, and always with how it was timed. Spread and RPO programs treat a 4.6 to 4.8 quarterback as a weapon, while pro-style programs will take a 5.0 quarterback who processes fast and throws accurately. If your 40 does not help, leave it out and let the film carry the email.
When can D1 football coaches email a quarterback?
D1 football coaches, FBS and FCS, can send recruiting emails starting June 15 after your sophomore year (NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.4.1). Before then, a D1 coach can reply only with information that does not start recruiting. Camp emails can come at any time and do not mean a coach is recruiting you. D2 coaches can write any time, and D3 and NAIA coaches have no timing limits.
How soon should a quarterback follow up with a college coach?
Follow up 7 to 10 days after your first email if you have not heard back, and lead with something new: updated stats, new game film, a camp you registered for, or a grade update. In NextCommit data, a follow-up made a coach reply about 3 times as likely as a single email. After that, update every 4 to 6 weeks.