Parents, that camp invite might not mean what you think. 👀

23 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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1:08

In this concise recruiting advisory video, former Division I coach, scout, and recruiter Alex Swenson explains how parents can quickly determine whether a college camp invitation is genuine or a mass‑mailing. He emphasizes that most invites are sent to hundreds or thousands of families, so parents should verify interest before committing time or money. Swenson provides a specific email template to ask the coach if they are recruiting the athlete’s position and class and what performance metrics to target. He notes that a personal reply from the coach signals genuine interest, whereas a generic form response or silence indicates the invite is likely not a true recruitment effort. The video’s purpose is to equip parents with a simple verification process to avoid wasted resources and encourages viewers to follow for more recruiting tips.

Chapters

Here's how to check if a camp invite is legit or not. I'm Coach Alex, a former D1 coach, scout, and recruiter. I've been on the other side of these emails, and as some of you know who follow me, a camp invite doesn't necessarily mean a coach is recruiting your athlete or even knows about your athlete yet. And for my new parents going through this, this will save you a lot of time and money, so do this before committing to anything. Most camp Invites go out to hundreds, sometimes thousands of families all at once. So you need to find out if this one is actually a good fit for your athlete. Reply directly to the email, say something like this: Coach, thanks for the invite. I'd love to know if you're recruiting my position in my class. Are there any metrics or stats I should be working towards so we both make this worth our time? Here's the tell: a personal reply from The coach means good traction. A form response or silence is— that's an answer for you right there. An invitation is an opportunity. A reply is a good next step to see if this is worth your time. Follow for more recruiting advice that saves you time and money. See you soon.