Everything You Need to Know About College Recruiting with Renee Lopez

Summary

Renee Lopez — former D1 women’s soccer coach (14 years), certified by John Maxwell, John Gordon, and Positive Coaching Alliance — breaks down the college recruiting process for tennis families. Her central argument: the student-athlete must drive their own recruiting process, not the parent. Starting freshman or sophomore year. With personalized outreach, not mass emails.

Guest Background

Former Division I women’s soccer head coach for 14 years. Certified through John Maxwell, John Gordon, and the Positive Coaching Alliance. After coaching, shifted to recruiting education — helping student-athletes and families navigate the college recruiting process. She approaches recruiting from the coach’s perspective: she was the one being recruited to, which gives her direct insight into what works and what gets ignored.

Key Findings

Student-Athlete Must Drive the Process

The single most important principle: the student-athlete sends the emails, makes the calls, and drives the outreach — not the parent. College coaches need to see self-advocacy from the athlete. When a parent does all the communicating, it signals that the athlete lacks the initiative and maturity coaches want in a recruit.

Start Freshman or Sophomore Year

Recruiting outreach should begin in the freshman or sophomore year of high school — not junior year when the urgency is obvious and coaches are less flexible. Early contact allows coaches to track development over time. A recruit they’ve known for two years is a safer investment than one who appears suddenly senior year.

Personalized Emails, Not Mass Outreach

College coaches receive hundreds of generic emails. Personalized outreach — demonstrating that the athlete has researched the school’s academic programs, the coach’s philosophy, and the team’s culture — is the differentiator. Lopez’s specific advice: research the major you’re interested in, reference it in the email, make clear why this specific school.

Video Links, Not Attachments

Highlight videos should be sent as links (YouTube, Hudl), never as email attachments. Attachments don’t open, get flagged as spam, and signal technical ignorance. A clean YouTube link is the professional standard.

NCAA/NAIA Eligibility Center Registration

Both NCAA and NAIA have eligibility center registration processes. The registration is free and must be completed proactively. Missing or delaying this step can create compliance problems that block athletic aid. Lopez advises early registration — well before junior year.

The Broken Leg Test

Her decision-making framework for school selection: “Would you stay at this school if you broke your leg and could never play tennis again?” If the answer is no — if the only reason to attend is the tennis — the school is wrong. Academic programs, geographic preferences, campus culture, and life-after-tennis fit must all pass the test.

Camp Invitations Are Not Recruitment Offers

A common misconception: a coach inviting a player to a summer camp is not a recruitment signal. Camps are revenue generators. Lopez is explicit — camp invitations must not be interpreted as recruitment interest, and families who treat them as such waste time and money pursuing false leads.

Build a List of 20+ Schools

For 14-16 year olds, Lopez recommends building a list of 20 or more schools across multiple divisions (D1, D2, D3, NAIA). The list narrows over time as recruiting conversations develop. Starting with too small a list creates artificial scarcity and leads to poor fit decisions.

Major Selection Constraints

Specific academic programs — nursing and education in particular — often cannot be completed in four years while playing college tennis. The travel schedule, practice demands, and clinical/student-teaching requirements conflict. Athletes interested in these majors must research this constraint before committing to a school that cannot accommodate it.

Actionable Advice

• Athletes send all recruiting communications — parents support logistically but do not communicate with coaches directly.
• Begin outreach freshman or sophomore year, not junior year.
• Personalize every email to each school’s specific programs and coaching staff.
• Send video as YouTube links, never email attachments.
• Register with NCAA/NAIA eligibility centers early — it is free and must be done proactively.
• Apply the broken leg test to every school under consideration.
• Treat camp invitations skeptically — they are not recruitment offers.
• Build a list of 20+ schools across multiple divisions; narrow over time.

INTENNSE Relevance

INTENNSE’s college-to-pro bridge positioning makes college recruiting education a relevant program component. Players entering INTENNSE at the college level have already navigated this process — but the league could serve as a platform for families earlier in the pipeline. Lopez’s framework also informs how INTENNSE might communicate with college coaches who are evaluating current players for post-collegiate professional pathways.

Notable Quotes

“When the parent is doing all the communicating, I’m already less interested in the player.”

“Would you stay at this school if you broke your leg and could never play tennis again? If the answer is no, keep looking.”

“Camp invitations are revenue. They are not recruitment.”