Important questions to ask on your official visits
Official visits and even unofficial visits are a critical time for athletes in the recruiting process. How they go most times determines if the athlete will receive a scholarship offer. Visiting with a college coach and taking a tour of the university helps athletes figure out if the school is the right fit for them.
Every recruit is different, and some questions don’t pertain to everyone, but National Scouting Report has been doing this a long time and found things all athletes should do and ask.
Prepare
Hopefully, before an athlete has made it to the visiting stage of the recruiting process, they’ve done their homework. But just in case make sure it happens before the campus visit. It’s important for athletes to refrain from asking cliché questions that could be found by a simple Google search or visiting the university’s website. For one, it comes off as lazy, which you don’t want a prospective coach to think about you. Secondly, it prepares you to ask the hard-hitting questions you need to know.
Listen
This skill is essential for athletes to do when conversing with a college coach. Mostly because coaches will answer a good bit of the questions athletes may have. Even though there’s a saying that says, “No question is a stupid question,” it will look bad if you ask a question that they’ve already gone over.
Ask Questions
College coaches are intimidating. No one wants to make a mistake or ask the wrong question, especially when dealing with a potential college scholarship. However, not asking questions, will not go over well either. There are multiple reasons for that. The recruiting process is all about relationships, and it’s impossible to build one with a one-way conversation. Choosing a college or university is the most difficult decision an athlete will have to make, so it’s essential for athletes to have all the knowledge needed to choose wisely.
Where an athlete is in the recruiting process is different for everyone. For some athletes recruiting begins earlier, so they go into their official visits entirely different than someone who is late in the game. Questions will also be different for a Division-I school versus a Division-III since DIII schools can’t offer athletic scholarships, so there’s no reason even to bring that up.
Below are general questions athletes need to ask on their official visits.
To Coach:
- What is a typical day for your athletes?
- What is the practice/training schedule?
- Where do you see the future of this program?
- What positions are you looking to fill?
- How big is this year’s recruiting class?
To Players:
- How do you like the coaching staff?
- How do you manage training and academics?
- What is a typical day? Compare this to the coach’s answer.
- Do you have any advice for me?
- If you could do it again would you choose this university?
To Support Staff: Academic, Administration, Compliance, Training, etc.
- How will you help me succeed academically?
- What is the players training schedule?
- Where/What should I be doing now?
- Are there degree programs athletes can’t do?
At the end of the day, it’s important to figure out when and what to ask college coaches before you go on your official visits. NSR scouts guide athletes through this process and assist them with the exact questions they need to ask for their situation. Don’t waste an opportunity, find a scout near you and get the recruiting help you need.
