Prospects, Be Prepared with Five Key Questions for Coaches

Learning where you fit into the coach's plan is a key ingredient in your decision making process.

Face-to-Face Meeting Could Be the Deal Maker

To finally sit in front of a college coach and discuss your future is the culmination of a long series of exciting as well as nerve-racking events.  The ups and downs of the recruiting process can be that way.  Any current or previous athletic scholarship holder will confirm this.  In the end, though, in the coach’s office is where the payoff comes.

Getting there can be  tough and unsettling.  If you are an NSR student-athlete, you’ve communicated with dozens, if not hundreds, of college coaches through your NSR email address or your Recruiting Organizer.  Looking back, you could not have imagined the number of college coaches that have shown you interest.  Schools you never heard of have wanted more information about you in hopes of establishing a relationship which could eventually result in a scholarship offer.

The days, weeks and months have gone by as have some of the coaches.  Either you discovered something about a college, coach or team which did not meet your particular needs, or perhaps the coaches found another more suitable prospects for their  programs.  Regardless, the recruiting process is like life, they come and they go.  But, as you continued to communicate with coaches and built relationships with them, there will come a time when your mutual interest in one another reaches a tipping point — meeting in person to explore the future or to move on to other options. 

Understanding the gravity of the moment, that is when you step into the coach’s office, naturally will bring some stomach butterflies, but being prepared with a plan will help quiet your nerves.  It is the next to last step toward receiving an offer and getting it right on your end could mean success.  A slip-up, though, could mean missing out on a legitimate shot at an offer.

Thinking through all the possibilities this crucial meeting could hold, it is incumbent on you to take advantage of this chance, a chance which so many other prospects wish they could have but don’t.  It’s your big moment and how you conduct yourself, the questions you ask and the answers you get in return are all key components to emerging with the information you will need to make a life changing decision.  Certainly, you may come with other questions which are integral to your decision making, but when all is said and done, these five queries must be clearly answered:

1. How do you see me fitting into your program?
2. Realistically, how much playing time should I expect as a freshman?
3. Who will I be competing with for playing time?
4. If I am struggling, how will you help me to get back on track?
5. How many freshmen recruits have started for you in the last three years?

You are a competitor and sitting on the pine may not be something you are willing to do.  However, every program has upper classmen that have put in their time on the squad.  They have learned the nuances of the way things work.  They’ve gotten bigger, stronger and faster with year round workouts and age.  And, they deserve their shot at the grabbing the brass ring.  Still, that should not deter you from finding out where you stand and what you can expect.  With the answers to these key questions in hand, your deliberations will be founded on solid information.