Four Things College Coaches Want to See When Prospects Visit

Campus visits are extremely important for young college prospects.

Initial and subsequent casual meetings at camps, tournaments, showcases and combines are all fishing expeditions. Coaches are merely trying to get a read on prospects and their parents at these brief encounters. They’ve seen what they need to when the athlete performs. They’ve completed their pre-visit investigative work about grades and attitude. And they’ve successfully marketed and sold their product, the school and program, to the family.

Visits, however, are different altogether.  Now it’s on to what matters – discovering if there is a good fit between the prospect, coaching staff, team and campus.

None of that is a given. Not by a long shot.

A coach can never know what stirs a youngster walking onto the campus the first time. As unpredictable as teens can be, they are even more so when put under the stress of a new setting and surrounded by unfamiliar people. It is all up in the air, that is, until it isn’t.

In the final analysis, college coaches want to see four things from prospects when they come for campus visits, whether official or unofficial:

1. An open mind. Coaches know that high school seniors are impressionable. So coaches do their best to make a great first impression. They need prospects to be open-minded about what they see, experience and learn.
2. Respect. Perhaps the most important thing a college coach wants to see in a visiting prospect is a healthy respect for everyone at the school. This sends a clear signal the coach that the prospect is someone who will reflect the same attribute when representing the school as an athlete.
3. Enthusiasm. When a prospect shows he or she is enthusiastic about their campus experience, coaches feel more comfortable taking the next and final step with a prospect – making an offer.
4. Honest communications. Coaches want to know what prospects are genuinely feeling about their campus experiences. They will ask prospects pointed questions and expect honest answers. When this happens, coaches can move forward or stop the recruiting process. The point being that they only want to make offers to prospects keenly interested in coming to the school and joining the team.

College coaches want to see prospects on these unofficial visits. NSR scouts assists their NSR athletes through this process. Are you or your athlete taking college visits? If not, contact the local NSR scout for an evaluation.