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The following article is sponsored by National Scouting Report. Visit NSR’s web site at http://www.nsr-inc.com/
4 THINGS COLLEGE COACHES EXPECT DURING CAMPUS VISITS
Campus visits are extremely important for 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 during 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, school and program to the family.
Visits, however, are much different. 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 prospect walking onto the campus for 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.
In the final analysis, college coaches want to see four things from prospects when they come for official or unofficial campus visits:
- An open mind. Coaches know that high school athletes 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.
- 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 to the coach that the prospect is someone who will reflect the same attribute when representing the school as an athlete.
- Enthusiasm. When a prospect shows he or she is enthusiastic about their campus experience, coaches feel more comfortable taking the next step with a prospect -- making a verbal offer.
- Honest communications. Coaches want to know what prospects are 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. Coaches only want to make offers to prospects keenly interested in coming to the school and joining the team.
National Scouting Report, the world’s oldest and largest college recruiting organization, has received hundreds of requests from college coaches seeking 2017-20 prospects in all sports. More than 95 percent of NSR’s qualified prospects receive scholarship offers. For a free evaluation, contact NSR Area Director Gary Silvers, former Executive Sports Editor of the Bucks County Courier Times, at (215) 480-8764 or gsilvers@nsr-inc.com.