The Do’s and Don’ts of Recruiting Visits: From A Recruit and Team Standpoint

The Do’s and Don’ts of Recruiting Visits: From A Recruit and Team Standpoint

Recruiting trips are a fun and exciting time for high school athletes who are looking to compete at the next level, but with that, there comes a little stress and nervousness when preparing for overnight visits. Not only do recruits need to make a good first impression, but so do teams. It is important for recruits to be themselves so that they find the right fit for both their athletic and academic goals, as well as their personality.

Tips for the recruit:

Ask questions

Asking questions is a vital part of any recruiting trip. Whether it is an official visit, or an unofficial visit, asking questions shows that you are interested in the school. Take the time before the visit to think about what is important to you and what you are looking for both as an athlete and student in your field of study. It is always good to step foot on campus with a few prepared questions to ask the coaches and team.

Stay off your phone

Be engaged with the visit. The team is taking time out of their busy week to give recruits a taste of their day-to-day lives as student-athletes. Stay off your phone and be attentive in the activities that your host has planned for you. Official visits grant recruits up to 48 hours to spend on campus with the team. Make sure to soak up every second of that time because it goes by fast!

Be humble

Overall, recruiting trips are all about getting a feel for your potential future school. The other very important part of a recruiting visit is to make a good first impression to the coaches and team. It is in poor taste to come across like you are better than the team by bragging about your times or grades in school. Stay humble and professional, but most importantly, be yourself.

Don’t wear another school’s apparel

This might not seem like a big deal, but coaches will notice if you wear another school’s logo. Wearing another school’s t-shirt or sweatshirt might give the coaches the impression that you aren’t as interested in their school as you truly are.

Be respectful to teammates, coaches, and host

As mentioned before, teams take the time out of their lives to give recruits a great experience at their school. It is important to be respectful and kind to everybody you meet on your visit whether it’s a coach, teammate, academic advisor, or your host. Make sure to use your manners and show appreciation of their time. Even sending a thank you note is a great idea!

Don’t talk about scholarship money/offers

A huge turn off in a recruit is when they mention scholarship money offers to other recruits and current members of the team. It is important to keep that information to yourself. Talking about scholarship money usually comes across as boastful and immature.

Have an open mind

The best way to approach any recruiting visit is to have an open mind. You never know how much you might really love a school until you see it in person!

Tips for collegiate teams:

Hosts: Be with your recruit at all times

During official visits, recruits are always paired with a host who they will stay with and spend time with for the entire weekend. For many recruits, overnight visits can be overwhelming because it is their first time meeting the entire team and sleeping overnight in a residence hall. It is important that hosts stay by their recruit’s side throughout the trip and make them feel as comfortable as possible in a new environment.

Get to know your recruits

It is essential to get to know recruits by asking questions and creating conversation. This shows recruits that the team is just as interested in the recruit as the recruit is interested in the team. After all, they could be your future teammates!

Keep recruits busy

Recruits are typically given an itinerary for their visit, but sometimes, there is some free time where the team needs to implement some activities such as board games, sporting events, ice cream runs, etc. Fill in the gaps with fun things that will make every recruit’s trip memorable!

Don’t talk about your weekend plans

As college students, sometimes conversation veers into a different direction. Keep conversation centered around the visit and plans the team has with them rather than other plans that don’t involve them. Keep in mind, recruits are usually only 16/17 years old when they start to visit schools.

Don’t talk bad about other schools

The recruiting process is super cool and exciting for high school athletes. If they mention other schools that they are looking at or talking to, do not talk down upon those schools. Always be respectful of what recruits say.

Upperclassmen representation in team activities

A vital aspect in any recruiting trip is to have the entire team present during team activities. Sometimes it is hard for upperclassmen to attend everything considering that at most schools, upperclassmen live off campus and typically recruits stay overnight in the residence halls. It is important for recruits to spend time with everybody so that they can get a feel for the team environment. As long as upperclassmen make an effort to attend most of the activities, that should give recruits a good idea on how the team gets along with each other!

Recruiting trips should be fun and give athletes insight on what they really want in a school and team. Hopefully recruits and teams find these tips helpful when preparing for overnight visits!

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