A few more thoughts on an athletic unofficial visits

The reason that I am mainly writing this post is that a lot of people are unsure about visiting a school and what happens during the trip. While I have explained how it goes, there are a few things that I want to go into further detail. The reason that I think these need to be posted is because recruits are sometimes confused about it.

When going on your first unofficial visit, I would say that it is important to not over dress as well as not under dress. The reason I am specifically thinking about this is for a few reasons but something I saw recently. While most of the prep visitors to this school were dressed in fairly nice clothing, one recruit decided to out do everyone. I wish I were joking but he decided he would be at the head of the class when it comes for dressing on this visit.

I still think that his parents made him do it but the recruit was wearing a full suit. Tie, sports coat, everything. Again, I wish I was joking about this but I did see it first hand. This recruit has to walk all throughout campus in this suit while others are wearing whatever is comfortable. You could just tell he knew he made a mistake during the day.

Before the game started, he walked off and got out of his sports coat and decided to ditch the tie as well. By the time halftime came about, he had someone bring him a pair of clothes and was in jeans and a t-shirt. While I think first impressions are vital in just about every field, he really over did it.

So with that, I thought I would say a few notes about unofficial visits. The first is to find an outfit you feel comfortable in. You don’t want to wear the suit, but also don’t wear jeans with holes and dirty t-shirts. It may not help you get a scholarship but there is no reason why you should not present yourself nicely in front of the coaches. My recommended outfit, early in the fall, is jeans and a collared shirt. I think just about everyone can come up with that type of an outfit.

You want to be comfortable while on the visit because in a lot of cases, the coaches will be giving you a tour through campus and then you are going to be sitting through four quarters of a game. That makes it essential to be comfortable when having a long day like this. There also may be other events afterwards for recruits as well.

While on the trip, pay attention to what the coaches tell you and really get a feel for the school. Listen to what they say about academics, dorms, athletics, graduation rates, and anything else. Like I have said before, you will be spending four or five years of your life there so be prepared. Showing the coaches that you are paying attention does prove to them that you are a respectable young man or woman. If you are messing around the entire time, I promise that will not help you in the long run.