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Writer's pictureChristian Labrador

Questions to ask a college coach during a visit

Updated: May 30, 2022



It’s not uncommon to be stressed when speaking with a college coach for the first time. A mistake many recruits make is staying quiet during the first meeting with a coach. These one-sided conversations where the coach does most of the talking with little back-and-forth tends to leave a bad impression. Speaking with a coach can be a daunting task, especially when attempting to secure an offer or figuring out if the school is right for you. To prevent any one-sidedness, here are some possible questions to ask that will help you gain insight about the program while simultaneously establishing a strong relationship with the coach.

What is a typical day in the life schedule for your player?

This question is an easy warm up question that helps show the coach that you are interested in learning more about the school and the program through the eyes of a student. The coach can help give you a general grasp of what the average student athlete life is like, and you can extrapolate other things from the discussion, such as how close the team is, how studious they are, and how they balance school and sport. Overall, you can get a feel for what the team is like, and there are many ways to spring into more conversation about multiple topics from this one question; examples include asking about what a typical practice session looks like, other mandatory meetings outside of the school/sport, the most common major for athletes on the team, competition schedule, and how your academic interests fit into the grand scheme of admissions.

What are you looking for in a recruit?

This question again shows the coach that you are interested in playing for and making a difference on their team. Once you figure out what the coach is looking for in a recruit, you will be able to respond in a couple of ways. If you fit the coach's description of what they are looking for, you can agree with their statement and start elaborating on how you fit those qualities, helping you look like the right recruit to pick. However, if you don't fit the description, you can ask what to do in order to improve certain qualities that you are lacking; by asking this question, even if you do not fit the definitive description of the perfect recruit per se, you are definitely showing that you are a coachable athlete who is willing to learn and grow, which is a valuable attribute to have on any team.


Where do I stand in terms of recruiting?

If the visit is going well and you and the coach seem to have good chemistry, it may be an excellent idea to lightheartedly ask how you rank in terms of recruiting. This question can help you definitively determine where you stand against other recruits. Learning more about where you stand and why will help you make more informed decisions moving forward about your decision of whether it is wise to continue or discontinue chasing certain institutions.

One thing to be prepared for with this question is if the coach flips the script on you; they may ask where they stand in your eyes compared to other schools recruiting you. You can answer this in a variety of ways; you can say that they are on equal terms against a certain number of different schools ("I'm currently considering this university along with three others), you can say that it's your top pick, and if it's not really on the radar, mention that it is a fine institution, but certain factors are holding you back. The way you answer this second question is really up to you and how well you view the institution. One very important thing to remember is to not burn any bridges too early in the process!

How does this institution handle financial aid?

This question aims to figure out if the institution offers merit-based academic scholarships. Of course, if you have good academics and test scores to flex, you will be much more appealing in the eyes of the coach because they will use less money on you and can recruit other members to the team. However, if merit-based aid is not an option, you should inquire about need-based aid the school offers, and, at the very least, with this question you can figure out if your academics are good enough to attend that school.

Can I meet some of the players on your team?

By asking to meet with the team, you can immerse yourself with the athletes and build a good reputation amongst them. In addition, committing your time and providing the coach with a synopsis of how it was after the meeting can show that you are a valuable candidate who can connect with the rest of the team; this will also show the coach that you are seriously considering the school. However, if the coach tells you no, you can figure out whether or not they are seriously considering you given their reason for the decline.

If all is well, ask for a followup visit

If you are interested in the school and haven't received an offer at this point, setting up another follow-up visit in the future will help determine how serious both you and the coach are in terms of recruiting. How this is answered can segway into starting a conversation about the coach watching you compete in various competitions and lead to an official visit if the current visit is unofficial.


In summary

The questions here are meant to help you build a strong relationship with the coach while simultaneously helping you gather valuable information to help you make informed decisions moving forward in the admissions process. Going into it, I highly suggest that you also have a list of other questions prepared so that the conversation can continually flow and good conversations can be sparked from the encounter. I hope this helps you on your journey to becoming a recruited athlete!

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