Getting the most out of a recruitment visit.

Ten questions that will give the athlete a clear picture of the school's athletic program

Being recruited by a college can be an exciting experience for a high school athlete. One of the best parts is, of course, the campus visit. It is almost always a lot of fun, and that's fine.

But the athlete must always remember that the visit isn't strictly a social occasion: that he is being squired around the campus, meeting the coaches, checking the facilities, and attending games as an honored guest for a purpose, and that is to evaluate the school while the school is just as carefully evaluating him.

In the midst of all the excitement, that's an easy point for the athlete to miss. The coach would do well to invest a little time in preparing the athlete for the visit.

The preparation need not be long or formal. But, at the minimum, it should include two things: (1) talking with the athlete to help him identify the key factors in choosing a school, and (2) helping the athlete develop a list of the important questions that must be asked in developing the essential information.

The following 10 questions will help the athlete develop a picture of the athletic program at any school he visits:

1 What does the depth chart look like?