best time to visit

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Sep 7, 2010
23
0
Ohio
What is the best time of the year to schedule unofficial visits? Are coaches more likely to have time for you during the off season?
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
What is the best time of the year to schedule unofficial visits? Are coaches more likely to have time for you during the off season?

Personally I think the Fall is the best time. They are having practices and games but the atmosphere is more relaxed. Often prospective players can work out with the team. That has been both a deal maker and deal breaker for my players. If you commit to a school without attending at least 1 regular practice and talking privately with coaches and players you are setting yourself up for failure.
 

Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,167
38
New England
Personally I think the Fall is the best time. They are having practices and games but the atmosphere is more relaxed. Often prospective players can work out with the team. That has been both a deal maker and deal breaker for my players. If you commit to a school without attending at least 1 regular practice and talking privately with coaches and players you are setting yourself up for failure.

A word of caution - whether this is allowable varies by college division/classification!!!
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
I am not an expert on the subject, but I would suggest trying to coordinate an unofficial visit a day before, or right after, you attend their summer, fall or winter camp/clinic.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,881
113
I would be careful about practicing with a team until you know which level of play your DD is going to play and the NCAA Rules regarding practicing with a college team. I believe that they term this a "tryout." I am not an expert at this but thought that this could be done at a limited level at NCAA schools and I believe D-II. Not sure about JUCO or NAIA. Also it has to be senior year after HS season is over. Again, not an expert but this is what I recall.
 
Mar 26, 2013
1,934
0
Div-I generally prohibits practicing as a tryout (see 13.11) with various exceptions - coaching staff doesn't organize/observe it and not designed to test the athletic abilities of the athlete; open events; etc.

Div-II is strange. They have pretty much the same regs as Div-I including the general prohibition, but they also have a new/revised portion (13.11.1.1) that says they can run tryouts after June 15 preceding the PSA's Junior year with a lot of regulation. Weird.

Div-III prohibits tryout events, but without the general ban on practicing. Coaches are not allowed to observe or conduct activities designed to test athletic ability.

NAIA is very loose on recruiting. My DD made an overnight visit as a junior and practiced with the team.
 
May 23, 2010
70
0
Once you figure out when you can visit per NCAA rules, make at least one visit while school is in session. Whether they visited for sports reasons or for academic reasons, folks I spoke with consistently found that their kid was more interested in schools they visited during the school year. The activity on campus while school is in session is very different from activity during vacation. Kids won't get the true vibe of the school during a vacation period.
 

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