What is an official visit?

Since many athletes are being offered opportunities to visit college campuses I thought it good to share a few helpful tips about official visits. In most recruiting situations official visit often follow one or more unofficial visits. Frequently, college  coaches reserve official visits to make offers, but it is not uncommon to get a verbal offer outside of an official visit.

By definition, an official visit is any visit to a college campus by a college-bound prospective student-athlete and his or her parents that is paid for by the college. This includes transportation, lodging, entertainment, food and as many as 3 tickets to a game.. Conversely, campus visits paid for by the parents of the student-athlete is deemed and unofficial visit.

Traditionally, official visits have been reserved for Seniors only. However, since April 2018 new recruiting regulations have been implemented for sports such as baseball and softball, permitting  Junior and Senior student-athletes to take official visits. In contrast, in most other sports, such as football, only Senior student-athletes are permitted to take official visits. 

In total, student-athletes are permitted up to 5 official visits for D1 and D2 schools. However, only 1 official visit per school is allowed. You should also be aware that D3 and NAIA schools have no limit on official visits a student-athlete can take. Additionally, D3 and NAIA regulations are similar those governing the recruiting process of D1 and D2 schools where the prospective student-athlete is allowed 1 official visit per school.

Lastly, recruiting is a process. Always keep this in mind. Many student-athletes and parents let their minds run wild with negative assumptions especially when an official visit is not offered right away.  To reiterate, recruiting is a process and every coach has his or her method of recruiting. So, with this in mind  I recommend to keep a clear head and a positive attitude. Relax, stay calm, and enjoy the process.

Finally, I would love to hear from athletes attending official or unofficial visits. Also, if you need help preparing I’m glad to schedule some time to help prepare for your official visit. Just send me a text or email at mwoosley@csaprepstar.com.