Behind the official visit: Recruiting’s most important 48 hours

College football coaches spend years building bonds with recruits. They call, text, write letters, visit schools, pore over hours of film and build relationships with everybody that might influence a prospect’s decision. But all of that hard work means nothing if the official visit isn’t a success.

Any visit to campus by a college-bound student-athlete and his parents or legal guardians paid for by the college is considered an official visit.

During an official visit, the college can pay for transportation to and from the campus for the prospect and his parents or guardians, lodging and three meals per day, as well as reasonable entertainment expenses – including three tickets to a home sports event.

Recruits gets five of these visits during the process and can take only one paid visit to a school, unless a coaching change occurs, which would then allow them to return to the school again.

Each official visit may be up to 48 hours, and the clock for the visit doesn’t start until a recruit arrives on campus. And once that timer starts ticking, it becomes the most important 48 hours of the entire recruiting process.

“That 48-hour period allows you to build a true emotional attachment with a prospect and his family unlike anything else in the recruiting process,” said former Akron interim coach Oscar Rodriguez, who has recruited in every corner of the country in his career. “It’s the best evaluation tool possible for both sides. You can see if they fit in your program. They can see if they think your school is the right place for them. You really get a better understanding of who they are and what your school can offer.

“I think it’s true: It is the most important part of the process.”

What happens on an official visit?

Those who follow recruiting generally know how the official visit process works. But On3 Consensus three-star cornerback Jaden Harris of Atlanta Riverwood gave us a crystal-clear look at the visit weekend in minute-by-minute details.

Harris shared an image that outlines his entire official visit schedule this weekend with the Miami Hurricanes.

It all started at 4 p.m. Thursday when a car service picked him up and shuttled him to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It ends at 10:25 a.m. Sunday when he leaves Miami International Airport to return home.

In-between, Harris and his family will get a campus tour, meet with support staff and position coaches, see a NIL presentation, visit the football facilities, check out the Hurricanes’ equipment, do a photo shoot, watch practice and eat a lot of really good food. And we mean a lot of really good food.

Harris and his family also will get plenty of one-on-one time with Miami coach Manny Diaz during breakfast Friday, then with a parents’ dinner Saturday. Both meals will be at Diaz’s home.

Coaches said the schedule Harris shared is similar to what takes place all over the country on visit weekends. While it’s good to have a schedule, coaches also say it’s important to also be flexible. Sometimes it’s better for recruits and their family to throw the itinerary out the window.

“That’s the balance you try to find,” Rodriguez said. “You have to have the emotional power to adapt or change the schedule and be aware of their needs. Too many coaches will stay on script instead of focusing on the needs of the family.”

Little moments matter on official visits

Whether it’s the perfect swag bag or cookie cakes – also known as recruiting’s must-have dessert – coaches go out of their way to impress recruits on official visits. But coaches also will tell you it’s the non-scripted moments that often matter most on a visit.

In fact, free time might just be the most valuable recruiting tool for a school.

“There’s nothing like sitting back and kicking it at the hotel with a recruit and his family,” Rodriguez said. “You get so little time to decompress and talk about the decision. It’s the free time when you’re just relaxing that can lead to positive decisions. That personal time with the family gives you the chance to have real conversations.”

Players also a major part of visits

At a recent Under Armour All-America Game, 86 senior recruits were asked what the best part of official visits were. Forty-seven percent said hanging out with the players was on top of their list, well ahead of food (16.2%) and interacting with fans (13.9%).

That’s why coaches go out of their way to ensure that players already on campus are a central part of the official visit. And looking at Harris’ visit schedule shows he’ll have plenty of time to hang out with potential future teammates.

“If you have the right kind of culture going on campus, then they’ll work to be salesmen for you,” Tennessee coaching legend Phil Fulmer said. “ ‘How am I going to fit in with my teammates?’ is maybe the most important factor in a recruit’s decision.

“If that bond is there early with the current players, then everything is much easier.”

Player feedback could backfire on official visits

But that player-recruit time can be a double-edged sword.

Penn State coach James Franklin cautions that there’s both good and bad when it comes to players interacting with recruits. From his experience, Franklin said he has noticed how current players often go out of their way to give recruits the unvarnished truth about a school.

If it’s boring off campus and there’s nowhere to go out, the players will tell them. If the student body really rallies behind the team, win or lose, the players will tell them. When a coach sells academics but pushes players into easier classes, the players will tell them. If a coach plays nice on the recruiting trail but is a different person in the locker room, players definitely will tell prospects how it really is.

“If your players are having a good experience, and your recruits get around those players and are comfortable, they’re like-minded individuals and they feel comfortable, it makes your job as a recruiter a lot easier,” Franklin said. “Recruits are asking ‘Look, what is Coach Franklin really like? Is this just how he is during recruiting?’ Your players can give them the truth and say, ‘No, this is who he is.’ I think that’s valuable.

“It’s funny how much players on your team will go out of their way to tell recruits what it’s really like at your school. That’s why it’s important you have a great relationship and have trust with everybody in your program – because they can become one of your biggest recruiting tools on official visits.”

Can the head coach seal the deal?

Before recruits and families leave the official visit, they almost always have a one-on-one meeting with the head coach.

At some schools, that meeting is on campus in the coach’s office. Other places, it is during breakfast at the hotel. And some schools prefer to have the recruits meet with the head coach at his home, where the setting is a little more intimate.

Either way, the “exit interview” is when families can ask tough questions of the head coach. It is also when the best recruiters seal the deal and land the commitment.

It’s the crescendo of the 48-hour visit and all the months and months of the recruiting process lead to this moment.

“That’s why the downtime leading up to this moment can help when it comes to talking to the head coach,” Rodriguez said. “If you build that family time, talking with the head coach will feel more like a family discussion. It’ll be a positive moment for everybody involved.”

Visits are make-or-break time

Even with the potential for some visit hiccups, coaches overwhelmingly agree the 48 hours a recruit spends on an official visit are the key part of the process that can lead to a commitment and eventual signature on a letter of intent.

“That’s probably even more so true with this senior class,” Rodriguez said. “We didn’t get to get them on campus, or go out and see them for so long because of COVID. You just weren’t able to build multi-year relationships like you normally would.

“So, you’ve got 48 hours to get a better understanding of who they are and why you need them to come to your school. It’s the most significant part of the recruiting process and even more so with this 2022 class.”