Questions to Ask College Coaches

Gage and Nick talk about what questions to ask college coaches. Share your thoughts and experiences below!

Summary video notes:

We’ve built ConnectLAX to help recruits find colleges that fit them both on and off the field.
An important step in this process is for recruits to ask key diligence questions of college coaches.

A lot of players and parents think recruiting is a one-way interview, but asking questions is important. It often creates comfort with coaches that you know what you’re looking for and can find your match.

Here are few questions to consider asking college coaches at your target schools:

1. What is the availability of academic advisors and tutors for assisting athletes?
a. How involved is the coach in monitoring player grades and classroom performance
Nick – discuss how D1 lacrosse can feel like a 2nd job

2. What is the coach’s confidence in your ability to gain admission to the school
a. As more and more recruits commit as underclassman, this becomes even more important as there is less of an academic track record for college coaches to evaluate
Nick, say “Learn about the academic index calculator, which is used by the Ivy League and many Patriot League / NESCAC schools. It requires incoming recruiting classes to hit a certain average”

3. What is the likelihood of getting scholarship money, athletic or otherwise?
a. Remember D1 programs have 12.6 scholarships for men’s and 12 for women’s
i. D2 has 10.6 and 9.9 for men’s and women’s
b. Only half of these teams are fully funded, so many schools offer less than this number

4. What is the size of the incoming recruiting class and which positions is the coach looking to fill?
a. Get an idea of the coaches recruiting timeline and how you compare to other recruits
b. Understand how verbally committing affects your status

5. Do players graduate in four years and what are the most popular majors among players on the team?
a. Do certain majors conflict with team commitments, such as science labs
i. How are conflicts resolved?
b. Do coaches help with internships

You should feel comfortable asking college coaches about their school and program, and how you fit into it. You can also ask current players about the team during prospect days, camps and visits.

While the majority of your questions will focus on the incoming recruiting class, it’s important to examine the current roster size and construction.

Very large classes or a disproportionate number of freshman and seniors may signal pending cuts, quits and transfers.

It’s also worth noting the stability of the coaching staff. Any time the coaches are at their own alma mater, that’s a positive sign as they clearly respect the institution and are fully vested in its development on and off the field.