When recruiting, college coaches are looking for the whole package: a good fit on and off the field. This means they are interested in your grades, your work ethic, and your ability to work in groups, among other things. 

The exact same can be said for the athlete looking for the right school. The sports and athletic experience needs to be a great fit in terms of what the athlete needs and wants. What also needs to be a priority is the education and other opportunities that may matter to an athlete. Certain priorities for one athlete may be different from another, such as school size, location, how good the athletics programs are, majors offered, and more. 

What is important when finding out whether a school is the right fit or not is to compare how much of your checklists they meet in comparison to other schools. Your checklist should have all your priorities and extras listed. 

On the Field Checklist

• College coach rating
• Win-loss record
• Position depth (is your position needed?)
• How long a coach has been with a program
• Competition level
• Team size
• Position openings
• Team culture
• Time commitment
• Travel
• Game livestreams
• Facilities
  • Field/Court
  • Weightroom
  • Recovery Rooms
  • Academic Areas
  • Extras

Off the Field Checklist

• Location
  • On and off-campus housing
• School size
• Division/League
• Cost
  • In-state
  • Out of state
• Majors
• Class size
• Graduation rates of athletes

Whether each game is livestreamed is not talked about often, but it's a huge factor, especially for athletes far from home. Your parents can't travel to every game, and if your school or league doesn't offer livestreams for each game, your parents may not be able to watch you play at all.

* Originally published on November 19, 2021, by Brittany Collens