Just to set the table as I go back and listen to all the visit interviews from the weekend in order to do my Buy, Sell, or Hold for the official visitors, I've said it before, and I'll say it again; the absolute least consequential thing you will hear from a prospect is what they say leaving an official visit. They are still feeling the effects of being treated like royalty while standing right outside the doors of the football complex, and more often than not coaches or support staff are in close range listening (or in some cases, adding commentary).
I can tell you the outcome before they walk out the door and we start interviewing them.
Yes, the visit helped.
Yes, they ate well and were treated like kings.
Yes, they loved what the coaches had to say.
Yes, they loved their time spent with players/prospects.
They'll say the same thing after each and every visit whether the stop is at UF, FSU, UM, UGA, LSU, etc...
Those answers are a given.
It is only interesting and noteworthy if they don't fawn over the visit, or if they talk about something other than what you see above.
I actually think you get a better feel for where they stand a couple of days later after they get back home and some of the excitement wears off a little. But fans want to know how the visits went immediately, so we all comply.
When out there, what I am listening and watching for is if they have something off-topic that caught their attention, if they seem genuinely into it, or giving canned answers - parsing their words.
All visits are basically the same. All programs have great facilities, put the kids up in a nice hotel, and feed them incredible food. No one at all stands out well above the crowd in those areas.
Period.
After these first two weekends, I believe that two things that are standing out to visitors from a UF perspective are that they genuinely enjoy the vibe of the players and coaches, and even more so, GatorMade is mentioned often, sometimes unsolicited, as what really sets UF apart.
Having said all that, just because there isn't a rush of commitments after a visit weekend doesn't mean that the visit didn't help UF's causes. On the other hand, just because a prospect had something nice to say about their time on campus, it doesn't necessarily mean that UF is the team to beat.
I can tell you the outcome before they walk out the door and we start interviewing them.
Yes, the visit helped.
Yes, they ate well and were treated like kings.
Yes, they loved what the coaches had to say.
Yes, they loved their time spent with players/prospects.
They'll say the same thing after each and every visit whether the stop is at UF, FSU, UM, UGA, LSU, etc...
Those answers are a given.
It is only interesting and noteworthy if they don't fawn over the visit, or if they talk about something other than what you see above.
I actually think you get a better feel for where they stand a couple of days later after they get back home and some of the excitement wears off a little. But fans want to know how the visits went immediately, so we all comply.
When out there, what I am listening and watching for is if they have something off-topic that caught their attention, if they seem genuinely into it, or giving canned answers - parsing their words.
All visits are basically the same. All programs have great facilities, put the kids up in a nice hotel, and feed them incredible food. No one at all stands out well above the crowd in those areas.
Period.
After these first two weekends, I believe that two things that are standing out to visitors from a UF perspective are that they genuinely enjoy the vibe of the players and coaches, and even more so, GatorMade is mentioned often, sometimes unsolicited, as what really sets UF apart.
Having said all that, just because there isn't a rush of commitments after a visit weekend doesn't mean that the visit didn't help UF's causes. On the other hand, just because a prospect had something nice to say about their time on campus, it doesn't necessarily mean that UF is the team to beat.