An "unofficial" visit to a college football game ...

During the college football season, an unofficial visit to a college or university on game day is a good way to for a prospective recruit to get a good sense of the football culture at that school. The recruit is responsible for transportation, food, and other expenses, except that a college can give him -- free of charge -- a maximum of three tickets to an on-campus athletic event, and many are quick to offer them to potential recruits on request. During a gameday unofficial visit, visiting high school players will do things like hang out at a lounge for the football team, see some of the program’s facilities (perhaps the locker room and weight room), perhaps see highlight video from the team’s past, hear a few brief words from a top coach or athletic department official, have the opportunity to buy a meal there (usually nothing particularly memorable), perhaps meet some coaches, perhaps meet some attractive young female students who can help them find their way around, take a stroll along the sidelines during pre-game warm-ups, and get some good seats – with other recruits and their parents or other guests – during the game. Prospective recruits can make as many of these visits as they wish, and those who take the opportunity to visit several different colleges and universities can get some good information for comparing them.