College coaches want to know what kind of student you are, how you act off the field or your overall character, and what are your physical capabilities on the field.  There are different ways a coach can come about this information and coaches find out all three areas in different orders but all three are of equal importance.  Academically a coach needs to make sure you meet the minimum requirements to gain acceptance to the school.  He also wants to know if he does offer you a scholarship you will be eligible to play.  Your character will be determined through different avenues which all play a role in how far a coach pursues you.  He may call around and ask people who may know you or he may come to a game, sit in the parking lot and watch you from the time you get out of your car until you step on the field.  Coaches will observe your actions and look at how you carry yourself.  A coach will also watch you in a game.  He will look to see how you handle failure or how you handle success.  On the field actions and reactions are extremely important to a coach.  Coaches do not want a hot head or a showboat.  The last part and toughest to breakdown is your ability.  The reason this is so hard is because every coach has a different philosophy so even though you may have some very good tools (something we will discuss later) you may not have the tools a certain coach is looking for.  Every coach has their team philosophy, which means they structure the players they recruit around certain guidelines.  You may have some strong tools but a certain coach might not value those as much as others.