Hey Chico Congrats! This is all good stuff for your son. My 2017 always did his OV with me because we live on the east coast and we drove to all the overnight visits. Even all the way up to Maine. We had already visited the west coast school he was considering before stanford camp so we did not feel the need to spend all that $ and fly back there. However now that he is a junior at a HA D3 I have paid a lot of attention to visiting recruits, and have seen it both ways. I've seen boys, esp those taking flights, come solo. I know one of our coaches even ran 2 boys to the airport last fall! Many times I spoke to the visiting mom or dad too at a game. One family I met during their OV came last year and it was nice for them to already have a friendly face I think. My son and roommates have hosted a bunch now too so Ive heard from him info as well.
I would minimize the school your son would have to miss if I were you, and in the case of the Fri aft/Sun aft scrimmages, maybe send him Saturday through Sunday. Most boys stay only one night, but it is not against any protocol to stay more, it is more that your son will likely not need two nights to make a decision if he could see himself there. At one of my son's OV, he could not wait to leave as he did not like the team vibe or campus very much and so why spend more time there? Usually an overnight/24 hours or even less is sufficient. Usually there will be a handful of other recruits that weekend too.
The usual timeline will depend on the school and what weekend you pick. For some schools, they like to get their "top" guys there for a big weekend, like homecoming etc. so there might be a tailgate and a football game to see, or also for reunion/alumni weekend so there is a little more action on campus. Depending on when the player arrives (and if with parents), the usual drill is to meet a coach and get introduced to your host. There may or may not be a meeting with the coach too, and a tour of campus etc. Usually you will get meal tickets or something too (just for the player). If you have not been on campus, it might be a good idea to see if tours are offered when you go and sign up if so. The coach/host usually only tour the player around the athletic facilities.
At most campuses, the player will hang out on Fri or Sat night with guys on the team, usually there will be a party etc. There is usually alcohol involved, and depending upon your son, the team culture etc, it is not absolutely taboo to drink or not drink. No current players will go and say to the coaches this recruit drank/did not drink. Each player/family has to decide how to handle that, esp since at most places you sign a pledge not to engage etc. In our case, my son was NOT a big drinker in HS as I was very strict with him, but he would have a beer or two on campus, but not more than that. Just prepare your son as you all see fit (most HS students have been to parties with alcohol and you are all dreaming if you think that is not true).
The parents, if there, do not go to dinner or the campus party! I usually went back early to the hotel, or if I had friends/family nearby made it a chance to visit. Parents are invited and welcome to come to the scrimmage/game though. Usually the coach will meet with the recruit one on one before they leave town, and talk about an offer or where they stand. If a parent is there, they usually join in this. But if so, the player should do the overwhelming majority of the talking and the parent should be in the background so to speak. No coach wants a helicopter parent to have to deal with for 4 years,
It is good to have your son have a few questions ready to go so when the coach says "do you have any questions" he is prepared! Some my son used, were what do most of the guys do over the summer (do you help with summer team placements as an add on to that)? If he did not have an offer yet, he asked where he stood. If he did have an offer, he asked what the timeline was for him to make a decision. He also asked sometimes how the coach thought the team would do this spring (just an easy question to get conversation going). I know boys have used this time to ask about two way prospects (mine did) or the ability to be pre med/engineering etc (mine did not as he is not).
I hope this helps; I answered publicly rather than through a PM so anyone else could read this and maybe have a better understanding, or even more questions (which I am happy to answer if I can).
