SSBuckeye posted:This is just my perspective from going through a late-developing recruiting experience with my 2017 in the past year. He became a 90/30 kid last summer right before his senior year, but was up to that point a very good hitter who pitched on the side. Was a good pitcher, but velo came late in the process. So even though he got a ton of looks last summer as his velo numbers got posted, he had a bad outing against a team full of kids who played in the PG event a few nights ago in front of a ton of schools and that seemed to cool things off. So, at the end of the summer he had no offers and was somewhat disillusioned after so many "name" schools showed brief interest.
So we set a plan to identify schools he was most interested in and contacted them. Went directly to the head coach when possible. They all asked to see him at their camp so they could evaluate him in person. We set up two in the fall and two in January. Each time, when he showed up, he was greated by one or more coaches at the registration table. To me, that was the key. From those four camps, he got 3 offers and a walk-on invite.
I now have a 2020 coming up, and I plan to do the same with him, only start it earlier. He won't attend a camp where he is not expressly invited via some direct interaction with a coach. My 2020 is getting a ton of email right now as many are I'm sure. But we're going to pick schools where we think he has a reasonable chance to fit in and whose academic profile fits his needs. The key for me is being honest about my kid's abilities. He won't be going to my alma mater Vandy's camp, because he's not that kid. But we have a good feel where he would fit, so that's where we'll focus. When we get a school to bite, then we'll get him to that camp. He played in 6 PG events this past summer, so he has the advantage of getting that exposure already, so want to make that clarification. The camp strategy is in addition to the PG events, which is important to develop a verifiable track record schools can research.
Echo this assessment. I think if you have been in contact with coaches who have not been able to see you play in person but have seen video etc and there is "interest", going to their camp can be very beneficial. Son has done 3 camps this summer where he was known to the coaching staff and the reception by the coaches has been outstanding. Use the opportunity to get in front of vetted schools to your advantage, but don't expect to be "discovered" randomly as one of 200 kids in attendance. One of many tools, just make sure that coaches know you are coming and that you have been in touch with them previously and are a potential match for their school.