Hello everyone, my son (2020 class) received an email through his travel ball team coach that a D1 school wanted to recruit him. They asked for his GPA which is above 3.5. What is the next step towards receiving the offer? Do we contact the coach or do we just wait for the offer? How long do they take before offering? Is it a good idea to go to their summer camp? or just play with the team and wait.
Thank you.
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First step is to talk with your travel coach to find out everything he knows about their interest in your son and to let him know how interested your son is in the school.
Second step is to for your son to respond to the email by calling the college coach, thanking him for his interest, affirming his interest in the school, and seeing where the coach leads the conversation.
Then start learning everything you can about the school, the baseball program, and the coaches.
They'll make an offer as soon as they're sure they want your son. A common practice is to be invited for an informal visit and tour that ends up in a conference room where the coach presents his offer.
Don't go to the camp. There are lots of threads in our archives explaining the pros and cons of buying this high-priced, short-term group instruction. A rising sophomore who's already on their radar has no reason to go.
Congratulations, best wishes, and please let us know what happens.
Good advice.
I'd add that you should begin (quickly since there is already interest) to build a college list that includes schools fitting within the parameters your son and the parents accept. (E.g., location, cost, urban, city, big, little, north, west, majors offered, and the whole panoply of other variables.) Be over inclusive in number as schools you've never heard of will pop up and you can be prepared.
As a rising soph, he has a year of HS academics under his belt, so you have a feel for his grades and courses. Match those up with the schools. During the summer, delve into understanding the differences in academics each potential college offers (look carefully at the majors juniors and seniors have declared [you can ignore freshman and soph declared/desired majors]), and the employment opportunities for graduates at each school. Understand that some schools will make a kid focus all his efforts in baseball with academics becoming secondary; while other schools take a different approach.
Do not be a passive observer in the process - actively determine various options. Be wary of accepting any offer made this early - these coaches are experts at manipulating parents and players and parents/players only go through this process once. Like any consumer, the more you understand of the process, the better a family has on a reasonably successful result.
As for baseball, clearly he is on someone's radar. Continue to work and develop those individual skills - recruiters don't care which team he's on (high visibility, low visibility); recruiters care for individual skills and those skills need to advance (skills which plateau are warning signs to schools and can lead to bad results come NLI time).
Good luck. The recruiting roller coaster has begun. Preparation is what smoothes the ride.
Thank you both for your good advices. The school that is interested is actually one of top 5 schools we had picked for our son. So we couldn't be happier about the school that is interested. We just want to know when they will be throwing an offer and what we should do before that offer comes. Do we call the coach and try to initiate contact? Do we just wait?
Thanks.
At his age, there is no worry of the train leaving the station (so to speak). If the school wants to give an offer, the coach knows how to do it and will figure the way. If the school is nearby, your son could simply visit the school and drop in on the coach.
As an aside, lay out for the other parents heading into the process, your thought processes which lead you to narrow his focus to those 5 schools.
Asking his gpa means they noticed him and will continue to follow. An acceptable gpa doesn't mean they will make an offer.
Happy one posted:Thank you both for your good advices. The school that is interested is actually one of top 5 schools we had picked for our son. So we couldn't be happier about the school that is interested. We just want to know when they will be throwing an offer and what we should do before that offer comes. Do we call the coach and try to initiate contact? Do we just wait?
Thanks.
Contact the Head Coach \Recruiting Coordinator immediately. Let them know that you are interested in their school and try to set up a visit. Do not be so enamored with this school so that you narrow your field of view and miss out on any other schools that may show interest. This school may be top 5 now, but it might not be next month or next year. Do not let your son get a big head and keep him working hard.
Absolutely contact them. I assume the email contained a phone number? If so, call it. Keep in mind, the coach can't call back if you miss him. Leave a message and let them know you're interested. The coach will find a way to get in touch....likely thru the travel coach. I would caution that just because he received an email in no way guarantees an offer is coming, it just means they know of your son and are considering him. If the coach doesn't hear from your son quickly, he'll likely assume that he's not interested and you may not hear from him again. Make the call today 
Don't confuse "want to recruit" with an offer. Sometimes the two don't go hand in hand.
That being said, have your son call the coach and find out where he does stand.
Your son should be the one doing the calling, not you or your spouse. It will look a lot better if its him and not the parents. In fact it may have a detrimental effect if its not your son.
Also, intrest at this point does not equal an offer. There is still some more dancing to do before you get there.
Thank you all for great advises. We have several college camps and Perfect game tournaments coming up so will keep my boy working hard and not worry about the recruitment. We did call and leave a message to the RC thanking him for the interest. I am glad I can ask questions here and get answers and advises. I have asked few coaches and they couldn't answer a lot of recruiting questions.
Thank you all.
Contrary to earlier posts , my advice concerning this matter would be to do nothing. When a program wants a player they make their intentions clear.You do not have to do anything at all.
If the interest is legit . You will here from THEM
StrainedOblique posted:Contrary to earlier posts , my advice concerning this matter would be to do nothing. When a program wants a player they make their intentions clear.You do not have to do anything at all.
If the interest is legit . You will here from THEM
StrainedOblique,
The player in question is just finishing his freshman year. He has been given an invitation to begin a conversation the school isn't allowed to initiate for another year or so.
Swampboy posted:StrainedOblique posted:Contrary to earlier posts , my advice concerning this matter would be to do nothing. When a program wants a player they make their intentions clear.You do not have to do anything at all.
If the interest is legit . You will here from THEM
StrainedOblique,
The player in question is just finishing his freshman year. He has been given an invitation to begin a conversation the school isn't allowed to initiate for another year or so.
I stand by my response . Especially with a 2020. IMO a 2020 isn't sufficiently sophisticated enough in 2017 to make a decision on where they want to play, live and go to school thru 2024
My son was offered after his Sophomore year in HS. All he wanted was an ' offer' from a terrific D1 school. He got it. Then Realized it was too early to commit.....It got 'real' fast.
Anyways, In spite of NCAA contact rules they may try to reach out. Or not. Either way , what I learned is that the NCAA contact rules are there for a very good reason. A 14-15 year old isn't ready to make such a life changing decision at that age.
The larger question isn't ' what do I do about following up on interest' . The larger question here is : What are you or your son gonna do if they offer tomorrow ?
That being said, if you still feel compelled to initiate some sort of response get your son on campus. Take him to a camp. But if it was me I'd wait. His numbers / Evals will look better next year. If he's a position player it's gonna be about his 60 time and how hard he hits the ball. If he's a pitcher it's gonna be about the velocity . And all that gets better and improves as they grow and mature.
Anything I write is Just my opinion based on my own personal experience and it ain't worth much....haha
-Good luck
I agree with Swampboy. You have nothing to worry about, they will find you if they are interested in your 2020.
I also think if your son has elite talent (as judged by those who evaluate elite talent and draft players) that it is very worthwhile for you to quickly understand the "ins and outs" of the MLB Professonal draft and college baseball recruiting. You could be entering a very important and stressful time. It is a blessing to have elite talent but it also comes with it challenges based on postings from others that have come before you.
If your son is a projectable college player, you've got some time and possibly additional opportunities not yet considered with a 3.5 GPA. A 3.5 GPA coupled with a high SAT/ACT score may separate him from other college recruits in an academic way. This is an additional path that may be worthy of his consideration. There are all kinds of schools and baseball levels. Figuring out the intersection what the recruit wants and what the college wants can becomes a time consuming and maddening adventure. Welcome to the Fun House!
Good luck!
StrainedOblique posted:Swampboy posted:StrainedOblique posted:Contrary to earlier posts , my advice concerning this matter would be to do nothing. When a program wants a player they make their intentions clear.You do not have to do anything at all.
If the interest is legit . You will here from THEM
StrainedOblique,
The player in question is just finishing his freshman year. He has been given an invitation to begin a conversation the school isn't allowed to initiate for another year or so.
I stand by my response . Especially with a 2020. IMO a 2020 isn't sufficiently sophisticated enough in 2017 to make a decision on where they want to play, live and go to school thru 2024
My son was offered after his Sophomore year in HS. All he wanted was an ' offer' from a terrific D1 school. He got it. Then Realized it was too early to commit.....It got 'real' fast.
Anyways, In spite of NCAA contact rules they may try to reach out. Or not. Either way , what I learned is that the NCAA contact rules are there for a very good reason. A 14-15 year old isn't ready to make such a life changing decision at that age.
The larger question isn't ' what do I do about following up on interest' . The larger question here is : What are you or your son gonna do if they offer tomorrow ?
That being said, if you still feel compelled to initiate some sort of response get your son on campus. Take him to a camp. But if it was me I'd wait. His numbers / Evals will look better next year. If he's a position player it's gonna be about his 60 time and how hard he hits the ball. If he's a pitcher it's gonna be about the velocity . And all that gets better and improves as they grow and mature.
Anything I write is Just my opinion based on my own personal experience and it ain't worth much....haha
-Good luck
Strained Oblique,
I understand and respect your position on early commitments. I generally agree with you that extremely early commitments are often not in the player's best interest because the players don't know enough about themselves to make an informed choice and because the commitment often turns out to bind only the player, not the school, especially if the player doesn't develop on the projected trajectory.
In this case, however, because the school is already high on the family's list, I think it is important to accept the invitation to initiate a conversation and assure the school of the player's interest. It is perfectly okay for that conversation to include a statement of the family's timeline for making a decision, as in, "I'm very interested in playing at your school. It was already in the top group of schools I'm considering. I expect to make a decision the summer after my sophomore year (or whenever), and I look forward to getting to know you and your program better as I learn more about this important decision."
Not making the call might lead them to conclude lack of interest, not just unwillingness to commit early.
Swampboy posted:StrainedOblique posted:Swampboy posted:StrainedOblique posted:Contrary to earlier posts , my advice concerning this matter would be to do nothing. When a program wants a player they make their intentions clear.You do not have to do anything at all.
If the interest is legit . You will here from THEM
StrainedOblique,
The player in question is just finishing his freshman year. He has been given an invitation to begin a conversation the school isn't allowed to initiate for another year or so.
I stand by my response . Especially with a 2020. IMO a 2020 isn't sufficiently sophisticated enough in 2017 to make a decision on where they want to play, live and go to school thru 2024
My son was offered after his Sophomore year in HS. All he wanted was an ' offer' from a terrific D1 school. He got it. Then Realized it was too early to commit.....It got 'real' fast.
Anyways, In spite of NCAA contact rules they may try to reach out. Or not. Either way , what I learned is that the NCAA contact rules are there for a very good reason. A 14-15 year old isn't ready to make such a life changing decision at that age.
The larger question isn't ' what do I do about following up on interest' . The larger question here is : What are you or your son gonna do if they offer tomorrow ?
That being said, if you still feel compelled to initiate some sort of response get your son on campus. Take him to a camp. But if it was me I'd wait. His numbers / Evals will look better next year. If he's a position player it's gonna be about his 60 time and how hard he hits the ball. If he's a pitcher it's gonna be about the velocity . And all that gets better and improves as they grow and mature.
Anything I write is Just my opinion based on my own personal experience and it ain't worth much....haha
-Good luck
Strained Oblique,
I understand and respect your position on early commitments. I generally agree with you that extremely early commitments are often not in the player's best interest because the player's don't know enough about themselves to make an informed choice and because the commitment often turns out to bind only the player, not the school, especially if the player doesn't develop on the projected trajectory.
In this case, however, because the school is already high on the family's list, I think it is important to accept the invitation to initiate a conversation and assure the school of the player's interest. It is perfectly okay for that conversation to include a statement of the family's timeline for making a decision, as in, "I'm very interested in playing at your school. It was already in the top group of schools I'm considering. I expect to make a decision the summer after my sophomore year (or whenever), and I look forward to getting to know you and your program better as I learn more about this important decision."
Not making the call might lead them to conclude lack of interest, not just unwillingness to commit early.
I think this is the best course of action. I don't think it hurts to start the dialogue, because this whole process is going to boil down to relationships. Start building one now. If the relationship develops that is a good thing. What if in the end the coach decides it isn't the right place for the kid, but he contacts other coaches that he knows on your kids behalf. Say a JC, or a DII? That relationship could lead to other opportunities for your kid depending on how your kid develops.
There are many different levels of D1 ball. My guess is the school is in the power 5 , recruiting this player.
My 2 cents.
1.) talk to travel coach get as much info as you can
2.) call recruiting coordinator at said school. listen to him, answer his questions, dont ask too much
3.) sit back and see what happens.....
As exciting as it can be, these coaches change jobs, get hot and cold on players..... its still way early for an offer. i mean do you want an offer, or the right offer?
congrats to him.... it's a learning process..... you'll get better at it....
Swampboy posted:StrainedOblique posted:Swampboy posted:StrainedOblique posted:Contrary to earlier posts , my advice concerning this matter would be to do nothing. When a program wants a player they make their intentions clear.You do not have to do anything at all.
If the interest is legit . You will here from THEM
StrainedOblique,
The player in question is just finishing his freshman year. He has been given an invitation to begin a conversation the school isn't allowed to initiate for another year or so.
I stand by my response . Especially with a 2020. IMO a 2020 isn't sufficiently sophisticated enough in 2017 to make a decision on where they want to play, live and go to school thru 2024
My son was offered after his Sophomore year in HS. All he wanted was an ' offer' from a terrific D1 school. He got it. Then Realized it was too early to commit.....It got 'real' fast.
Anyways, In spite of NCAA contact rules they may try to reach out. Or not. Either way , what I learned is that the NCAA contact rules are there for a very good reason. A 14-15 year old isn't ready to make such a life changing decision at that age.
The larger question isn't ' what do I do about following up on interest' . The larger question here is : What are you or your son gonna do if they offer tomorrow ?
That being said, if you still feel compelled to initiate some sort of response get your son on campus. Take him to a camp. But if it was me I'd wait. His numbers / Evals will look better next year. If he's a position player it's gonna be about his 60 time and how hard he hits the ball. If he's a pitcher it's gonna be about the velocity . And all that gets better and improves as they grow and mature.
Anything I write is Just my opinion based on my own personal experience and it ain't worth much....haha
-Good luck
Strained Oblique,
I understand and respect your position on early commitments. I generally agree with you that extremely early commitments are often not in the player's best interest because the players don't know enough about themselves to make an informed choice and because the commitment often turns out to bind only the player, not the school, especially if the player doesn't develop on the projected trajectory.
In this case, however, because the school is already high on the family's list, I think it is important to accept the invitation to initiate a conversation and assure the school of the player's interest. It is perfectly okay for that conversation to include a statement of the family's timeline for making a decision, as in, "I'm very interested in playing at your school. It was already in the top group of schools I'm considering. I expect to make a decision the summer after my sophomore year (or whenever), and I look forward to getting to know you and your program better as I learn more about this important decision."
Not making the call might lead them to conclude lack of interest, not just unwillingness to commit early.
Good stuff Swampboy! Makes sense to me
OP's son is a 2020. He does have time, but why waste it? Go on as many visits as you can. Talk to as many coaches and players as you can. Get as much information as you can. The recruiting process belongs to the player and his family not the coach\school. Take control of the process.
You have no idea what the future holds. Families move. Coaches move. Some programs get stronger and others will weaken. Injuries happen. Girlfriends happen. Prospective Majors change. Why would you not do everything you can to make the best decision possible when that time comes?
