If you are lucky enough to receive an offer from a school in your top 5....and it's not to your top choice but your 2nd or 3rd choice - yet still an option you'd be completely interested in....What did your player say to the coach without sounding like you're waiting for a better offer???? something like I'm waiting until the end of fall season, or I'm just trying to stay focused on starting my senior year and where I'll fit best and I'll let you know?
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At this point, if your son is a senior and he gets an offer from one of his top five schools, then I would be saying thank you!!! Followed up by when do you need a decision by and I am very interested! What kind of interest is your son getting from his #1 and #2 choices. At this point it's getting late in the game for 2017.
You would need to take all factors into consideration...
Where do things stand with your 1st and 2nd choice? What sort of timeline was put on the offer? How strong was the offer? Do you have a dialog going with #1, #2? Can you use the offer to get a barometer on #1, #2? (i.e. - "you are very high on my list but I have an offer and they are looking for an answer... can you tell me where I am on your board?)
You have to weigh the pros and cons... if you wait to accept, they will continue actively looking to fill that spot. On the other hand, if you have a good chance with your top school, you will want to explore that. This might be a good time to try to get that meter to move. In a few weeks, when things really kick into gear, activity will start to slow down some, depending on the school.
Son is not a pitcher. "Everyone's #1 school" from around here had already picked up a player in his position for his grad year, and "probably HIS #1 school" had stopped looking at him, and had offered several teammates.
So, when he got an offer from a top academic in-state school, and asking for a few days to decide, he said "yes".
He accepted the offer between So and Jr year. It has worked out nicely for him for playing time and in the classroom.
I'll jump in and give you what I have gleaned so far from this site - answer may depend on the specifics of the situation and how you think the various schools will go about filling their need. The first offer may come with some timeline, as in "You're our #1 now and we'd like to be have a decision soon so we can proceed accordingly with #2 and #3". This is probably more applicable to fielders as opposed to pitchers given the numbers game.
You also included "starting my senior year" in the question so that gives some indication of the timeline - and timeliness for many schools, whether it be purely for baseball or possibly admissions.
Will be interested to follow this thread to see all responses. (I must have been typing really slowly)
I didn't catch that we are talking about a 2017... that definitely adds weight toward getting things done sooner than later. Assuming there is athletic $ as part of the offer, most schools will have their $s used up at some point. Of course, the higher the level (D1 vs D2 vs NAIA), the earlier the money goes. Waiting til end of senior year can be a real crapshoot, particularly when you have an opportunity to get things done sooner.
Have you heard anything from Top schools on his wish list above this one, if so what? How solid is the offer? If i had an offer, i might reach our to my other top schools and ask about the possibilities there and get an answer on potential offers. Have they filled their slots for your son's position? That could allow you to make an informed decision.
Agree that waiting till senior year limits the list at big D1s as they lock folks in earlier and earlier.
From your OP, he's a 2017 and the offer comes from one of this top 3, but there's a clear #1 and this is not it.
As others have mentioned. Does the offer include scholarship $'s? Is there real interest from the one or two schools above this on his list of choices? Would more $'s be possibly offered from the 2 or 3 schools below this on one his list?
From a proximity to home perspective, how does this one fit compared to the others?
If I were you, I'd sit down with RBIANDSTRIKESjr and start to make a pro's and con's list of the five schools and try to give a solid ranking of the five. Obviously, the Pro for this one is that they are the only offer. To that point, the early signing period is less than three months away, and many schools have or are finalizing their 2017 classes as the signing period approaches. Draft and admissions may open some late spots, but always a gamble as most schools have already over recruited anticipating that.
To answer your question, I'd have Jr. let them know that he's very excited and interested and needs to discuss with family. Ask how much time he has to consider before giving an answer. In the meantime, weigh heavily what I've mentioned above as well as all the advice of other posters and do your best to make an informed decision that won't leave remorse down the road.
Best of luck and congrats on getting the offer.
You make the best decision based upon the facts as you know them at the time of the decision. And once you make a decision, don't look back. Don't do "what if's, etc later on!
rbiandstrikes posted:If you are lucky enough to receive an offer from a school in your top 5....and it's not to your top choice but your 2nd or 3rd choice - yet still an option you'd be completely interested in....What did your player say to the coach without sounding like you're waiting for a better offer???? something like I'm waiting until the end of fall season, or I'm just trying to stay focused on starting my senior year and where I'll fit best and I'll let you know?
Two things you need to understand with a question like this. First, everybody has different requirements and measures colleges differently. The "distance" between top school and #2 could be inches or miles. We don't know, but you will or currently know what that distance is. The difference between my son's #1 and #2 was significant. #2 and #3 was essentially a tie or "pick'em". See what I mean, everybody is different. Second, college baseball recruiting is a marketplace. Knowing when to pull the trigger on an offer is going to be dependent on too many factors to list here. It is a feel thing....you have to understand your value at that point in time....kind of like buying/selling a house.
My son had offers in July, August, and September. As for the July offers (2), my son asked about their timetable. He was given no time table initially but the frist Coach came back a month later with a deadline. Another July school had a more aggressive time line with 1 week to decide. They knew he was offered by the first school, so they were trying to force the issue. The August schools were looking for a verbal commitment within 4-5 days. My son was in demand with these August schools based on his athletic and academic profile, so he had a little more leverage in the process than the July schools. We knew it and they knew it. In each case, my son asked about their timelines. They reciprocated, and asked about his timeline. Once you receive an offer it is a lot of work determining the details with Financial Aid, etc. So, my advice would be to ask about their timeline, Financial Aid review, follow up questions, contact other schools that are at the top of the list to see where they are in their process, and then sit down at the kitchen table to go over everything in detail. This is a huge decision.
Good luck!
Agree....it's fine to ask for a timeframe to give them an answer. They won't mind. My son was lucky. He visited a school on a Tuesday, the coach came to watch him pitch Wednesday evening and called and offered Thursday morning. He accepted on the spot over the phone while standing in the parking lot of another school that was interested (we had just finished a game there). It was his first offer.....he had already decided that he was going there if they offered so it was easy for us. Good luck!
This late in the game you probably know where schools 1 and 2 have your son, or they would have offered by now. Word seems to spread quickly about offers, so they may know soon. This will make them offer, or decide not to. I would do as the others say, and ask for a timeline and ask where son stands with them.
If your son received a good offer from school number 3, I wouldn't want to wait too long to accept, since the early signing period is quickly approaching. Also, if the offer was a good one, then you know where he stands with them, and the old adage of "Go where your loved", may apply here.
Thanks so much for everybody's time and thoughts...All GREAT advice as I had hoped. And thanks for the reminders of "go where you're loved" !!! I really do think there is a lot to that.
rbiandstrikes posted:Thanks so much for everybody's time and thoughts...All GREAT advice as I had hoped. And thanks for the reminders of "go where you're loved" !!! I really do think there is a lot to that.
I would tend to agree. I also think that BIGCUBBIEFAN's advice of: "I would be saying thank you!!! Followed up by when do you need a decision by and I am very interested!" is a perfect response.
