Yes, those really early offers and commits have an expectation that a player will take the SAT/ACT tests in Junior year and that their GPA and test scores will meet their minimum standards. Stanford told us at one of their camps one of the reasons they have not sought commits from Freshman and Sophomores is that there were too many kids they started following with interest with really high GPAs only to find they could not meet the test scores needed to make it. Coach said we'd be surprised how many "athletic name" high schools inflate their athlete GPAs and that is why they wait. But as Fenway wisely noted--if Stanford is showing interest, you start those tests as a sophomore so you can validate your a legit candidate to be admitted. The higher academic D3s know they are not likely to secure a commitment until a kid is a senior so there is more time.