I probably shouldn't have said what I did about guaranteed roster spots. I just don't know how a competitive program can honestly do that. I coached small college baseball for several years and never, not once, ever guaranteed a roster spot or anything else. If someone I wasn't recruiting asked for one, I wouldn't even want that player. How much confidence does a player have if he needs a guaranteed roster spot. What if I guaranteed a roster spot to someone that became a cancer to the team?
Problem is, that is how I look at it and should know better that some might go about things much differently. So I'm sure there are some coaches that guarantee roster spots rather than have players earn it. Though I guess if a kid that was so good that I definitely wanted him and was only asking me to guarantee him a roster spot, I would have done that. Never remember anyone we were recruiting ever asking for any guarantees. Then again maybe they did and it went in one ear and out the other. When we really wanted someone, we would work with admissions, find grants and non athletic money, put together an offer, do everything possible to get him, so it was obvious he was going to at the very least be on the roster. But I wouldn't expect him to ask for a guaranteed spot and would hope he wants much more than a guaranteed roster spot.