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The subject truly is a question.  My 2021 son did a winter indoor PG hitting league and met several kids from area schools, a few freshmen but mostly sophomores.  And throughout this time several of the sophomores made announcements that they had "verbally committed" to school XYZ.  Two of which verballed to two D1 schools.  Now don't get me wrong the kids making these announcements are very solid hitters (can't speak to them as players overall) and would be an addition to any school.

But my son asked me what a verbal commitment meant and I really didn't have a good answer for him; so I thought I'd ask here.

I know all of these kids made visits to the schools they committed to, but official and unofficial.  Which brings up another question on what an "unofficial" visit is.

Just trying to understand, so as my son progresses in his baseball career I somewhat understand the process.

Thank you.

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They committed to play for that program, but not " official" until they sign their NLI, National Letter of Intent. 

An unofficial visit is when a recruit pays for his expenses while on a visit. An official is where the recruits expenses are paid for by the program, usually, these days not until after he signs this NLI.

 

Last edited by TPM

Coach_TV,

Tip.....Grab a tablet and read this NCAA document cover to cover while you are watching the start of the MLB season with your favorite team on your favorite large screen TV.   Everything you need to know to get started is here.     http://www.ncaapublications.co...downloads/CBSA18.pdf

This college bound parent 101 document will answer your questions from an NCAA perspective including all the lingo and jargon on page 30.    There is a lot to know and this is an easy read.   The tough stuff will come later as you really begin to understand this process.

As always, JMO.  Good luck!

Last edited by fenwaysouth

In laments terms, it means the coach at XYZ has given an offer to a kid to come play baseball at their college.  Nothing is in writing and nothing is official until they sign the NLI as TPM said.  In this 1-4 year gap the player may not improve like the coach thought, the coach might leave and the new guy doesn't honor the agreement, the kid can just give up baseball without a penalty, etc...in other words a million things could happen.  The further out from graduation the kid is, the more likely one of these things will happen. 

In the meantime the kid has tweeted and posted and informed PG that he's thrilled to continue his education and baseball career at XYZ university.  This means that ABC university doesn't offer the kid and usually won't even look at the kid again.  So in August of the kids senior year when coach XYZ says "Sorry kid, it's not going to work out, we are pulling your offer", the kid is up a creek.  No one is following him anymore, and most high dollar spots are filled.

While there is a certain thrill to committing early, I have seen a wave of very high 1%'ers waiting.  They are waiting to see if that school/program really might be the best choice for them.  They are waiting until the kid is a little older and can make a more informed decision other than "I like the school colors", which is honestly something I heard come out of a kids mouth!  So to sum up, sounds cool, but might be a huge mistake.

One thing to keep in mind about verbal commitments is that it is seldom known outside the kid and parent what the “offer” they were given by the school was prior to committing. 

It’s easy for me to say now, with a 2018 that has his NLI signed for a great school with a good financial package, but don’t get hung up on freshman and sophomores with verbal commitments. You aren’t being left behind. Enjoy watching the boy play ball and support and help him where you can and where appropriate. These days will fly by.

Cheers.

fenwaysouth posted:

Coach_TV,

Tip.....Grab a tablet and read this NCAA document cover to cover while you are watching the start of the MLB season with your favorite team on your favorite large screen TV.   Everything you need to know to get started is here.     http://www.ncaapublications.co...downloads/CBSA18.pdf

This college bound parent 101 document will answer your questions from an NCAA perspective including all the lingo and jargon on page 30.    There is a lot to know and this is an easy read.   The tough stuff will come later as you really begin to understand this process.

As always, JMO.  Good luck!

This was spot on... Thank you for sharing and it was exactly what I was looking for.

 

Thank you!!

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