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Hello,

Someone recommended this site to me for recruiting help!

My son is a 2021 Middle Infielder and attended a mid-major D1 camp a couple weeks ago.  He performed well and ended up receiving an offer from the college.  It isn't a P5 school, but it has great facilities and he really likes the campus and the coaches.  The offer is nice and includes athletic and academic money (depending on his final GPA and test scores). 

This is a bit unexpected and he wants to commit, but I want him to make sure he has explored all options.  I also know that the odds of receiving a scholarship to D1 baseball are very low - especially for a 5'10" 160Lb kid - so I also don't want him to lose out on it by dragging out his decision.  His summer coach is recommending waiting to see if some of the bigger fish come around.

Here are his measurables (SS/2B):

5' - 10" 160lb (rising Junior)

60Yd - 6.69s

IF Velo - 85MPH

Exit Velo - 88MPH

He isn't going to be 6' and 190lbs so that is why I don't think the bigger D1 schools will show much interest.  Does anyone have any opinions or guidance?  We are trying to get as much information as we can from people that have been through this before.

Thanks!

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Welcome to the site.   Lots of great info here. 

My two cents....I strongly encourage you to read these active threads that just happen to be in topic for your question.

https://community.hsbaseballwe...48#54377430072441848

and this one....

https://community.hsbaseballwe...nd-you-re-fishing-in  

I'd read through those comments and advice as a re-starting point to your question.  Feel free to re-state your questions as it is YOUR post.

So, you've shared some good info.   Additional information would be great for HSBBWeb Board to formulate a response.   For example, where is your son in the recruiting process with other schools?  What does he want to study in college?   What does your son want to do when he graduates..does he want to play professional baseball or something else.   Your son has very good measurables for a D1 MIF.  

Good luck!

Last edited by fenwaysouth

FENWAYSOUTH,

Thanks for the reply.  I have lurked on this site for the past year and have tried to read all the posts to learn as much as I can.  I was really starting to get very cynical about the whole process - spending a lot of money and time playing and showcasing knowing the chances of playing at the next level are slim. 

As far as his process with other schools, he has sent out a lot of emails and his summer coach has heard from a few who would like to see him play.  No other communication other than one Big 12 school he spoke to on the phone one time after the coach sent his cell number through the summer coach, but no further communication since.

He is still undecided on what he would like to study in college. I keep telling him that is an important factor in this whole process. 

Anyway, thank you again for the response and it has been a crazy journey so far as I am sure it is for 99.9% of everyone here.

 

My own advice is to wait — at least a couple of weeks to let the excitement ease up. My son got his first offer in the same way and about the same time, from a D2. We liked it and our first instinct was to grab it and run. We were lucky in that the coach making the offer applied some brakes, telling son he would likely get some other, possibly better offers, but he wanted to be one of the first and wanted son to know he was wanted. It was great positive reinforcement in a crazy journey.

If the school is your son's dream school, that's one thing. If not, take a deep breath and try to get past the "what if no one else wants him?' to the "wow, he can do this" phase of recruiting. Try to see this offer is a snapshot of the kinds of schools that might recruit your son. Start to explore other schools just like this one, a little better than this one, and a little worse and see what's out there.

 

 

 

MarkSmith21,

100% agree with IowaMom23 that the first offer can be very exciting.   Taking some time to gain perspective is some really good advice if this is not a dream school.   My son's first offer was presented as a "place holder" offer by a local RC at a private D1 that is 20 minutes from our house.   He told us there was "no deadline" and they continued to watch him at showcases.   Well that "no deadline" quickly changed when they learned other schools were interested and began offering.   Their "placeholder" offer quickly doubled in value, and my son was given a 3 day deadline over the weekend while he was attending a prospect camp for another school that would also offer.  So, the offering RC was turning the screws to get an answer and frankly I don't blame him.   You may run into this with your son's offer.   For my son, the first offer was not a dream school but it came pretty close.   If they had offered an engineering major, he might have taken their first offer.   For us, it was a case of truly knowing what your son wants to get out of his 4 years.   So, he made the difficult decision of turning down the first offer to pursue other opportunities that were a better academic fit.   My son stuck to his guns, and didn't waiver on what he wanted.   This was both maddening and rewarding.

Good luck! 

Last edited by fenwaysouth

Thanks Everyone for the advice! 

I think for sure we will wait as my wife and I would like to tour the campus and meet the coaches, etc.  So that will take us several weeks to get that coordinated.

As far as grades go, we have preached academics from day 1 so luckily his GPA is 3.88 (unweighted).  He still has to take the SAT and I just bought a study guide for it so he can do that in his down time versus Fortnite! haha

Congratulations to your son on the offer!  It is both a very exciting and very challenging time.  You want to make sure that a smart, educated decision is made.  Still, even if given a reasonable time to decide, the schools will continue to actively search for players to fill the slots they feel they need to fill.  

We can throw out the countless things to consider but only you and your son will know how heavily to weigh each... academic, social and athletic fit, affordability, climate, culture, distance from home, etc., etc.  Sounds like there is plenty about this school that you and your son like and you seem to have some realistic ideas about what level of play he will likely fit into.  Also, you have described some strong measurables but, of course, there is still a ton we don't know (how does he grade out as a hitter and fielder, how strong mentally, etc.).  Only those closest to him will be able to advise regarding exactly which level he will be best suited for.

Information is king.  Travel coach suggests waiting to see with bigger fish.. talk to him specifically about why, what bigger fish he thinks may come around, what doubts he has about this school, what other schools he has talked to about your son and what the details were.  Get specifics from the offering school.  Your son should share with them that he is very interested but it is a big decision and he wants to take a bit of time and make sure he makes the right one.  Find out if there is a deadline with the offer.  

If your son put together a list of top ten or top twenty schools with all things taken into consideration, would this school have been on that list prior to receiving the offer?  How does it stack up to the other schools and how realistic are the other schools at this point?  We may not have the answers for you but hopefully can help by offering up some of the questions to be asking yourselves and others around you.

PS - I think your direction of making a school visit is a very good one, both in terms of learning more and buying some time.

 

Last edited by cabbagedad

Do you'll have a feel for the type of college he wants/suits him? Large, small, close to home, away from home, city, urban, rural? Where do finances come into play (some schools have great Financial aid programs instead of academic or athletic scholarships)? 

S got his first "on the cheap" oral offer from a close by school (decent baseball program) and wound up clear across the country as other options emerged towards his senior year.

Also, consider the ACT if his SAT doesn't satisfy him.

Sorry for the ask for more info, but the more info the more "accurate" the ideas coming to you. 

With that first offer in hand, you can move from being a seller of a product to being a buyer and have some degree of control over the process. (I.E., You know someone wants him this early; that is a good indication others will likewise want him.)

 The campus visit buys you time. Go prepared for how he’s going to respond when they go for the close. Time will give you a better idea of where he stands in the overall process. But he doesn’t want to respond in a fashion where they start to feel like they’re the safety school option.

Regardless of what a school offers the scholarship money is finite. If left the feeling your son isn’t really up for going there they will start offering elsewhere. Then your son could make up his mind and the money is gone.

Have personal knowledge of a player who wanted to wait for a "bigger" school to come around. Kept showcasing and kept playing, talking to coaches, etc. When he was finally ready to commit, the school said: " we don't have any money or spots left." The player is now at a JUCO with no scholarship. Take it for what it's worth. I would negotiate now (or within a short time frame) if you feel the offer was too low. 

Wow, thanks again for the responses... very insightful!

This school meets several of his criteria:

1) Smaller campus size - not in big city

2) Within 5 hours drive

3) Nice facilities and campus

4) Good Business school (this is his preliminary thought on a Major)

Also, I don't know the etiquette on here about offer details but it is a nice athletic/academic package equating to around 70% or so of total cost of attendance.  I don't want to divulge too many details but it seems like a good offer to us .

OK, some good points were brought up that we are now discussing at home (wife and I).  He is signed up for a couple showcases later in the summer.  I feel like the offering school will not be too happy that he is still out trying to garner more offers and they will start to feel maybe he isn't that interested?  Again, he is young and I know has plenty of time according to the timetables I have seen, but here he is with a "bird in the hand" and is scared to death to let it sit too long and lose it.  The coach did say he is not one to pressure a kid and wants him to be completely sure he wants to attend the college, but of course the sooner the better for them so they can know how to approach the fall etc. 

With vacations and work schedule it may be August or so before my wife and I could also visit so I think they will be fine with that type of timeframe.  That at least gives him another couple months to see how he is feeling etc.

Thanks again for the responses!

Keep in mind 3,000+ kids (297 programs) will be recruited to play some level of D1. Unless your son is a top 1,000 there are thousands more just like him for college programs to choose from. If he’s in the top 1,000 and not a top 100 there are still hundreds more just like him. Even Kyle Schwarber (Indiana, first round pick #4 Cubs) got an ultimatum from Louisville when he couldn’t make up his mind. 

Last edited by RJM

Just remember there are two sides to every negotiation and that is what this is.  You can't get caught up in the mindset that they hold all the cards because that is their job to make you feel that way.  (My son does it every day in his job as RC).  But there are reasonable timeframes.  As in love, some times the best thing is when someone else likes you too.  It makes your stock go up.  For some of us, we have to be reminded that we are not the only ones who would love our spouses.  We are just the ones they chose.  (sorry I'm preaching on Five Love Languages this week.)  But it is the same in college offers.  The more schools that are interested more negotiating power you have.  But let me also say from my 2019 son's experience.  When someone gives you what you are wanting, in life or in recruiting, why would you keep looking for greener grass.  My son got almost exactly what he wanted and became hesitant hoping something better would come along.  I had to question him as to who that would be.  He had full-ride offers from schools that he were on list but not high and a good offer from an SEC school that was top 5 on list.  There was no more negotiating and no  more offers coming we could forsee.  He made the call.  So know when to say yes and when to say wait.  Like life.

I'll save the rest of my sermon for Sunday morning.  But I will take additions to it if you guys want to help.

marksmith21 posted:

….……………………………..

With vacations and work schedule it may be August or so before my wife and I could also visit so I think they will be fine with that type of timeframe.  That at least gives him another couple months to see how he is feeling etc.

So, it is June 20 and your son has been offered a combination 70% athletic/academic package.   I would not wait until August.  I would make every effort to get to campus before the middle of July (at the latest) to assess the offer and situation. I would do this for two reasons.  First, you have to know if this is the ONE so you can evaluate and make a decision based on the data you have at that time.  Second, it appears they are willing to incent the right person (with a very nice $$ offer) for the opportunity to be their future MIF.   Recruiting goes into high gear in July.   Do what you have to do to get there ASAP based on those offer numbers.

As always, JMO.

Be careful taking the "wait and see" advice from the pitcher parents, lol.   Pitchers have more options!  (Sorry, Fenway and Iowamom...I think).  Half of rosters are pitchers.  MIF-ers, not so much.

Our story: 

MIF son got a an offer from a mid-major D1 at exact same time as your son...summer between sophomore and junior year.  The 2 ACC schools near us had already seen son play several times, had unofficial visits and they came to his high school to see him play,  made offers to others in the area, but not my son.  It was a hard conversation to have with my son, but he needed to move on.  (We later figured out that one of the ACC schools probably passed son's name off to the coach of the school he attended).

Son got one offer, we went to visit the school a week or so later, and he accepted.

Son started freshman year.  Played all but one game, I think. Drafted as a jr in the 5th round, and was on the way to break a few records at the school if he had stayed another year.  He got to play, and win, against those ACC schools, and win one of them in CWS regional playoffs.

His 3 good friends that went to play for the ACC schools?   Two didn't compete at all and the other had a lackluster career with year-off gaps.   This is just one example.

Your son's monetary offer looks amazing.  Looks like they really want and "love" him.  If all else looks good, why wait?

Look at the perfectgame.org website to see the top colleges and who they have already recruited.   Many will have already recruited a MIF or two, and there are several already on roster.

Although good information, please don't compare a pitcher's journey with a mid-infielders.   

RJM posted:

The campus visit buys you time. Go prepared for how he’s going to respond when they go for the close. Time will give you a better idea of where he stands in the overall process. But he doesn’t want to respond in a fashion where they start to feel like they’re the safety school option.

By rule (adopted last year), no one from the baseball program will be able to participate in marksmith21's unofficial visit this summer. Not on-campus or off-campus. If this school is following NCAA D1 rules, they will have to do that through the travel coach and/or by the recruit calling the coach to iron out the details.

Having said that, I am aware that many baseball staff members seem to be pretty blatantly ignoring this rule.

Last edited by MidAtlanticDad
MidAtlanticDad posted:
RJM posted:

The campus visit buys you time. Go prepared for how he’s going to respond when they go for the close. Time will give you a better idea of where he stands in the overall process. But he doesn’t want to respond in a fashion where they start to feel like they’re the safety school option.

By rule (adopted last year), no one from the baseball program will be able to participate in marksmith21's unofficial visit this summer. Not on-campus or off-campus. If this school is following NCAA D1 rules, they will have to do that through the travel coach and/or by the recruit calling the coach to iron out the details.

Having said that, I am aware that many baseball staff members seem to be pretty blatantly ignoring this rule.

Even if they follow the rules they’re going to be in touch soon after.

RJM posted:
MidAtlanticDad posted:
RJM posted:

The campus visit buys you time. Go prepared for how he’s going to respond when they go for the close. Time will give you a better idea of where he stands in the overall process. But he doesn’t want to respond in a fashion where they start to feel like they’re the safety school option.

By rule (adopted last year), no one from the baseball program will be able to participate in marksmith21's unofficial visit this summer. Not on-campus or off-campus. If this school is following NCAA D1 rules, they will have to do that through the travel coach and/or by the recruit calling the coach to iron out the details.

Having said that, I am aware that many baseball staff members seem to be pretty blatantly ignoring this rule.

Even if they follow the rules they’re going to be in touch soon after.

Yes, I just thought marksmith21 should know that if this school doesn't talk to son on a visit this summer, it's probably because they're following the rules.

You all have been more helpful than you know!  I am simply a dad that has enjoyed his son's journey from T-ball up to now and still enjoying it!  His goal has been to play college baseball and not necessarily at any certain level.  We took the approach of keep working hard and showcase once the measurables were there and didn't expect to be in this position, but like he said "its a good problem to have dad". 

After doing a couple showcases and seeing the talent there along with every weekend in the many different tournaments I feel that we have focused in on the right level for him.  And I agree, there are thousands of kids like mine out there dreaming and working for attention.  Sure, every kid would dream to play for Arkansas or Vandy, but I have heard so many stories similar to KEEWART and my son is realizing that the chance to play at one of those schools and thrive is very slim for him.  He has good measurables and plays hard but doesn't pass the eye test of a lot of recruiters and scouts (5'-10" 160 isn't what UT is looking for) - I hate even typing that but I do live in reality. 

I like what was mentioned above - my son has gotten what he has been working for so why keep looking for greener grass?  I guess our local coaches and friends are all saying "wait till next year and I bet he will get a lot more".  Well, the odds don't align with that logic to me.  If he was top 1000 maybe, but then again nothing is certain.  Sorry for the rambling...

The stuff I learned over the last year from this site alone helped us tremendously as he started reaching out to coaches and figuring out the best strategy to get recruited!

I will also say this, he is ready to commit to them.  It is only me that is trying to hold up the process to make sure it is a good decision for him (believe it or not 16yr olds can make pretty bad decisions haha)...

 

Lots of good stuff going on here...

To Pitchingfan for your sermon  ..   (OK, and to Marksmith)  If you make that decision and fully commit to it, the grass on the other side will never be greener.  Marksmith, it is easy for your local coaches and friends to say wait... they don't suffer the consequences if nothing better does come up.  And, if that were a likelihood, I suspect you would have a pretty good idea that would be the case by now, or at least in the next two months in this pivotal time period as it relates to D1 recruiting where strong offers are on the table.

Keewart, good point about pitchers vs position players with the process. 

Marksmith, regarding concern about continuing with Showcases (and travel events)... it is perfectly fine, and in fact advisable, to continue with those even if son commits.  Search other threads here on how often offers are rescinded. Coaches leave, injuries happen, performance or projected growth don't reach expectations, etc.  Always good to continue with exposure.  If your son commits, the school will understand this, even if they are reluctant to admit it.  It is NOT a sign of lack of commitment to his commitment.  It is practical precautionary measure as well as continued opportunity to face top competition and get better.

 

Last edited by cabbagedad
cabbagedad posted:

Marksmith, regarding concern about continuing with Showcases (and travel events)... it is perfectly fine, and in fact advisable, to continue with those even if son commits.  Search other threads here on how often offers are rescinded. Coaches leave, injuries happen, performance or projected growth don't reach expectations, etc.  Always good to continue with exposure.  If your son commits, the school will understand this, even if they are reluctant to admit it.  It is NOT a sign of lack of commitment to his commitment.  It is practical precautionary measure as well as continued opportunity to face top competition and get better.

 

Your son will need to continue to play ball.  If he is on a showcase team, his team will still need him.  He needs to stay in tip-top shape and be ready to compete when he steps on campus, because the fall of freshman year is like tryouts for the spring.  After the commitment , it is amazing how quickly all the emails  stop.   I am not sure I would continue with individual school camps/showcases, but continuing to play with his team is paramount.  

ROSSGA, I am not looking at it from that perspective, but you make a good point.  I guess my whole issue is that this came on fairly quick - not a lot of interest before this summer to all the sudden getting an offer.  I guess I am just trying to slow him down just a bit to really think this through and make sure he makes the best decision for himself. 

CABBAGEDAD AND KEEWART, he plans to continue playing the highest level summer ball that he can so he can continue to develop against great competition.  My only concern were showcases such as "The Complete Showcase" where there are a hundred coaches there to watch the kids do a Pro-Style workout.  I wasn't sure if the college that offered him attended that showcase that they wouldn't be a bit concerned that he was still out trying to get coaches' attention, etc.

Based on what you know so far, try to define what a "better" offer would look like. I would think in terms of what would be a better fit academically, socially, location wise, financially, etc. Are there any red flags about the school, coach or program? If not, you have a very good offer from a school that really wants your son and it seems it would make sense to make a decision as soon as possible (maybe ask for a few weeks to allow you and your wife to see the campus/take an admissions tour, etc.). If your son does commit, that does not mean that he can't continue to go to showcases, especially if  they are already planned/paid for. However, I wouldn't attend another school's on-campus prospect camp after a verbal commitment.

The ball is in your court in terms of his appeal to other schools. Do the campus visit, say that you're very interested in the offer and would like to talk it over with family and ask how long he has to decide. If they ask if you plan on going on any other visits just say yes as you want to compare campuses and different types of universities (big, small, rural, urban, etc). They should understand and at the very least give you a week to decide. 

In the meantime he needs to be emailing/texting/calling all other schools he is interested in or has been in contact with and say that a school he is interested in has made him a nice offer and he is considering accepting it. The schools will put up or shut up and you will know how interested they are/were. If a Big 12 coach calls that means he wants your son. They don't call guys to make friends so don't shrug interest off, they're not doing it for the sake of doing it. Your coach can help here and make some phone calls on your sons behalf. If none bring you out for a visit or make an offer, you should probably not hold out any longer. 

You're in a good spot. Don't let the school rush you and don't take forever to decide. If this school is the only offering well that may also be a sign that he needs to take it while it's still there. A teammate of ours went on a campus visit to a mid major D1 to tour the campus and facilities. They asked where his other offers were from. All D3s and a perennial bottom feeder D1. They never ended up offering, figuring if no other schools of that caliber were interested, they shouldn't be either. He ended up committing to a local D3 with a sub .500 record. Knowing your pond and your value is important, the same way you don't want to jump at the first good offer, you don't want to pass up the only good offer. 

Lots of good points on this thread Marksmith. Keewart's point was the first thing that came to mind to me--he's a position player. Things (spots and recruiting timetable) are different. My son was similar to yours 5'9 1/2 " 145 as a senior in HS, SS/2B/CF. He was looking HA schools whose timetables are later as test scores/grades for JR are usually needed..though those timelines have moved up as well. His earliest offers were D3 --he was continuing pursuing D1 that were still on his radar, but weren't ready to pull the trigger. He would wait until early summer jr year, when ranked Big State U made him an offer on a visit, which then and one of his two dream schools offered that same night. 

I also like PA baseball's suggestion about contacting schools where he is interested in and informing them of the offer and getting a sense on their timetable (indirectly asking where your son is "on the board').

Your son has to ask himself, what else is out there? Is it better? Which school has his major? How much does finances play into the decision? Is distance from home a factor?  Roster size? If he is receiving this offer this early, it likely won't shut down the coach from recruiting other MI (certainly time). It's a hackneyed expression but true: Consider his school by looking at a 40 year not 4 year commitment. Your son is in an enviable spot. And if he didn't play baseball is the school with the offer at or near the top of his list. Good luck to your son! Definitely spend some time at the school with the offer.

I know at least a half a dozen+ kids who decommitted (or were told they no longer fit into the college's plans) before they signed an NLI their senior year.  The reasons were various - kid didn't develop and school changed its mind, kid reconsidered the kind of school he wanted to go to, the kid realized he wouldn't get playing time, the kid ran into trouble in HS and the school dropped him, etc.  I know another half dozen+ kids who dropped down to JUCO or transferred after freshman year due to lack of playing time or getting cut.  In almost all of these cases the kid didn't do his homework, or wasn't honest with himself, before committing.

I point this out because when a kid commits he should feel that this is the school he wants to be at and wants a degree from.  He should feel that this is a school he has a legit chance to playing at as a freshman.  He should feel a trust and respect for the coaching staff.  He should feel like he would fit in at the school.  If these boxes are checked I'd strongly consider accepting the offer.

One caveat - an unweighted 3.88 unweighted GPA is pretty strong.  Assuming he's taking a healthy load of AP classes and can score reasonably well on the ACT or SAT, he may want to get in front of Ivies this summer at HeadFirst or other camp.  He might have a unique opportunity to parlay his baseball talent into a coveted spot at an elite university.

My son got his first offer from a "State U" during fall his HS Junior year. Wasn't his first choice academically, but very good baseball program.  He decided not to accept and eventually the school moved on from him.  Panic then set in when no others offers followed until the summer between Junior and Senior year.

Son's decision was, with a little guidance from parents, to look at the HA schools.  The good news that their timeline is a little later than the  "State U" schools.  I bring this up because many have already pointed out that "baseball" should be just one of the criteria.  School, $$, coach's tenure and perhaps former player's opinion of the program should all be considered.  Once your son knows what he is looking for in the school and the $$ budget, he then could make an informed decision.  If you are in a time crunch then get the above information sooner than later. It is hard to make a decision just based on emotion!

In Son's case ,through the ups and downs of the recruiting process , it worked out for him at a D1 HA. Many of his friends who made choices without doing their research got to post and boast about their commit for while only to eventually never to appear on the roster or transfer.   

Son went on to play all four years, got great education and is fortunate to be in professional baseball...just not as a player.

Last edited by JABMK

Thanks again for all the advise and insight!! 

I think we are going to try to go visit the campus over the next two-three weeks as our schedule allows. Talking with my son he says the school checks most of his boxes for what he is looking for and it is a nice offer, probably wouldn’t get a better one is what we think based off research. 

This forum is great!!

Lots of great advice and suggestions mentioned thus far.  It appears his current offer has satisfied many of his checklist's priorities.  If a concern is whether by playing at a Mid D1 may hinder his exposure or draft status years from now, I can provide a few points if interested.

PM me if this applies.

Best of luck, very exciting times.  May get a little chaotic but few will have the opportunity to experience it.  Enjoy and soak it all in!

marksmith21 posted:

Thanks again for all the advise and insight!! 

I think we are going to try to go visit the campus over the next two-three weeks as our schedule allows. Talking with my son he says the school checks most of his boxes for what he is looking for and it is a nice offer, probably wouldn’t get a better one is what we think based off research. 

This forum is great!!

Once you schedule the visit, have your son let the coach know.  This way the coach knows you are genuinely interested and doing the due diligence in making your decision.

You may want to consider how close your son's camp performance was to his "peak".  My son had a monster final summer tournament that led to his handful of offers.  He put together five of the best games of his life in one weekend.  I told him that his stock may never be so high again, especially since it was the end of the summer.

I wanted to come back and update where we are at:

We have scheduled a campus tour and a meeting with admissions for the first week of August.  My son is even more ready to commit to this college as he has done more research and has talked to several people that have attended the school.

He has kept in contact with the coaches weekly and they came and watched him play last weekend since they were already at the tournament recruiting. 

I would like your opinions on something:

1) Is it a fair concern to bring to the coach regarding the fact that once son commits he is off the board and no one else will recruit him.  This puts the benefit of him committing into the favor of the college.  I have read and heard of many stories of schools over-committing kids or finding someone they like better and then pulling the verbal offers last minute before the NLI is signed.  I would like to get the coaches take on this concern and see what his response would be.  Is this a fair concern to bring up or will he most likely tell us what we want to hear?  Is this something I could ask the coach or should son be the one asking (I am more concerned about it that he is and I feel I could express the concern more clearly)?

Thanks!

 

Mark, you put your finger on one huge issue of an early commit: the entire risk is on the kid.

The antidote is to continue working as if there was no commitment.

Offers dont get consummated for a number of reasons; coach leaves, kid gets injured, kid's academics drop below minimum needed (or never rise to the level required), kid's baseball skills plateau, kid has a character issue.

So, yes an oral commitment takes him off the market, but should not have any impact whatsoever on his work in improving his skills. For some, however, the commitment itself was the goal and the drive to improve loses its focus.

Keep improving as if there was no offer. Also, you can realistically keep your eyes open on his improvement  - some kids peak as sophs, some as juniors, and some keep improving. Puberty, girls, grades, etc. If you see he's plateaued understand what may happen.

Last edited by Goosegg

Yes, baseball recruits are at a major disadvantage.  Basketball and Football players post their offers and get to sit on them for months, even years.  As Goose mentions, for baseball the risk is all on the player.

You have every right to ask your questions.  However, you can either get straight up answers from a great coach, or you could end up turning him away and losing an offer.  Or you could commit and your son continues to blossom and maybe lose better opportunities.

I would sit down with your son, be open to him about your concerns and what the recruiting process is really like.  He may not want to hear it as he's young and probably extremely excited about the offer.  But it is what it is, so you should both be on the same page with eyes wide open.

Good luck!

marksmith21 posted:

1) Is it a fair concern to bring to the coach regarding the fact that once son commits he is off the board and no one else will recruit him.  This puts the benefit of him committing into the favor of the college.  I have read and heard of many stories of schools over-committing kids or finding someone they like better and then pulling the verbal offers last minute before the NLI is signed.  I would like to get the coaches take on this concern and see what his response would be.  Is this a fair concern to bring up or will he most likely tell us what we want to hear?  Is this something I could ask the coach or should son be the one asking (I am more concerned about it that he is and I feel I could express the concern more clearly)? 

Would his answer change anything with your son's decision making? If so, I would say that it's fair to ask. If not, I would avoid it. He knows, and you know, the risks involved.

Regarding being taken off the market, I wouldn't make that a blanket statement. I personally know schools have continued to keep an eye on specific kids after they commit. No one wants to de-commit, but it's a reality in this imperfect system.

marksmith21 posted:

……………………….

I would like your opinions on something:

1) Is it a fair concern to bring to the coach regarding the fact that once son commits he is off the board and no one else will recruit him.  This puts the benefit of him committing into the favor of the college.  I have read and heard of many stories of schools over-committing kids or finding someone they like better and then pulling the verbal offers last minute before the NLI is signed.  I would like to get the coaches take on this concern and see what his response would be.  Is this a fair concern to bring up or will he most likely tell us what we want to hear?  Is this something I could ask the coach or should son be the one asking (I am more concerned about it that he is and I feel I could express the concern more clearly)?

Thanks!

 

I'd probably listen to what they have to say overall about their program then ask questions.   As others have pointed out, the risk is on your son's committment.  However, I think they are demonstrating a serious financial commitment and interest given your orginial post.   They are putting their money where their mouth is.  

I'd rephrase your question to the coach a little bit, to focus on the process, timelines and milestones.  Remember this is a two way street, but you have to protect yourself.   The likelihood of something happening once both have committed to each other is slight, but it does happen.   Most of us that have been on this Board for any length of time know somebody that had their commitment go sideways.   Keep in mind your son can still talk to other programs with the understanding that he is committed.  Speaking from experience, my son committed but still had a number of schools reachout with serious interest after he committed.   He told them he was committed, however they requested that he stay in touch.   There was one school in particular within his conference that wanted to stay in touch on a regular basis, which we did.   We were more than happy to stay in touch with these coaches until he was formally accepted to a HA school.   No harm, no foul.    This how the game is played with baseball recruiting (especially HA baseball recruiting), and I would do it again in a heartbeat.   

Good luck!

marksmith21 posted:

I would like your opinions on something:

1) Is it a fair concern to bring to the coach regarding the fact that once son commits he is off the board and no one else will recruit him.  This puts the benefit of him committing into the favor of the college.  I have read and heard of many stories of schools over-committing kids or finding someone they like better and then pulling the verbal offers last minute before the NLI is signed.  I would like to get the coaches take on this concern and see what his response would be.  Is this a fair concern to bring up or will he most likely tell us what we want to hear?  Is this something I could ask the coach or should son be the one asking (I am more concerned about it that he is and I feel I could express the concern more clearly)?

Thanks!

This is not something you should ask the coach. That is the whole point of his offer - to get your son off the board and at his school. Yes the school is in the drivers seat, but that is all part of the game. You can hold out and say we're going to explore other options but that is basically a no and they move on. You can hold out for as long as you'd like. But if there is somebody better than you, they're not going to wait. Verbal now or verbal in September of his senior year, just know that if he says no he is essentially walking away from an offer. Unless there are other offers or you expect equal/better schools to come calling it is gamble. 

Either verbal or let him know you're still very interested but don't want to decide until next summer. But that just really means - he's not ready to commit here. And sounds like he is just looking for more attractive offers elsewhere. Usually not something that sits well with coaches after you have expressed interest. 

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