All the eggs in one basket.

JT,
Why don't you suggest that you both sit down together and fill out the applications.

Sometimes it is hard for them to understand how important it is to keep all options open at this time.

If he won't go for that, I don't know what else to advise, cause you can lead the horse to water but you can't mske him drink!

I agree with you he needs to keep his options open. Maybe you could help him devise a recruiting itinerary and indicate the different “modes” he should be in at different times for the best results. For instance you could call one mode a marketing mode, another an evaluation mode and maybe a third could be a negotiations mode and the final mode would be the decision mode. Maybe this would lend some organization to a very hectic time in his life.
I remember my son wanting to commit 1 hour after the conclusion of his official visit and I convinced him he should wait three days to let his emotions stabilize and give himself time to weigh the pros and cons. I think he waited two days..
Good luck,
Fungo

Sorry I was typing as TPM was posting..She gives good advice.
Fungo

JT,

I'm curious. What is the source of his contentment? Is it because this is his dream school, or a very high priority school (for whatever reason)? Or is it because this is the first/only school that he has focused on and is just wanting to "get the recruiting and indecision over with" ?

If it is his dream school, or he has other very good reasons for selecting it, it will still be there if he chooses to pursue and evaluate other options. If however, it is the indecision that is motivating the issue, then you perhaps have an opportunity to encourage and support him in his continued quest.

Your choice of the word "content" is interesting to me. You are obviously not content with that position at this time. And that is okay. As parents, we are often given a certain intuition regarding our children and their welfare that we should pay attention to.

JT,

Ask someone else to talk to him besides yourself, such as a teacher or a coach. I know I can tell my son something and it goes in one ear and out the other, but as soon as a coach says the same thing I have mentioned countless of times he acts like it is the first time he has every heard of the topic.

4myson

great advice---my sons HS AD was his greatest confidante---and the AD would call me everytime he had discussions with my son so I was up to speed on what was happening--to this day some 12 years later the AD and I are still great friends

My son made his decision based on his gut feeling. We gave him all the direction we could. Along the way it was continued input, some pro's and con's and a lot of support. We actually got frustrated at times because he just wouldn't communicate. Evry time we tried to sit him down and get a feeling from him he'd just say I'll know when it's right. We would get more feed back from his older sister who he would often confide in.
When he called her from his visit to Illinois and without knowing what kind of offer he'd get, he told her that he really liked the school, the facilities and the fact that when watching practice he saw himself easily fitting into the program. After the offer, he said to us "this is it". He knew they really wanted him and he them.

He actually told me he would go to school B if I wanted him to but if he didn't like it, it was on me. If he went to Illinois and didn't like it, it was on him. Mom was happy because of the top academics and quality of education and athletics in the Big 10. Big school atmosphere and true campus experience.

Somehow THEY KNOW....

To him--it is the school that is working the hardest to get him. AND...
...they like him and infield--and one of the other schools is interested in him at catcher--and he has a mental block about not wanting to catch--even though he would have a better shot at playing earlier as a catcher. I just have to convince him that catcher is his DESTINY

Coach Merc - nice post

JT - He has got to do what's in his heart first and foremost. If he does it based on your intellectual arguments, I don't know if he'll do as well. Based on what I know of your son, I think he is going to end up at a very fine school where you both are happy

Coach Merc,
If one has a lot of choices, going with the gut feeling is ok. But if choices are limited, one has to pursue them and get the offers to make those choices, no matter what position may be offered.
My son's attitude was the same before his visits, the school that worked the hardest to get him was the one he was most impressed with, but he had options.

All recruits just need ot keep all of their options open until the offer is given and decision is finally made.

JT.....some great info here.....can only add, from the D3 perspective, that having more than one school interested can lead to increased academic scholarship money.....that was our situation.....and even though we left the final decision to son we communicated to him and the coaches/financial aid offices that we had a financial limitation on what we could spend for tuition....we felt we could do this...and son would still play college ball....somewhere!

Also, it seemed the more coaches that were interested in him.....the more attention he got from all of them.....

So maybe if you present it in that light to your son....it might help....anything can happen.....one thing we did learn from the recruitment process....very few guarantees....so if he really, really wants to play ball at the next level...he's much better off, as you say, not to put all the eggs in one basket.....good luck....

EDIT: He did end up going to his first choice too.....

Great insight Coach Merc. I agree wholeheartedly - I think our "gut" often gives us the answer and we ignor it.

My own now college freshman committed to the school of his choice last February. This was after I made him wait a month because he was still getting new calls, requests for visits, etc. I knew when we left that school in January that it was what he wanted - that coach was like a long lost soulmate of his. I however, felt it was my responsibility to make him consider all options. Finally, one week in Feb he turned down two offers for visits, told one school on a Weds that he would come that weekend and notified them on Thurs that he was not making any more visits. Told me that he was miserable in dealing with the entire recruiting scene and I told him to make his call. We went that weekend, watched the team play, and he committed in person.

My only piece of advice would be to never commit on the spot - remove one's self and see how he feels when away from the spotlight and attention.

Thanks, Red. The D-III perspective is EXACLTY what I am looking for--and the top 2 schools are the top rivals in the same conference, so perhaps the competition will be a good thing--in terms of $$.

Truth of the matter was, he did not choose the school that I feel persued him the hardest. Noe did he choose the school that offered him the most money, nor did he choose the school with the top 25 ranking nor the best conference. He paid attention to the practice, to the coaches and to the college experience. He talked at length to his older sister so we knew he was thinking and weighing a lot of factors. I'm sure he knew that he could go for the $$$ or the big name. I'm proud of the way HE made his decision and that he thought enough of his sister to confide continuously with her.....

I can only advise and encourage you to trust your son and his feelings. I'm glad we did.