Coach Promised Offer, but haven't heard anything since?

Ceeheezee,

 

Welcome to the best college baseball recruiting resource on the planet.  I wouldn't say it if it weren't true.  

 

First off, congrats for posting what is on your mind.  It is an important question as you are gathering data on various programs and communicating with coaches.  What you will learn quickly (if you haven't already) is that the coaches timetable is vastly different from your timetable in almost all cases.  This is the part of the recruting experience when folks realize there is alot of talented supply and a little demand for college baseball players.  Coaches are extremely "time-challenged" when it comes to making statements or "promises" such as the those in your post.  Essentially these Coaches are busy shopping right now (seeing hundreds of recruits) as they head into their busiest recruiting time of year.  When they see something they want they they put it in their "shopping cart", comparison shop, check the price, write down a phone number or email, or forget it altogether.  In my corny example, It sounds to me like they were interested and they will get back to you but not on your timetable.  It may be worthwhile for your son to reach out (phone call then email) to touch base with the coach if he has his contact info and he is still interested in the school.  

 

You did the right thing and kept on moving forward with other colleges.  In my experience, most of those coaches do get back to you at some point.   Even if you were to ask for a specific timetable from a Coach chances are pretty good you'd be disappointed.  Once serious interest and dialog starts between recruits & coaches will the coaches stick to timetables and schedules because they have deadlines to meet.  Be patient and continue to work your gameplan if it is working.  Good luck!

Welcome,

 

It is not usual, nor is it that unusual. Which probably does not fully answer your question, other than as fenway pointed out coaches have different timelines. In my son's case we visited a school met with the head and recruiting coach and they specifically told my son they would be extending him an offer....It never came. The school as not exactly a fit for my son, but it also would have worked out if no other options were available, and I am not sure, but maybe they sensed that.

 

If he is that interested I would have your son call up the recruiting coach and ask him what is up with the offer? I would also rehearse the call with your son several times and have him ask the question in different ways so he is comfortable having the conversation. You will be amazed how much more comfortable your son will be after a few of these practices and calls.

 

Good luck! 

How long ago was the last conversation?  Probably would help the wiser heads to know if you are talking about days, weeks, or months.

Similar experience as others... with one D2 school (very late in process for upcoming season), RC urged son to call HC immediately and that he fit a need very well.  Son called HC.  After phone conversation, HC talking to son's JC coach and a few texts, HC stated on a Thursday "we would like to sign you and I will call you Monday when I have everything together for you".  JC coach even told son this school intended on offering.  Monday came and went along with the rest of the week.  Son called HC to check status.  Coach ignored son's call and never did call back.  Son has no issues with any sort of trouble and has full endorsement of JC coach so we can only guess what may have happened.  I would certainly understand if a previous recruit became available but it seems it would have been appropriate for him to call son and tell him so.

 

This was the exception.  Once it got to the point where son was talking to HC's, most others were pretty good about communication.

 

If your 2016 is a true D1 target, it is getting pretty late so you probably do want to have son contact this coach and find out where he stands and what their time table is.

Son experienced exactly what you described after the first unofficial visit he made.  RC said give me a day or two and we will send you an offer. Found it curious as this was during a time period where that email wouldn't have been allowed. Offer never came and son had already moved on anyway.

I find it curious how the approach differs by coach in the same program. How my son interacts with his future pitching coach is very different than how the RC dealt with a couple of his friends that are position players.  Their individual personalities play a big part in this.

The process can be frustrating but keep in mind that schools recruit players …players do not recruit schools.  The RC/HC go on their time table.  It may be that they have not heard from 1^st choice while 2^nd and 3^rd are in a holding pattern.  Be patient and keep moving forward!

 

If you do get an offer from another school you may want to call the coach and explain that you have another offer you need to make a decision on.  The conversation should help move things along and coach will let you know where you stand with them.

Son's very first D1 contact/experience was a recruiting coordinator who reached out to him and told him how much he loved what he saw.  During subsequent conversation he told son directly that they were going to make him an offer that was going to mean he paid very, very little to go to school.  Son was very excited.  Never heard from the coach again.  Tried contacting him several times - zero response.  It happens.

CHZ, as mentioned above, it happens.

 

Son was contacted by the PC/RC of southern D1 in a major conference, many phone calls and texts. Said they wanted and would make an offer but didn't. Later, while son was playing in a tournament last summer, they encouraged him to come to campus between tournaments and said they would make him an offer while he was there. He went by himself. No offer was made. They gave him some song and dance about why they didn't have the offer ready. Said it would be given the next Thursday. Never received anything. All of this transpired in about a 6 week window, June 1 to July 15

 

Reasons: They may have been out of money. Maybe they didn't need my son. There were also major rumors at the time of the coach being on unstable ground.

Son had multiple offers in same conference and this college knew it. Maybe they thought they couldn't compete with the offers.  Who knows?

 

Oh, the view from the dorm rooms though was outstanding per my son!

My son was told by one of the Assistants of a Pac 12 school to not sign with any other school without contacting them first, because they were definitely going to offer.  When an offer didn't come, he spoke to the other assistant, and he said, "I wouldn't offer you until next summer."  So the two assistants from a school were definitely not on the same page.  I took that as a major red flag, and it is no wonder they are one of the bottom feeders of the Pac 12.

Maybe JP's experience is outside the norm, but I am betting it's not.

 

When the D1 had seen enough of him to make an offer, they said nothing -- expect "Thanks for coming ... we'll let you know."

 

The specific offer came the next day, with a call from the RC.

 

Point is: Why would a coach say "We're GOING to make you an offer" at all? Either make an offer or  don't. 

 

So color me skeptical of the coach's true intentions.

Why...Because  simply they arenot sure.  RC/HC are juggling many players.  Once you have leverage with other offers, then you can push for an answer.

 

When my son was going thru the process we experienced the same type of answers.  Once he had several offers which he had to decide on within a week, he then went to his first choice and told them of the offers. They still did not offer. He then went to his second choice which is a school that offered. 

Seems to me the player should initiate follow-up contact, instead of waiting around for them to come to him.

 

Otherwise, he risks them thinking he's not all that interested, especially when they find out he's talking to other schools. 

 

That may not be why you're talking to other schools, but if the player remains silent, he runs the risk of contributing to a misunderstanding.

 

"Dear Coach _____,

 

I greatly enjoyed my time at your camp, and I was thrilled when you indicated that you would soon be forwarding an offer for me to consider with my family.

 

I wanted to confirm that I remain very interested in your school and your program, so I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

Player"

Would a coach really be so disingenuous as to tell a kid "we're going to be sending an offer soon" if that wasn't' his intention?  Is it more likely that a kid would misinterpret a positively spun comment?  Obviously its in the coaches best interest to keep the kid engaged, but would they outright lie?  I interview job candidates and if I see one I like I might say "you're our top candidate", which might be true until the next person comes in.  Or "I'll talk to HR and start looking at numbers" - this really means nothing but the candidate might interpret this as we're preparing to make an offer.  I'm not naive, but I do parse words carefully and make a point to cut through mumbo jumbo talk and try to pin someone down to specific facts, and I teach my kid to do the same - what did he say?  Was that the exact word he used?  What did he say before and after?  etc.  I'm not casting aspersions on the OP at all, but I wonder if this situation is more typically a misinterpretation as opposed to a coach outright lying (I'm hoping it's the former).  This reminds me of a conversation I have with my wife from time to time:

 

Me:  What do you think about dinner at that new steak house tonight?

Wife:  That would be awesome, I'd love it!

Me:  It's 7:00, ready to go to dinner?

Wife:  Dinner tonight? Are you crazy? I'm way too busy.  As I said I'd love to go, but there's no way I have time.

Me:  

First off, Welcome to Ceeheezee. It isn't easy posting questions about your sons college baseball recruiting. Believe me I know. But you are in the right place. I can tell you that there are parents here whose advice has been invaluable in my sons recruiting process ( A couple of them have posted on your thread!! )

When RC's or HC's want a player, they make their intentions crystal clear. There is no sort of ambiguity.

 Also, players can fall into the merry go round of 'We want to see you again'. A former nationally recognized D-1 HC told me " The more they see you, the more they find wrong with you". I believe that is true.

In my experience , players need to contact RC's of schools that have expressed interest and ask one simple question: Where am I at on the 2016 depth chart for recruits at my position? Once the RC answers that question you will understand where you are at. Most RC's will explain if you are in the top 3 where they are at with you and how they intend to proceed The only problem with what I just typed is that most players and parents are afraid to ask that question. There is seemingly a sense of security in the idea or the notion that a particular school has exhibited interest in some way and the players and parents do not want to 'rock to boat'. ........If your son is a 2016 the boat needs to rocked! Now.

I can't tell you if it is typical or not but in my son's case, I can definitely answer your question "YES", a coach can really do that. And it happened on more than one occasion with this school.

Now, in our case, it didn't matter because he liked 4-5+ schools better but it got to be a running joke in our family to ask my son " Did ?????? send you that offer yet?

Again, I really don't want to criticize too much because there was probably something going on there that caused this. Had it been the only good offer that a recruit receives then it could be disastrous.  But had it been the only offer or been the one that he wanted to accept then my son would have "pushed the envelope" so to speak and brought the situation to an end, one way or the other.

Unfortunately, this happens in all walks of life these days.  Whether its youth travel baseball (been there), college recruiting, or even in the mean old business world. 

This is the problem: might be true until the next person comes in.  

 

The fact is that there are many more players than spots so it is a buyers market for coaches.  Coach May's words ring true more than ever "you WILL know if they want you". Why would you want to play for someone who does not have the courtesy to do what he says he is going to do? IMO you don't have to follow up, in fact it is better if you don't.

 

My wife absolutely loves the college coach my son played for but she thinks the rest of them are: 

: 

I hate to pile on Smitty, but the others are right.  It does happen, and I don't believe it's a communication issue.  I posted one story, send me a dialog and I will reply with more.  We haven't even touched on actual real offers made and then later pulled without warning.  Hard to miscommunicate that.

 

BOF - hang on to that wife of yours......she is wise.

I don't feel piled-on at all.  I appreciate the candid responses and real-life examples.  It puts into focus that of all the things to think about in recruiting - baseball fit, school fit, potential for playing time, etc, etc - none of that matters (or should be believed) if you haven't qualified the integrity of the coaching staff.

Agree 1000%.  You've got it.

Once again this goes back to where the recruit falls in the coaches plan. Is he an A prospect meaning he is our number one choice, B the backup guy, or C the player who gets the offer if all else fails?

Welcome to the site, do some exploring, you will find that this happens often. If they really wanted your player, you wouldnt be asking this question.

Time to move on but keep in mind most likely if they come back later rather than sooner, he is not the number one guy.

 

Cheeheezee...here is a link to a topic I started similar to yours...

 

http://community.hsbaseballweb...87#24947072728970287

 

You will notice a theme from certain posters on their advice....negative nelly's I call them...

Can you explain the above? What's negative? If time passes and you havent heard from a coach, move on.

In your topic you admit you panicked.   You got good advice regardless of the outcome.

People come here everyday seeking advice. Many spend their time and effort trying to help, with the best intentions.  If you feel the advice here isnt what you want to hear, go try and find a better site.

 

I doubt that you will ever find one, and for free.

 

I have to second what TPM says, dolphindad -- and ask: How can ADVICE be negative?

 

Your comment is an example of something I posted not long ago in a thread titled “A few things I’ve learned from HSBBW:

 

• Some people want answers, some want validation. Validation’s harder to get.

Something for everyone to keep in mind is that many coaching staffs apply a very collegial process to the determination of who's to be actively recruited and the eventual extension of offers. However, in order to leverage their time and resources during the summer recruiting period, they also frequently employ a "divide and conquer" approach to the identification and evaluation process. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to the creation of expectations among players and their families that end up not being realized. Here's how:

 

After the end of a program's season, the 3 coaches allowed to travel for recruiting purposes by the NCAA fan out individually to cover as many relevant games, showcases, and tournaments as they can. During this period, their individual evaluations tend to be fed comtinuously into a central repository. 

 

Near summer's end, they get their first opportunity as a staff to come together and discuss the aggregated information they've fed as individuals into their recruiting database. Out of these discussions comes a rank-ordering of the prospects they want to recruit to their program.

 

The disconnect sometimes occurs when Coach A steps forward and tells a player he likes him during his summer recruiting travels but before he's met with Coaches B and C to discuss their collective experience. When Coach A subsequently sits down with Coaches B&C, he may find that they've seen players at the same position that appear to be stronger than the player approached a month or two earlier by Coach A. It's at this point, that the program seems to disappear from the player's and family's perspective; at least, until such time as they determine that players rated more highly aren't likely to be recruited by them.

 

Should this happen? Ideally, no; but, it certainly does. I offer this insight to neither justify nor make excuses for the occurrence; but, rather, to help those subjected to it have a better appreciation of what might be taking place if and when they're left to wonder what's taking place beyond their view.

 

 

 

 

Great insight Prepster.

 

This is exactly why initial or follow up questions are key in a conversation or communication with a Coach. Recruits can't be shy about this stuff..  ie....Can you tell me about your recruiting timeline, process?  Who is making the final decisions (Head Coach or all Coaches).  Where am I on your list (or board) at this time?  If you get specific answers to these specific questions you'll know where you stand, and where to spend your time..  JMO.

 

 

When you start to really dig into a program you can see some crazy off the wall stuff that can impact recruiting and totally change conversations that a staff may have with a recruit.

 

I truly believe that school my son is committed to had some very serious interest in my son's friend who is an outstanding CF and then this happened:

 

Player that was a Freshman All American three seasons ago as a CF and 4 hole hitter as a sophomore decides he wants to serve his country in military and leaves so does not play last year.  Not sure what happened but must not have enlisted and after sitting out a year is coming back with two years of eligibility left.

 

Now who are you going to invest in.  A kid that is the proven commodity All American or some kid out of HS.  No matter how talented HS kid is I think that one is a no brainer so guess what.  Sorry we have nothing for you now HS recruit as much as we loved you before.

 

Worked out okay for the recruit in this case, but crazy stuff happens.

You also cant jump the gun but sometimes college coaches are in the middle of interviewing and getting jobs at others schools...If that happens contact the head coach or administrators to find out...Usually they would communicate with the player but if a offer is made the usually give it to you in paper form so you can see if etc...Thats just a for a verbal offer but still want to make sure all ends are covered cause now with you "shopping around" can get the school upset as well

It's an emotional roller coaster for both the player and the parents. Son went through similar situations with several big D1's. Expectations of 'the call' are often accompanied by the sound of crickets. I assume they just can't be bothered with making the call to let the player know they went a different direction.

Mid D1 RC who came to see my son play in a showcase tournament practically fell all over himself getting to the dugout after the game to make sure his coach communicated with son about their desire to make him an offer. Within a week we were on campus and the offer was made.

As has been stated before, when they 'love' a player it will be obvious quickly. Go where you're loved.