Can a kid commit to a school before he even plays his junior year of high school?
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
A student can "commit" to go to any school at any time but it doesn't really mean
anything. If you mean a "binding" commitment then the first time for a baseball
recruit would be in November of his senior year, and that would be by signing a
National Letter of Intent. Verbal/**** commitments are only as good as the "word" of
the parties involved. And even written NLI's are sometimes not valid if certain
requirements are not met. Caveat Emptor.(Let the buyer beware).
Go to the home page on this site and check out the NCAA. Lots of great info.
anything. If you mean a "binding" commitment then the first time for a baseball
recruit would be in November of his senior year, and that would be by signing a
National Letter of Intent. Verbal/**** commitments are only as good as the "word" of
the parties involved. And even written NLI's are sometimes not valid if certain
requirements are not met. Caveat Emptor.(Let the buyer beware).
Go to the home page on this site and check out the NCAA. Lots of great info.
Ditto for schools too. I know a 9th grade basketball player who has already been offerred scholarships to both Duke and UNC. Of course none of that means anything until she signs on the dotted line...
We've talked about the subject of verbal commits before and the ethics of giving your word and then not following through. The expectation is that a verbal commitment between a baseball player and a college coach will be honored by both sides. So, IMO, the statement "it doesn't really mean anything" is very wrong. Yes, you have not yet signed a contract. However, giving a verbal commitment means you & the school are agreeing to a scholarship offer and that you will attend that college in the fall (if all academic admission requirements are met). Breaking a verbal commitment might happen more often in other sports, but in baseball it is not the norm. So, as a player if you are not sure about an offer, DO NOT GIVE A VERBAL COMMITMENT. You are risking your good reputation.
I agree with RH.
A commitment is a commitment, whether it is in writing or not. Coaches in college talk, whether at conferences, clinics, etc and if they hear that a player has changed his mind about playing for a particular school, other schools will question his integrity.
Only commit when you are 100% sure of the school you want to play for.
A commitment is a commitment, whether it is in writing or not. Coaches in college talk, whether at conferences, clinics, etc and if they hear that a player has changed his mind about playing for a particular school, other schools will question his integrity.
Only commit when you are 100% sure of the school you want to play for.