D2 recruiting question -

My gut feeling,  he likes your son, but the reason , excuses that he is giving you for not having any money are not your fault or concern.  Honestly if your son is good enough to gain interest from this D2 program he will find a school interested in him that does have money.  Its flattering ... but no substance...  Juco is always a good option prior to a D2.  D2 rosters often have D1 transfers , red shirt players and Juco players.  Look at their rosters carefully go back a few years.  See how many transfers and Juco they take.   

How are your sons grades?  Maybe he could get academic money, that's the best kind anyway.   Roster spots on D2 schools can get from 35-to 45 players.   

A player has a spot on the roster when he’s handed a uniform. While rare, scholarship players sometimes don’t make the team. 

You don’t have an offer until an offer is made. What your son has is quality interest. The coach could become more interested in someone else before he commits. The coach said, “When I offer a roster spot  ....”

No money, but will “most likely” have money next year means nothing until money is on the table.

D2’s aren’t funded as well as D1’s. I would do some investigating regarding how many players typically show up for fall ball (over recruiting).

Based on his GPA/ACT, he stands to get a substantial amount of academic money, which is why I also think the coach mentioned the recruiting budget or lack thereof. He did say that the typical award for his program is $6000 give or take and they offer incentive bonuses to players for every year they are retained which is why I thought he might have a point with the high number of seniors. Coach told parents that they base their roster off recruited high schoolers and no transfer students are on roster. They look to keep their players for a full 4 years.

Our travel organization's recruiting coordinator knows the coach of the program well and he told us that he is a solid coach and sometimes their resources are limited. He did tell us to keep options open and if there is interest there, then he will probably garner interest other places too.

We are also interested in D3 school near Chicago area. Son sent video and email to head coach. Coach responded that day saying that based on his video, he would like to see him on campus for a visit and sit down with them and discuss program. I know they can't offer athletic money but thought why not go and see what it's all about?

Thanks for the information!

hopefulmom posted:

Is this truly an offer or because they aren't offering any athletic money to speak of, they are just saying he can come be a member of the team and there are no true "commitments"? I'm trying to assess if this is logical for him to not have money to offer or is he saving his money for someone else he wants more?

The coach probably has limited scholarships funds available (or none at this point).  D2's are limited to 9 full scholarships spread out however he wants and that assumes they are fully funded.

Like RJM posted the coach is interested, but there's no offer on the table.

Son played for a D2 (out of state).   At the time he was recruited they were fully funded, but in the following years the funding dropped to only 5-6 full scholarships.  FWIW my son was offered a scholarship (73% of the tuition) coming out of JuCo.

Check the roster from last year.  I'll bet there are quite a few JuCo and D1 transfers.  The year my son played at the D2 he was among 6-7 JuCo transfers out of roster of about 30.  They did have a "tryout" in the fall, but no walk-on's made the fall or spring squad unless the coach specifically recruited them.

Just be aware that some D2's over recruit and some don't.

The fact that your travel coach has some insight is a big plus.  Probably helps you somewhat to "believe" what he is saying.   I'd agree though...no reason to commit to anything at this point, as I'm assuming it's not his dream school or he'd already have snapped it up.  You can find the academic money on their website.  It's not always easy to come up with, but it's there somewhere.  Almost every school has a chart showing "guaranteed" academic money....based on GPA/ACT or a combination of both. 

And that's exactly it - it helps knowing someone knows the coach and the program. My son is excited to have genuine interest and we are trying to guide him a little so that he isn't jumping into a situation that can turn badly. We have him signed up to do the PBR GPA games in August and I am hopeful there will be some academic schools there that will garner some interest as well. 

Always appreciate everyone's opinions! Sometimes it's not what you want to hear but it helps to keep things in perspective. Definitely learning a lot in this process and this website has been extremely helpful.

Several really good D2 schools in your area.  The academic portion of the equation is going to be key and the more academic money your son can get, the easier it is for the coach to make his limited budget work.  I would go visit the D3 as well and experience as many schools and opportunities as your son can generate.  Most of the schools will want to wrap up the majority of the recruiting class by the early signing so you still have time to look at various schools.  I sent PM with some additional info.

hopefulmom posted:

And that's exactly it - it helps knowing someone knows the coach and the program. My son is excited to have genuine interest and we are trying to guide him a little so that he isn't jumping into a situation that can turn badly. We have him signed up to do the PBR GPA games in August and I am hopeful there will be some academic schools there that will garner some interest as well.

That's great. I recommend that your son do some research on the D3s in your area and try to make contact with the ones that he likes before the PBR showcase. He can call them, and they can call him (no recruiting contact restrictions). That will increase his odds of getting eyes on him at the event. It might even make the difference between a coach attending the event or not. On the financial side, you can use each school's Net Price Calculator to get an idea of what those school could cost. Don't let the published price of tuition scare you off. The net price for the average family is often much less at HA private schools.

hopefulmom posted:

And that's exactly it - it helps knowing someone knows the coach and the program. My son is excited to have genuine interest and we are trying to guide him a little so that he isn't jumping into a situation that can turn badly. We have him signed up to do the PBR GPA games in August and I am hopeful there will be some academic schools there that will garner some interest as well. 

Always appreciate everyone's opinions! Sometimes it's not what you want to hear but it helps to keep things in perspective. Definitely learning a lot in this process and this website has been extremely helpful.

D2 coaches offer most of their athletic scholarships to JUCO or former D1 players and to seniors who have made an impact in their program.  They recruit differently than D1 programs and spend their 9 scholarships if fully funded, frugally.

I don't think that the coach offered excuses, but was being honest.  If the program is like the one son was a p coach at, they finalize in the fall.  Many of the D2 programs here in FL are private with 40 -50k a year so academic and needs based is essential for many.

If he wishes to enroll in premed, a D3 may be a better option. Just keep the lines of communication open and keep doing what you guys have mapped out for the summer.

Good luck.

Before making any commitment, you and your son should make sure you get very clear definition of what he is saying...  this coach may be solid as a rock but what exactly does it mean "you have a spot on my team"?  And what parameters will be in place for him to receive the $6K the following year?  This is one area where it is OK for parent to be part of the discussion because you are likely footing a good portion of the bill.

There are countless stories of these types of conversations getting very lost in translation or over time.  It is very easy to get really excited about first real interest.  Take your time and keep asking questions.  And do not let your son take the "one at a time" approach.  Shotgun all the way!

How good is the fit with this school?  How realistic is it to take pre-med and play ball at this school?  ...at any school he might attend?  Is son reaching out directly to a list of schools or is he relying on being seen at events?

A friend of mine found out, “Yes, you can play D1 baseball and get an engineering degree” included “but not while I’m coach” once he arrived on campus. The coach was well known and successful. 

My friend switched to education. Fortunately he’s had a happy life as a teacher and a successful high school coach.