First offer and letting other schools know

I don't know if i would tell them i received another offer unless they ask. The question is, what is your position on the current offer? How old is your son, is this the 1st offer, does the school line up with his goals-academic/athletic? Do you want/need leverage with the offer and want to inject that with notifying the other schools? Did you tell the offering school that the other teams are interested?

I feel it's fine and appropriate.  You just gotta watch out just how you do it.  You don't want to alienate or discourage the schools that have real interest.  Schools that have interest would want to know and they'd want to know just how interested you are in their school and this is what you want to emphasize and not have much focus on what other's have offered.  You can use if as leverage only if you've got a school that REALLY interested and willing to discusses what it'd take to get your kid to commit.

A lot of times they will ask if you have other offers, or who is recruiting you...

What would be the point in doing so?  Trying to get them to increase their offer?

If you don't have some specific agenda, then I really see no point in it.  By doing so, you could signal to the other schools to start offering to their other picks on the board to hedge their bets. If they do, and one accepts, they may rescind their offer.  Happened to one of my son's teammates.

If they don't ask, I certainly wouldn't call them to tell them unsolicited unless you have some specific goal in mind.

Agreed, unless the other schools have made firm offers and you need to let them know you have committed elsewhere. 

I think if they ask, you tell them you got an offer from "x" college. I guess it depends where you are in your recruiting process.. If the player is a 2016, then I might tell the other colleges calling.

I found with my son once an offer finally was on the table, then others that were interested followed. But until then, they all wanted him as a walk on. but once the first offer came, those that were truly interested came up with an offer as well, those that he was the "5th RHP" or whatever on their board basically withdrew.

that offer can create leverage for you and I think that is a good thing.

I would guess (at least for my son and family), the idea was to get him to a school that he loved, that loved him, with his major, while getting the most money available to go there.

Leverage can help that happen sometimes.

You do risk a school he is very interested in withdrawing. I guess my feelings on that are that is they withdraw, how interested where they really?

We're going through this process now, so far the way we've approached it is if they ask, be honest, tell them.  If they don't my son has not brought it up.  What we've found is they seem to know anyway- I think the word gets out through his travel coach, other coaches, etc.  It's a small community.

so far this has worked for us.   once that first offer came, interest seemed to pick up substantially.

Agree with chef. That offer can allow a very frank conversation with schools your son has interest with where he is on their board. Firm believer that getting a no answer is preferable to not knowing in this recruiting process.  

Chef,

what you say makes perfect sense, but…why would other schools just happen to ask this question at the precise time another offer is on the table?  Isn't that expecting too great a coincidence?  I've read in other threads on this board that it is perfectly acceptable (advisable?) to reach out to other schools once an offer is on the table and let them know so they have a chance to fish or cut bait.  What am I missing here?

Smitty, in our case, it was a very different recruiting process. Very quick details are (if you want to tread the whole sordid details, I have posted about it before): As summer between junior and senior year, son had lots of D2 and D3 interest and 3-4 D1 as walk on but no athletic money offers from D1. Chose a D1 as walk on in fall, In spring of Senior year, was noticed with high MPH at a game, lots of interest including an offer from a college that made him rethink his choice as a walk on, original school and others then made offers within 2 weeks. We told the original school (which he ended up at).  The other colleges were asking about offers already extended. Some withdrew because they could not make an offer, others made offers

Like a few have said, somehow they know. We went on an official visit that 2 weeks in the spring. He left with an offer and knew at that point he had about a week at most to decide (again, SENIOR year in spring). On our way home from visit (less than 2 hours from that college to home), he had 2 calls with an offer and an upped offer. NO IDEA how they knew we were going somewhere else.

That was our experience.

From a player and family we know very well. He was offered summer before his senior year, He called the other colleges that had showed high interest (and that he was interested in) and told them. Basically he said he had an offer from "x" and wanted to make a decision soon. He was very interested in the college of whomever he was talking to, and if they could tell him where they stood with him on their board so he could make an informed decision. He got 2 more offers within a couple days and a few he called said they were not prepared to make an offer. Based off that he chose where he is now.

Where are you in the process with the other schools?  Are they waiting to make an offer?  Are you ready to accept an offer?

Thanks Chef, that story is helpful.

I presume this question relates to a 2016 who received an offer.  We are in the exact same position now with our 2016.  One of his top 10 schools has offered.  The academic read is done and "approved".  The Spring roster spot has been "guaranteed".  I use the quotation marks only because we lived a little bit with our 2012 through this process.

If this offer was the #1 dream school and the fit is perfect in all respects, then I wouldn't share with any other schools.  My son would just accept it and we'd be done.  And he'd tell the other schools on his list that he's done.

My son's offer is from one of his top 10 schools.  He needs to know where he really stands with the other top 10 schools on his list because all else being equal, he'd go to one of the other schools.  The offer in hand allows him to have a very courteous, frank conversation with these other schools.

There's a lot of factors here...admissions read, money, guaranteed Spring roster spot, etc.

My son is in iterations with his other top schools.  And he'll now need to fully vet their interest in him.  The best way to do that, in my experience, is to let those schools know he has an executable offer from School B.  And he really likes School A and wants to know where he stands with them.  Can you tell me if I have a guaranteed Spring roster spot?  Is the academic read done?  Will the coaching staff support him with Admissions?  Is there any scholarship $? Etc.

It's late July.  Anything can happen.  And a 2016 recruit needs to know where they really stand.  We don't want to waste time chasing schools where my son is 50th on their recruiting list.  He won't know unless he asks.  And asking, while letting the schools know he has an offer from another school, tends to get the most serious responses in my experience.

If they ask, tell them and be honest.  Typically they will ask because they want to know where they sit competitively in your search.  They are sizing you up...do they have a diamond in the rough or a known talent.  They want to know what level of effort it would take to recruit you.  

If it gives you leverage, play that card at the right time.  If it doesn't give you leverage or help your situation don't share that information.

JMO

We found that is business it can be used for leverage.  Where he eventually played, they made their best offer up front but many did not.  As he got offers from ACC and SEC schools, we found that many would up their offers to match or up the other offers.  He was not, as many suggest here, decided on a particular place.  He looked at many schools and many made offers.  We did not put it out there but we were quick to tell that he offers from competitive schools.  It did increase many offers.  The only one we actually contacted was the D1 SEC school locally that had talked and talked but never made an official offer.  We called them right before he committed to give them one last chance to make an official offer.

It was funny.  They made their final offer to a batter that my son struck out four times that weekend and hit two home runs off.  He came to school and got cut in the fall.  The recruiter called and asked if my son would consider transferring after fall.  Obviously, we said no.

The only time I would bring it up is for leverage or in final discussions.  Just remember as in business, leverage can bite you in the butt as the offer you have can go away in the blink of an eye.  I encourage everyone if you get what you are wanting, don't get greedy.  Take it and say thank you.  We have looked back and thought what if but he got to play his game, got a great education, and is working on coaching college baseball.

PitchingFan and others - can comeone describe is some detail how a school would go about upping an offer?  Not looking for specifics of anyone, but I suspect they are not throwing out 25% to begin, offering 50% with their second offer and throwing out 75% on their best and final offer.  I suspect the increases are much less and am curios as to whether it might be an additional 5% or perhaps adding covered costs (going from 75% tuition to 100% tuition plus book or meals).  I keep hearing that offers are not vanilla and while I am certain we could sit down at the kitchen table and make them apples to apples, not sure if it is sometimes difficult to communicate others offers to a coach without having to get too far into the details.

2017LHP- I sent you a DM

in rough numbers - a few offers went up significantly.

We knew what his pell grant $ were which was the same for each school. We researched total cost of school and asked based off ACT and HS grades and individual schools, where he fell for academic scholarships. then for us it was simple math in $.

School A cost $25k, B $40k, C 35k for instance. based off % of athletic offer it was simply in $ how much each was going to  cost 

I would guess those colleges offering knew basically how much every other one cost to go there and so tried to make is as appealing with the whole package as possible to get my son to say yes. When we didn't right away, I guess (and it is only a guess) upped their offer to try to be the over the top winner. There were several that made there original offer and that was it, I would guess based on how they valued him and what they had available. When that was good enough to sway him to come to them, they simply withdrew.

In fall he was the one hunting them, in spring they were hunting him.

Most in the ACC and SEC were maxed out at 48% for some weird reason.  We had a couple that started at 35% then found out that several biggies, UNC and UVA at the time made a good offer and upped theirs.  One of the big factors for us was whether they could wave out of state.  The biggies that could not wave out of state were way out of what we could afford.  We found that the mid level schools would start at about 50% and the ones that jumped went to 75%.  We never had one get into specifics they just stayed general with a total %.  We looked at total costs for an education.  We also weighed playing time and positions.  He was a good hitter and pitcher in high school.

I'm beginning the process again as my youngest is a 2019 LHP sitting low 80's already with good command.  Some strong interest already as his travel coach has good connections.  We will be more diligent this time on looking at track record of coaches when they say a player can pitch and play the field.  We found through watching my son and his friends that a lot of coaches say it but very few have the track record to prove it. 

How does a 16/17 year old kid get off the phone after being offered and needing to discuss with family?  Do coaches understand this dynamic and help wrap up the call "you think about it a get back with me...." or do any make the kid squirm and try to get some immediately answer or some indication of interest at least "what's it going to be kid?"  I am certainly hoping the former.  The discussion about multiple offers and increases got me thinking about how one helps get their kid ready for this process.  I remember my dad buying a new car - good old fashioned haggling.  I tried that when I was younger and found it tough (saleman was much more season).  Last car we bought my wife essentiall had dealers bidding over the internet.  I fear I have lost much of my negotiation skills and need a plan in case 2017 is lucky enough to get a few intersted looks. 

We found that is was universally the former. Son responded to each offer with sincere gratitude (which it was), and requested time to discuss with "my family." 

With regards to preparing your son for this process: never go into a discussion without a plan, with contingencies. Lots of IF/THEN statements. Then once that plan is in place, practice the calls using role playing. Think three moves ahead.

I agree with joemktg. We were lucky to be in the HC's office for the offer. My son really wanted to attend this school and play baseball there. But even so, he wanted to inform the men that had worked with him over the years that this milestone occurred.

He told the HC, "I need a few days. I want to call my old coaches to let them know and get their feedback. I promise I'll get back to you before the end of the day on Friday." 

HC said he was actually impressed by my son's desire for restraint and process. So that's something to consider. What kind of person do you want to play for? One who runs his recruiting game like a used car sale? Or the guy that expresses support for process and family decisionmaking? Luckily we only dealt with the latter.

That was Wednesday. Son committed yesterday. Been flying high ever since.

2016 just got off the phone an hour ago. He will follow up with the Coach today thanking him for the opportunity and expressing his sincere excitement.  And asking again the process to ensure academic approval / application, and the need to review with our family.

Coaches understand the need for the family to discuss. 2012 had a lot more offers at this point. No Coach pressured him prior to Labor Day.  After that, the coaches were needing definitive answers so they could move on.  I'm sure every situation is different...my 2012 and now my 2016 have had positive, relaxed discussions so far.

Want to refresh this thread as my 2017 has received an offer from a local D1 school

that he was interested in after a visit and we are unsure on what to do next. It is a small pretty competitive school and may be considered a mid major D1.  We weren't expecting an offer at this visit as we just asked the coach if he could come and check out the facilities and school unofficially. He had  an admissions interview set up for son and a tour with a baseball player. We returned and coach had paper with a $ amount for athletic/financial aid money. Then told us information regarding getting any additional academic money if SAT/ACT scores were a certain number or GPA was 3.5 for Presidential Scholarship. Son asked when he needed a decision and he gave us a two week time frame. 

After talking to my husband, who wasn't there because of work, we realized that he had already bought airfare and paid for a showcase in December that we couldn't lose the money as it was a lot for us to put out.  After my son talked to a few of his coaches for advice he called the head coach and explained the situation asking for more time until after December showcase. The coach replied the offer would still be on the table but if in the meantime they filled their 5 pitcher spots he wouldn't hold it for him. My son let him know he knew he couldn't hold it for him and appreciated that it would still be on the table if still open after December. 

Sorry so long but wanted to give background. This is his first offer from a school and while the school is on his list of top ten he is interested in seeing what comes from the showcase he is attending in December. He has had two or three very interested schools that have requested financial/academic reads from us and asked who else is interested but no other offers yet as it is early for him in the process. The question I have is that we just received an email from another very good D1 school that would be a dream school for my son telling him their coaches saw him pitch this past fall and were very impressed with him and want him to come to their prospect camp that is in mid November so the head coach can see him and he can see the campus. It wasn't a generic camp email as we have had plenty of those. The problem is the school that he has the offer from is on the list of other schools attending this camp which was not expected as the other school is very far away from where we live. Would it be the right thing for him to do to go to the camp with this coach or asst coaches being there also?  Maybe we could ask to just come for a visit and see the head coach and the school? It is a long drive from our home but we would go if son is seriously interested in school. Any advice would be really appreciated. We are very new to this so have no idea what is right or not and don't want to mess up offer with the other coach that he is still considering.  

Not trying to pry specifics, but in general terms, how are these two schools related?  High academic? Conference? Other?  As for the camp, I would suggest this be treated as though you had signed up for it 2-3 months ago - and just happened to get the offer in the meantime.  If the coach is okay with the showcase, then I can only imagine he would not have any issue with the camp.  As for decision making, don't put too much stock in the showcase if you want to make a decision within a few weeks.  There are posts here that talk about decision timelines getting cut short putting everyone in a bind.  You might go the the showcase and get some great feedback from a brand new school - what do you do then - ask for a second extension?  Not trying to give any specific advice, but rather saying you need to pay attention so as not to back yourself into a corner.  As for some strategy, you may want to do some research into how probable it is that the offering school is going to wrap up 5 pitchers before the high school season starts.  They may have a full pipeline and a history of getting kids in early.  Conversely, they may have a habit of wrapping up late summer - 9 months from now.  

I don't see any problem with attending the camp. Your son has already made it clear to the school who made the offer that he is still on the market until at least December, and the coach appears to have been ok with that. The only question for me would be whether or not to tell him about the camp. (I probably would.)

It sounds like your son would be a significant "get" for the local school, and they've done their homework with local talent. Your son is just getting started with the recruiting process, and there is nothing wrong with him exploring all options. It also sounds like your son has already developed a good relationship with the local school, and he may decide that it's the best fit in end. I think it benefits both parties to keep that relationship solid for as long as possible.

We found they almost always asked.  Coached my son to just tell them, be honest. "  I have an offer(s) from X, and am talking to A, B C"     A couple coaches verified by asking who he was talking to at a particular school- and he told them.  Honesty was the best policy. 

I advised my son to be upfront as well. I always thought this was best... you never get caught in an exaggeration.

I do recall a situation that involved my son playing at the school he attended up attending with his summer team. He already had an offer from the school he eventually attended and there was a  3 week time limit on the offer. Another rival school had come by to watch him pitch. His coach and the rival coach watched the bullpen he was throwing together, while talking the whole time. My son never received an offer from the rival school. I'm sure the conversation may have went something like "wait until my offer expires before you make an offer." 

The baseball world is a small world. You may think that coaches are all quite, but they all talk.

Sounds like your son is in a very good positions and congratulations to him.

I don't have the experience to give advice, just a few questions for you or other posters.

Curious if the degree programs exist at both schools that your son wants to pursue?  If "mid major" increased their offer X %, would that matter?  Both from a financial standpoint and an "I love you this much" standpoint?  How dreamy is the dream school?  Being a top pitching guy on a mid major sounds really strong.  But so does going to a "dream school/CWS contender".

That's great advice and we will do some research on that. Any idea where would be a good place to find that out? 

The two schools are not high academic as in patriot league but are very solid strong 

academic schools. The local school is in a regional conference as opposed to the dream school that is in a very large and very competitive league. 

They both have the degree program that he is interested in so that is good. The mid major as a top pitcher does sound like an ideal situation and of course the dream school is something that would be hard to beat. With that said I believe he would be 

realistic enough to weigh the pitching opportunities at both schools. 

Did not mean to imply anyone should lie about the situation, but rather would treat the camp as something reasonably normal for your kid to attend.  I would not make a big deal about the camp and personally would not skip the camp in lieu of a visit on a different date.

As for the colleges recruiting timeline, my approach is to look at the PG database - in your case maybe pull up the school and look at the 2015, 2016 and 2017 commits.  If 2016 still looks a little skinny and 2017 has 1-2, then you are early in their process.  If they already have 5-6 2017's including a couple of pitchers, then you may be in the middle of the process.  If you are talking about Vanderbilt or Virginia, you will see that they have basically locked down 2017 already.  As for the specific dates when someone commits (if you are interested in the timeline for the 2015 and 2016 classes), perhaps you can scan social meia.  I have not been able to find the date when a player loads their commitment onto the PG website so there is no way to look at 2015 and see how they trickled in.

Just my opinion, but yes, if it were my son I would recommend that he send a very brief text to the local coach saying something like... "FYI, I'll be throwing at the State U camp next week. If you plan to be there please try to get another look at me." Look at it as an opportunity for the local guy to want you even more.

Your son has to be comfortable with this approach, but I think he's cheating himself of an important opportunity to impress the dream school if he skips the camp and only visits.

There is a pretty small universe of college baseball coaches, especially in a geographic area. I always assume that they all know each other and talk to each other about recruits. For all you know, the dream school heard about your son's offer and that's what prompted the invite to camp.

Try not to worry. Your boy is in great shape to be getting this much interest as a fall junior. I only see one other 2017 LHP from your state on PG's commitment list.

I am not knowledgeable, but I was wondering if you asked any of these questions:

1.  Has the school that offered spoken with you about when they see your son making an impact? i.e.I have heard on here that some schools offer a spot just to red-shirt the player.  Does this school have an immediate need for your son?

2. Is this $$ for one year with the option for an extension or is it for four years? (I know this rule is in flux, sorry if I'm asking a dumb question)

3. Did your son just have a big velo jump and that's why the offer came, or has this school been talking with him for awhile? There are a few people on this board that have been through the early committing and then a velo jump and de-commit...just wondering if your son is steadily gaining and can expect more offers, or do you think this is IT?

What a tough spot, good luck!

It isn't often when the player somewhat holds the cards in this recruiting game.  In this case from my experience you do especially if you can get one more offer.  Most kids work to get one offer.  Sounds like you are in a great spot.  Be up front and if a mid major coach puts a deadline on an offer for a 2017 at this point probably was not meant to be. Don't be in a hurry.  Make a good decision for your son and your family.  I found most coaches to be reasonable about that.  Good luck.  Exciting times.

So my son just informed me that the bigger school he is interested in is now going to be at the showcase he is going to in December. Don't think  it is going to be the 

head coach but is definitely a good thing. We could save the travel time and money for the camp but only a few weeks after that before he would need to make a decision 

with regards to the smaller schools offer. Thoughts? 

Anyone have exp. with a timeline for an offer for a 2018?

Would you or could you make a decision on the bigger school without stepping foot on campus and having some additional interaction with the coaches?  My case study is Auburn.  Being an SEC school, this is a stretch school but one many folks would assume to be a desired landing spot.  With the new coach, it probably is, but think about committing to Auburn a few months prior.  I'm assuming you do not have a huge circle of knowledgeable baseball folks to lean on in your backyard, so it is sometimes difficult to really appreciate a program.  From my earlier posts my primary recommendation is that you NOT rush any decision.  Perhaps you could fully vet the bigger school in advance of the showcase and then if an offer is extended, you would be in a position to quickly respond and essentially decide between the two.  Worst case scenario is that you end up telling the smaller school "no as of today" and continue discussions - they probably will not simply walk away but maybe turn their immediate focus elsewhere.

As for vetting the school, make sure your kid "fits" in the program.  As you will read on this board repeatedly, college baseball is a non-stop competition.  At some biger programs, it is cut throat and only those who are able to compete (or simply have excess talent) will prevail.  If the bigger school historically has 15+ commits show up each year, how many are still around in year 2.  Make sure his personality fits and the coaches will tell you if they think his skills will fit.

One last piece of advice and I have to get back to work.  When push comes to shove, come back to this board and ask for input.  You can sometimes be generic (maybe provide the conference) or you may want to simply name the school.  As folks here often say, this is a big decision that will impact your kid for the rest of his life.  May sound a little crude to ask outright on an internet message board, but there are some folks on here that can provide invaluable information in real time.