First offer tonight!

I'm sorry I don't have any actual advice about the recruiting process and what you should do. Just wanted to say congrats to you and your son. That's a huge accomplishment!

1738Dad,

Congrats!  That is a great first offer.  It sounds like you've made a list and visited a bunch of schools.  You have a feel for this and you know more than you think.   Letting other schools "directly" know he has an offer is a personal choice.  My son was not comfortable with that, but he let his travel coach and high school leak that information to other interested programs.  That approach worked for us.

A long time coach with a winning program says a lot.  So those are added positives.

So, my next questions would turn to academic fit and financial fit.  What does your son want to study and what is that academic program like at this school?  Is it good enough, good or excellent?  Also, after your son talks to the RC or Academic Liason about the academic side of the house, I'd request or reach out to a Financial Aid officer.  There may be additional programs and financial benefits available to your son if he posts a great SAT/ACT score to go along with his GPA...he is only a sophomore.  One school my son was considering had a Presidential scholarship available but there were strings attached.  Again, this is all about getting a lot of information in a short period of time.

One more thing that you need to find out is how long is the offer good for.  When my son received his first offer it was not time bound.  However, a few weeks later a time deadline was applied when the RC found out that another school offered, and he was visiting another school.   This looks like a sincere offer on their part.   Good luck, and take as much time as you need to feel comfortable or not comfortable with it is my best advice!

As always, JMO.

Congrats on the offer. It's nice to get a decent offer from a school that was high on the list.

As Fenway mentioned, you are going to want to spend some time talking to financial aid at the school.

Right now it is hard for them to give you an exact number because he still has a couple of years to go - however they can tell you what type of financial awards certain GPA/SAT numbers can get you typically.

That can give you a good basis for things your son needs to shoot for in order to lower the costs as much as possible.  My oldest is an academic kid, so by the time junior year rolled around he had a good idea of what he needed on his SAT and GPA to get the max money from his prospective colleges.

Also, make sure what the offer actually works out to money-wise.  Because it is offered as a percentage, you need to find out what exactly the percentage applies to.  Is it just tuition, or does it include room and board, books?  You want to make sure you are comparing the same things if he gets other offers.

That's amazing!  Congratulations to you and your son!  For me since it is early the question I have is, is it top 3 (as in your son views all top 3 the same) or is it third (as in he would prefer the other two). 

If it is the latter and he has seen some interest from the other two, seems worthwhile to find a way to let the other two schools he prefers know.   Then he can make the MOST informed decision possible...

Good luck and congrats again!

No! Don't Call Bunt! posted:

 

If it is the latter and he has seen some interest from the other two, seems worthwhile to find a way to let the other two schools he prefers know.   Then he can make the MOST informed decision possible...

Good luck and congrats again!

No! NO. You never play one program against the other. Remember they are better at this than you are!

A sophmore in HS does not need to say yes at this time to his first offer. Do not decline but be honest and tell them that the you aren't ready. Plus Rob made a good point, 60% now with rising costs of education may be only worth 40% in 2-3 years from now. Plus always consider travel costs of out of state.

This is why committing so early is more favorable for the program, not the student athlete. 

60% is a VERY good offer!!!  Add in academic money and the fact that it's a school that he likes, wins and has a good coach and I wouldn't be afraid to jump in and take it if that's what you and your son decide to do.   As far as letting others know....there's no reason your son can't mention it the next time another coach talks to him.  He doesn't need to give them the %, but there's no reason he can't just say "coach, I'm still very interested in your program, but I do have an offer from another school that I also am interested in that I'm considering".   It would be different if your son's offer was from a school that he hated and would never consider attending, but at this point, it's no different than a job offer....if you get 3, you're going to take everything into consideration....but in most cases $$$$ is the deciding factor.   As far as how long the offer is good, there's only one way to know....your son will have to ask the coach.   You shouldn't talk to the coach, it's your son's deal now.  You can help him with questions, etc, but unless there is something financially that you don't understand it should be your son.  Keep in mind, coaches aren't great with numbers....especially academic money...that's not there problem.   Your son should know if the offer is 60% of tuition or tuition plus room/board.   It's not a Power 5, so books likely aren't part of it...but who knows until you ask.   Congrats to your son....and good luck

TPM posted:

No! NO. You never play one program against the other. Remember they are better at this than you are!

A sophmore in HS does not need to say yes at this time to his first offer. Do not decline but be honest and tell them that the you aren't ready. Plus Rob made a good point, 60% now with rising costs of education may be only worth 40% in 2-3 years from now. Plus always consider travel costs of out of state.

This is why committing so early is more favorable for the program, not the student athlete. 

Congrats to you and your son!!

Fenway, TPM, and others have given great advice. But I would counter TPM with a comment/question. If this school is in players' top 3 list, and they are making a good financial offer, what is the downside to a verbal commit for the player in this specific scenario? (I understand in general terms that early verbal offers benefit the school, not the player. So I'm asking specifically about this kids' specific scenario with one of his top choices.) I could envision my 2021 in a similar scenario next year so I'm very interested in hearing feedback. 

Chances are the other coaches already know.  It's a small world, and it is amazing what these coaches know.  Wouldn't be surprised to see other offers come soon.

Zia2021 posted:

TPM posted:

No! NO. You never play one program against the other. Remember they are better at this than you are!

A sophmore in HS does not need to say yes at this time to his first offer. Do not decline but be honest and tell them that the you aren't ready. Plus Rob made a good point, 60% now with rising costs of education may be only worth 40% in 2-3 years from now. Plus always consider travel costs of out of state.

This is why committing so early is more favorable for the program, not the student athlete. 

Congrats to you and your son!!

Fenway, TPM, and others have given great advice. But I would counter TPM with a comment/question. If this school is in players' top 3 list, and they are making a good financial offer, what is the downside to a verbal commit for the player in this specific scenario? (I understand in general terms that early verbal offers benefit the school, not the player. So I'm asking specifically about this kids' specific scenario with one of his top choices.) I could envision my 2021 in a similar scenario next year so I'm very interested in hearing feedback. 

Vanderbilt, Florida, a couple others are deep into their 2020 recruiting, or finished.  Mid D1's have few to no 2020 recruits.  Schools are projecting what your son will be in 2 1/2 years.  But so are you!  And (I'm guessing, I don't want to reread the thread right now) you are not a baseball guy, at least like a college coach.  The further away, the more risk for all involved.  My guess is there is time for this school.  If you guys have been able to think through possible outcomes, the ones not in anyone's baseball dreams - Son develops like crazy, coulda gone to Big Winning State School, son doesn't develop, loses passion for game, gets injured, ten other guys just like him and he never sees the field, doesn't study and doesn't make grades, coach changes and new coach have their own idea of what a recruit is...and on and on.

But nobody knows your situation better than you.  Good Luck!

Zia2021 posted:

TPM posted:

No! NO. You never play one program against the other. Remember they are better at this than you are!

A sophmore in HS does not need to say yes at this time to his first offer. Do not decline but be honest and tell them that the you aren't ready. Plus Rob made a good point, 60% now with rising costs of education may be only worth 40% in 2-3 years from now. Plus always consider travel costs of out of state.

This is why committing so early is more favorable for the program, not the student athlete. 

Congrats to you and your son!!

Fenway, TPM, and others have given great advice. But I would counter TPM with a comment/question. If this school is in players' top 3 list, and they are making a good financial offer, what is the downside to a verbal commit for the player in this specific scenario? (I understand in general terms that early verbal offers benefit the school, not the player. So I'm asking specifically about this kids' specific scenario with one of his top choices.) I could envision my 2021 in a similar scenario next year so I'm very interested in hearing feedback. 

I have never been a fan of a 16 year old committing, unless the commitment goes beyond sports, which would be based on other circumstances such as geography, degree sought, financial. 60% athletic is a great offer. But 60 of what, public, private, how much would it actually mean over 4 years? How much is out of state tuition.  What is the graduation rate?  And relying on academic  $$ years before graduation isn't always wise. JMO

If son had taken his first offer, which was a consideration, he would not have been happy when he set foot on campus. If he committed to his first choice, he wouldn't have been happier either.

I understand that this is a very exciting time for everyone, but jumping on the first offer is nothing I have ever recommended, and never will, despite changes occurring in the recruiting process. The changes were made for a reason, and IMO you are going to see a lot more early offers come in, I don't think that really is a good thing. It will remove you from further recruiting. 

I don't understand the statement, "has chance to play as a freshman". How do you know that 3 years in advance? Did the coach indicate that ? 

One thing that I find amusing that has been brought up many, many times.  Players committ early, 3 years later coaching staff changes, now the player wants out.  Well, the player made that choice, always remember that. We all know things change when coaches change.

You just can't have it both ways. Make decisions for the right reasons. Don't ever committ because you are afraid another might not come. Maybe as a senior in spring that may apply, but not as a sophmore in April.

There are exceptions, IMO. 

1738Dad posted:

My gut tells me this is as good as it gets - a great winning D1 program with long term coach, top school on his list (top 80 academic nationally), opportunity to start as a freshman and 60% athletic....but I just don't have experience with this stuff to know, accept hearing that "you shouldn't jump at the first offer".

 

 

I would be careful about making this part of your decision process.  Where does that come from?  Coach?   Every player has the "opportunity to start as a freshman"....they're all on the team.  Obviously all 33 kids can't start as a freshman.   I've read that same line on here so many times that it's obvious that that's a recruiting tool that coaches use.  Is it a false statement?  Nope, because as I said, he does have the "opportunity".  Is it likely?  Freshman 1B?   Not really based on what I've seen.  He'll likely be competing against a kid with 2-3 years of experience batting against college pitchers who is older, bigger and stronger.   Don't mean this to come off sounding harsh....just the reality of college baseball

Buckeye 2015 posted:

1738Dad posted:

My gut tells me this is as good as it gets - a great winning D1 program with long term coach, top school on his list (top 80 academic nationally), opportunity to start as a freshman and 60% athletic....but I just don't have experience with this stuff to know, accept hearing that "you shouldn't jump at the first offer".

 

 

I would be careful about making this part of your decision process.  Where does that come from?  Coach?   Every player has the "opportunity to start as a freshman"....they're all on the team.  Obviously all 33 kids can't start as a freshman.   I've read that same line on here so many times that it's obvious that that's a recruiting tool that coaches use.  Is it a false statement?  Nope, because as I said, he does have the "opportunity".  Is it likely?  Freshman 1B?   Not really based on what I've seen.  He'll likely be competing against a kid with 2-3 years of experience batting against college pitchers who is older, bigger and stronger.   Don't mean this to come off sounding harsh....just the reality of college basebal. This is a tool used by some coaches to get a commitment.  

Well said. It's part of coach speak to get you on board. Sometimes it's said because they have a tough time with getting commitment later than sooner. 

It's not always a bad thing, but it's just an example that they know how to do it better than we do.

One thing that I find amusing that has been brought up many, many times. Players committ early, 3 years later coaching staff changes, now the player wants out. Well, the player made that choice, always remember that. We all know things change when coaches change.

This works both ways.  Coach recruits kid to school, he leaves/gets fired, new coach comes in, and doesn't want your son.

rynoattack posted:

One thing that I find amusing that has been brought up many, many times. Players committ early, 3 years later coaching staff changes, now the player wants out. Well, the player made that choice, always remember that. We all know things change when coaches change.

This works both ways.  Coach recruits kid to school, he leaves/gets fired, new coach comes in, and doesn't want your son.

 

 

My point is that it is something to think about. Many coaches give players chances, because it isn't their fault that the coach got fired or accepted a better position. 

Usually the player asked to leave really wasn't supposed to be there in the first place.  JMO. Sorry if that sounds harsh but it is true.

It's just something for consideration.

rynoattack posted:

One thing that I find amusing that has been brought up many, many times. Players committ early, 3 years later coaching staff changes, now the player wants out. Well, the player made that choice, always remember that. We all know things change when coaches change.

This works both ways.  Coach recruits kid to school, he leaves/gets fired, new coach comes in, and doesn't want your son.

 

 

I am watching this play out with sons D3 team, fortunately he is a new coach recruit but it isn't pretty.

Congrats. It's validation and a big deal. Good luck going forward.

OP ....Listen to Fenway and TPM.... they know..... I know it's exciting as all get out....  relax keep getting better. This a marathon 

Glad I'm past the recruiting game........

Look at the stability of the program more than the coach. How was the program before the coach? Quality coaches at mid majors often use the job as a stepping stone to move up.

I don't understand the statement, "has chance to play as a freshman". How do you know that 3 years in advance? Did the coach indicate that ? 

This isn't for TPM. She’s very aware if this. It’s for those who haven't been there. 

Coach says: You will compete for a starting position.

Parent hears: He has a good chance to start.

Reality: Everyone is competing to start every year as a new stream of recruits enter the program.

More reality: 50% of D1 players who heard they will compete for a starting position freshman year transfer by the end of soph sesson.