Son (2024) has had a number of initial calls with coaches. Most ended by telling him to call at the same time the next week. He called one and didn’t get an answer. I imagine there could be a number of reasons why. What’s the best way to reconnect with the coach (since they can’t call him) or otherwise figure out if the school is no longer interested?
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Here's how to figure out if a coach is interested... they tell you to call at a certain time and they answer your calls. Another way to figure out if a coach is interested is if they ask for grades and have you fill out a financial aid calculator. Until any of that happens it means they like him as a player, but not until their Plan A makes a decision on what he wants to do.
Another thing that gets spread on this board a lot that I don't necessarily agree with. You don't need to become pen pals with these guys. Calling every week to play catchup is a bit silly to me, especially as the season dwindles down. They're either trying to get you to their school or they're not. So when having these weekly calls, they better be about getting him on campus for a visit or they're pretty much pointless. The coach likes his talent or he wouldn't have set up the call, after a preliminary conversation or so get the wheels turning towards an offer.
Coach May recruiting paradigm: "You will know when they are interested". *
*Translation: After a few texts or attempted calls and no response you can assume there is not interest.
@DroppedStrikeThree posted:Son (2024) has had a number of initial calls with coaches. Most ended by telling him to call at the same time the next week. He called one and didn’t get an answer. I imagine there could be a number of reasons why. What’s the best way to reconnect with the coach (since they can’t call him) or otherwise figure out if the school is no longer interested?
As a 2024, your son has to understand these college coaches are busy with the current recruiting year, and possibly putting plans together for next years recruiting class. If he has talent he is going to get a lot of initial calls. Initial calls lead to interest. Interest leads to serious interest. Serious interest leads to offers. That is the progression and (warning) there is going to be a lot of unreturned phone calls over the next few years. I hate to say it but rejection is going to be part of the gig, so prepare him for a heavy dose. In the long run, it will make him mentally stronger. College coaches tend to do things when they need to do things, not when they say they are going to do things. This drove my son crazy, so I get where you are coming from. Honestly, your son has to step over it and move onto the next opportunity. My son had a number of initial calls and then heard back from the coaches months later...it happens. Again, college coaches work on their timetable not your sons.
Possibly, you could reach out to his travel or high school coach to see if they know anything. I know when my son was in his first "run" at recruiting we relied a lot on his travel coach for info about coaches and programs in our area. His travel coach knew pretty much everything going on with the programs in our area, and would update us on everything he knew.
Good luck!
BOF's wife recruiting paradigm "All of these college coaches are a bunch of used car salesmen"
^^^^ what Fenway posted + 10 ^^^
Plus don’t forget they are practicing for 3-4 hours a day and trying to figure out what they have already
Thanks all. It’s a rollercoaster for sure - and made worse because it’s all filtered through a 15 year old’s ability to understand and relay what is happening. Appreciate the perspective of those who have been through it.
When I look back, my son encountered three types of recruiters...
Interested then fizzled- good initial 1-2 calls expressing interest, then no contact (ghosting). They never actually told him they weren't interested, but they didn't respond consistently to communications. These schools fell into two categories: Top programs my son may not have been qualified to play at (Top 25 P5 programs) and lower tier programs that my son wouldn't have been interested in for academic or baseball reasons.
Quick offer - offered on the first or second phone call. These schools were places my son was maybe overqualified to play at.
Sustained interest then offer - multiple phone calls, texts, emails, conversations with coaches, requests for transcripts before making an offer. These were the schools where my son's skill level at the time was a good match for the team (generally D1 programs that were not Top 25). Occasionally the recruiters would miss a call or fail to respond, but they weren't ghosting him.
I can't think of one school that sustained a long term (1+ month), consistent conversation without eventually making an offer.
Other important context:
-All correspondence was during the summer/fall of his junior year, so schools were able to contact him directly.
-All of this happened during the extended dead period during the covid pandemic.
I hope this helps.
Another thing is right now, college coaches are hammering Junior college players. Remember alot of them are 3rd year JUCO players because of COVID. My son is at a mid major and they brought in 20 JUCO kids this year and 3 HS kids. One HS kid already quit because of the workouts. Alot of talented kids from last year HS went JUCO due to log jam on college rosters. Look for the trend of recruiting to be heavy JUCO for next couple of years.
@TXdad2019 posted:Another thing is right now, college coaches are hammering Junior college players. Remember alot of them are 3rd year JUCO players because of COVID. My son is at a mid major and they brought in 20 JUCO kids this year and 3 HS kids. One HS kid already quit because of the workouts. Alot of talented kids from last year HS went JUCO due to log jam on college rosters. Look for the trend of recruiting to be heavy JUCO for next couple of years.
Been preaching this truth for almost a year now. HS players (and their parents) need to accept this reality and evaluate whether or not to change their recruiting strategy. Doing what has historically worked for others in the past does not apply to today’s world. No 18 year old freshman is going to outwork a JuCo player with 3 years of experience under his belt.
@adbono posted:Been preaching this truth for almost a year now. HS players (and their parents) need to accept this reality and evaluate whether or not to change their recruiting strategy. Doing what has historically worked for others in the past does not apply to today’s world. No 18 year old freshman is going to outwork a JuCo player with 3 years of experience under his belt.
So then what do you suggest? Let's focus on 2022's because the doors are closing fast for them.
@LousyLefty posted:So then what do you suggest? Let's focus on 2022's because the doors are closing fast for them.
HA D3 if you qualify and JuCo if you don’t
@adbono posted:HA D3 if you qualify and JuCo if you don’t
Do you recommend any D3, or just HA? Is that because of the lack of roster limits at some D3s? or because they also bring in JUCO transfers?
@anotherparent posted:Do you recommend any D3, or just HA? Is that because of the lack of roster limits at some D3s? or because they also bring in JUCO transfers?
HA D3 out of HS. After all this is about education for 99%. Otherwise go JuCo and see how it plays out.
This post is for the tweeners, a kid that could have a chance to play D1 or other levels, but not come in as a Freshman and contribute right away, which is 99% of kids that go D1. If you haven't gotten an offer and your a 2022 graduate, go JUCO! There you and others will be able to evaluate what level you can compete at, not just take up a roster spot. If your thinking is to have your kid on a roster and ride the bench till the writing on the wall is obvious, you need to change your recruiting philosophy.
My son was one of those, had it in his head to go D1. Had a dozen offers from every level from D2, NAIA, D3, and Juco. He ended up with a D1 offer summer after senior year (late bloomer, great senior year) The D1 was less then stellar program, but they played the big boys and they offered money) He went there, came out of the pen as a freshman for the first 3 series. First kid he faced was Nick Gonzalez, the NCAA player of the year and gave up a 3 run bomb. LOL Fast forward to the 10th game of the year, got his first start against the #4 team in the country and arguably the toughest place to play at in front of 8,200 fans and beat them with a winless team. Covid hits and he wasn't happy with program, wanted more, etc. Goes into transfer portal, ends up at a JUCO and tears UCL. Ends up getting picked up at a mid major and might be ready to go by baseball season. The reason I say all of this is because i've watched kids coming from HS to these programs and they're nowhere close to being ready to compete against grown men 4 and 5 years older then them. Not just physically, but mentally. Huge difference. So when people say go where you're loved and can PLAY, that's 100% correct. JUCO in the South and other areas ain't no joke, and it will humble you. If you can be successful at JUCO, then you'll probably be alright at a mid major. I have buddies at JUCO right now that I know could've been on D1 rosters, but that's the thing, just on a roster. Right now you have guys 25 years old Men on college rosters. My advice to tweeners that have aspirations of playing D1 baseball instead of other levels, go JUCO and see how it plays out. If you crumble at JUCO, then you know where you're at in the pecking order. Good luck
Well said TxDad2019. Remember there are all kinds of tweeners, and new tweeners as a result of Covid times. Recruits have to get after it like never before to understand where they have a fit and advantage over others. For the aspiring professional baseball player, relying on baseball skills is one way to look at it, and certainly JUCO is front and center like never before. Possibly JUCO will be the future of college sports at the top levels. Contrast that with HA schools that require both athletic skills and proven academic performance. The JUCO "movement" hasnt been nearly as impactful with HAs. All of these changes creates a new "tweener" and an opportunity to take advantage of it for those that recognize it.
JMO.
Fall practice has started. Coaches are busy trying to figure out what they have as far as returnees, incoming freshmen, incoming transfers, etc. Unless your son is a top level kid that they are really really after, speaking to him as a 2024 isn't high on their priority list right now. I'd probably shoot the coach an email.....say "coach, I tried to reach you by phone, but I'm sure things are busy with fall practice starting up....is there another that works better for me to contact you?" Coaches read emails because they can do that when they have a couple minutes free. It's much easier to do that then take a phone call when they may be in the middle of something. If you don't get at least some kind of acknowledgement/return email, you can pretty much assume that there isn't much interest at this point.
