How Long to Wait on Schools?

D! coaches MAY be able to see games/showcases as of 1 AUG. We did not wait for all the schools that just wanted to see him play. But you may never know if that was the correct act. Even though IOWA has a season, does it really count since the coaches are all sitting in their offices until at least 1 AUG?!

If ever there was a question that needs a "it depends" answer, this the one.   Sorry, but this is one of those things that only you (family) and your son are going to know because you know every detail and nuance of your son's recruiting situation at this point in time.   I believe this is why it is so important to actually state or write down your college baseball goals up front.  College baseball  recruiting can get very complicated when you're holding out for the next best P5 deal or you settle for something that is below what your son is capable of.   I've seen some very talented (ie.. all-state) guys go P5, and they were done by their sophomore year...out of college baseball entirely.   I've seen guys who were definitive D1 talents go play D3 baseball for mostly the education.   Yes, these are extremes and you may be somewhere in between.   But, I think the answer lies with what did your son want to get out of college baseball at the very beginning.  Whatever that original goal was.... stick to it.  College baseball is a grind, and playing time is extremely difficult to come by.  The chances of him sticking with whatever flavor of college baseball he chooses because it is his goal become much better. I hope this makes some sense.

JMO, and good luck!  

Fenway is right, and it's probably good to have both of you on the same page. My goal was for son to go someplace he could play. Son's was to go to the best baseball school. His theory was that he was going to have to fight to get on any field, he wanted to fight with the best.

Three years ago, son waited until September of his senior year to commit. He started to sit around 88-90 that summer, and then got an offer from Iowa. I suggested we sit down and talk before he made his final decision. He came home that night and said "I told Iowa I'm coming, told all the other schools I wasn't. What did you want to talk about?"

He knew what he wanted, he worked for it, he got it. Make sure your son knows and then support him in his effort to get there.

If there’s a back of the brain thought there are future pro possibilities plenty of pitchers get drafted high from mid majors. Some of them pitch their teams further into the NCAA post season than expected.

I know the summer before junior year was the year that my son and I both started stressing out that he needed to commit.  He didn't love any of his offers in July.  Although we felt stress to commit because it looked like spots were filling up, the truth is, if he is good enough and they see him next summer, they will make a spot.  I will also tell you that LOTS of schools will drag you along forever.  When they want you, you know.  Every school that my son talked to for months and months ended up not offering.  It was schools that saw him and made offers on the spot.  They had talked to him once or twice prior, but they hadn't set up weekly calls like several others had.  We assumed he would end up and one of the schools that courted him for 6 months.  It wasn't like that.   This summer is weird.  If he doesn't love his offer and you are confident he is a D1 prospect, wait until Spring and next summer.  They will always find a spot for a pitcher they love. How hard is your son throwing right now?  Size?

@PABaseball posted:

So the question is how long do you hold out for the P5s? Do you hold out at all? Do you trust a coach who has made an offer thru video only? I don't want him to cheat himself where he could've played at a higher level, but I also don't want to drag this on forever and judging by the news it may go on forever. I honestly think he's just scratching the surface and has a lot more in him, but we know spots aren't available forever. 

Obviously the Covid situation is new to everyone. I know there are a lot of former coaches/parents of coaches on here as well as parents of talented players. Wondering how others would handle? 

My opinion, one should not committ unless a coach has seen your son pitch in person at least once and has had some ongoing communication with him.  The biggest mistake you can make is committing too soon.  As far as P5 programs, has he been identified as P5 talent? Wouldn't it be better to continue to work harder, get better at his position and have coaches wanting to come see him play? And in what part of the country does he want to play and more importantly, what would he be interested in majoring in? 

I don't know anything about coaches being able to go on the road in August, but could be a possibility that perhaps for the fall.  Keep in mind that most programs begin in late August and coaches want to be present when the it players arrive.

Your son has time.  What tournies  or showcases does he have set up for the fall?

However, if your son has gotten a solid commitment and met with coaches from mid D1 programs, why not committ?

I have to tell you , and maybe it’s me but the one thing I am seeing this summer in all this craziness is that the “market” is very different than any other year. I’m seeing kids that last fall were thought of as definite D1(Non P5) or D2 kids that aren’t committed. I’m talking about legit kids with talent (and grades) that have zero offers or anything. I’m wondering if many of them will even play D3, which I guess depends on the program. I talked with a number of former players (d1/2 type guys) of mine and asked them if you were in this spot what would you do? The overwhelming response was “I probably would have stopped and not played.” 

I think everyone has gotten pushed back a notch. On our team we have 4 legit college D1/2 type kids and none of them are anyplace. In our case I’m even wondering if my ‘21 will play. After last fall I would never have thought this would be the case. He’s very well rated by independent , college and mlb sources and we are at nada! We here “logjam” an awful lot during calls and texts.

I guess my theme here is if you have a ‘21 and you have an offer I’d take it , as long as the school is in the ball park of being a fit. I just don’t see the amount of slots available as most years. Especially for a position player. The NCAA took a huge dump on the ‘21 class and a lot of very good players are going to end up not playing past HS in many cases.

it is difficult to compare this year to any other. Timeline is all jacked up for the kids and the coaches. My son is a 2021 RHP. Without his season, we lost probably 1000 pitches (not that we're complaining since he has his commitment).  His So-Jr summer, post HS season, he was 89...didn't break 90 until Aug, and then is clicked. Then by Ft Meyers and Jupiter he was throwing gas at 91-92.  This year that timeline is messed up as the kids missed their season. Peaking in July/August is now October.

He's only pitched 21 innings so far this summer. This time last year he would have been over 80, easily. Missing spring really messed with the consistency. 

We've got guys offered straight off Video only. Nothing in person. Some schools are comfortable with it, others aren't. The others might have to adjust and/or delay offers to get eyes on you. 

The NCAA log jam isn't helping either.

I also think a lot of coaches are waiting to see what they have come fall to adjust and make decisions. Some aren't and you can see those schools passing out commits like candy. 

I've heard (from a coach) they might extend "dead" through the fall. I hope there is a way to get waivers for the NLI visit/photos/signing. That would really suck if they can't do that. I would also hope they'd be able to attend Ft Meyers and Jupiter events. Those were key events for my son last year. 

I would say go where he's wanted and where he'll play. Makes a difference to have that connection and know they want you.  Go where they'll talk to and about him and his development, not brag on the program and history. That was a put off. 

Same as others. Those that courted my son for months didn't offer and he got all of his after Ft Meyers and Jupiter performances, which lead to camps/visits and offer discussions. 

$hit Show of a year. Can't hold to the comparison to previous years' timing. I don't like time limits on offers and definitely see school behaving differently. Make sure his offers don't have limits. 

Good Luck!

Dont' forget: (I would do separate tweets to @mention them) like @FlatgroudApp

Some kids will give up. The kids who want it (baseball) badly enough will end up playing somewhere.

I’ve never been a fan of JuCos for kids with good grades. But this may be the time for year to year flexibility. I’m guessing schools that normally wouldn’t be big on JuCo transfers may be more flexible the next couple of years.

As far as the post college job hunt goes it doesn’t matter where you start college. It’s where you graduate. Other than some connections by alumni association after working three years and proving yourself where you graduate doesn’t matter much anymore.

Example: Lower level D1 player who hits .190 in 50 something at bats freshman year. Soph year he gets 3 at bats before baseball shuts down. He was behind two starting freshman and a starting sophomore on the infield depth chart this year. Is this the kind of college player most likely to bag baseball (assuming he’s asked back anyway) if he’s not playing any summer ball? I see a kid with no chance to start unless he learns how to play outfield and beats out some competition I n addition to being up against another recruiting class next year.

Some more info. He is in the middle of a massive growth spurt. 5 inches and 30 lbs since the New Year. He's now 6'1 and has been up to 89 in 4 of 5 outings so far this summer and is extremely raw. No pitching instructor, and really is not filled out at all. Good shape, but not college athlete shape. 

He sent video out for the first time to college coaches three weeks ago and there's been a lot of responses. The P5s expressed interest, but want to see it live. The mid majors are talking offers and driving down to campus for us to look around on our own and then meet up off campus at the end.

His older brother plays at a P5 who is interested in him but the coaches cannot even get back to their offices to grab their radar guns as the entire campus is shut down. They want to see live, which I can't blame them for. 

I have no issue with him going to a mid major, he gets to choose his school within reason. Truth be told some of the mid majors are better academically than the P5s interested. But I feel that 89 will be higher come September into next year. He's only had 5 outings since August 1 of 2019. No fall and spring was cancelled. 

With the draft being five rounds and very few players leaping at a $20,000 offer the P5 schools probably have a bit of a backlog of players they assumed would leave as Juniors, as well as Seniors returning that were not programmed to be back.  Now they have far less flexibility in recruiting than what they were accustomed too.  Needless to say there is not clarity in what the MLB will do with next years draft but it is safe to say they have set the financial incentive bar very low and probably are not going to raise it significantly.  Receiving a pro opportunity after college is going to be based on demonstration of pitching ability, not the school he attended.  Finding a good fit from a college perspective that has a competitive team may be the best option in the current circumstance.   

We've also seen some kids offered that we are shocked about.  They cannot throw strikes to save their lives, but they are really big kids.  I don't know if this is helping them, because coaches just see the video they want them to see and they are projectable, so they are getting offers?  Kids that I really wouldn't have believed except they look great on paper.   In years past, coaches wanted to see you sitting 89+ and hitting over 90 pretty consistently for P5s to pull the trigger, that may all be different now.

@PABaseball posted:

Some more info. He is in the middle of a massive growth spurt. 5 inches and 30 lbs since the New Year. He's now 6'1 and has been up to 89 in 4 of 5 outings so far this summer and is extremely raw. No pitching instructor, and really is not filled out at all. Good shape, but not college athlete shape. 

He sent video out for the first time to college coaches three weeks ago and there's been a lot of responses. The P5s expressed interest, but want to see it live. The mid majors are talking offers and driving down to campus for us to look around on our own and then meet up off campus at the end.

His older brother plays at a P5 who is interested in him but the coaches cannot even get back to their offices to grab their radar guns as the entire campus is shut down. They want to see live, which I can't blame them for. 

I have no issue with him going to a mid major, he gets to choose his school within reason. Truth be told some of the mid majors are better academically than the P5s interested. But I feel that 89 will be higher come September into next year. He's only had 5 outings since August 1 of 2019. No fall and spring was cancelled. 

Sounds like, when you factor all of the crazy current recruiting circumstances (mentioned in this thread) along with where he is physically and developmentally and what his grad year is, it is the perfect time for him to focus on further development.  

He may very well be one of few who will benefit from the mess of things as they are today.  If he continues to develop as one would expect, he will have plenty of interest by next spring/summer when, hopefully, a more normal and thorough recruiting process is in effect and there are more spots open.  He will then be more likely to get a pegged at the best possible level he can compete at.  That focused work now along with growing into his new size will put him in the best possible place 4-8 months from now.

Yeah, normally, P5 recruiting is happening now for many 2022's.  We are not in normal times and it sounds like he's not quite ready anyway.

@cabbagedad posted:

Sounds like, when you factor all of the crazy current recruiting circumstances (mentioned in this thread) along with where he is physically and developmentally and what his grad year is, it is the perfect time for him to focus on further development.  

He may very well be one of few who will benefit from the mess of things as they are today.  If he continues to develop as one would expect, he will have plenty of interest by next spring/summer when, hopefully, a more normal and thorough recruiting process is in effect and there are more spots open.  He will then be more likely to get a pegged at the best possible level he can compete at.  That focused work now along with growing into his new size will put him in the best possible place 4-8 months from now.

Yeah, normally, P5 recruiting is happening now for many 2022's.  We are not in normal times and it sounds like he's not quite ready anyway.

Agree 100%.  

@baseballhs posted:

We've also seen some kids offered that we are shocked about.  They cannot throw strikes to save their lives, but they are really big kids.  I don't know if this is helping them, because coaches just see the video they want them to see and they are projectable, so they are getting offers?  Kids that I really wouldn't have believed except they look great on paper.   In years past, coaches wanted to see you sitting 89+ and hitting over 90 pretty consistently for P5s to pull the trigger, that may all be different now.

What parents see and coaches see are sometimes two different things!

I'm pretty unbiased and I have no skin in the game.  I can see if a kid is 6'6 and can't hit the broadside of a barn.  I would have to assume projectable is the call.

Something said in this topic reminded me of something I read.  When sending videos of your players performances to coaches, send the good as well as the bad because coaches WANT to see both. It gives them an idea what needs to be worked on and also lets them know that the player is aware that he needs to make improvements and willing to work hard to become a better pitcher. 

Just an FYI.

Come on baseballHS.  Everybody knows that college and pro coaches believe that if you are big enough or throw fast enough they can make a kid a pitcher.  That has not changed.  It is not always true and that is why some big guys transfer after 1 year when a coach realizes if you don't work at it you won't throw hard.  But all of us as coaches think we are good enough to make the big kid or the hard thrower a pitcher.  But we also know they only have to be right every now and then to keep their jobs. 

To an extent. I used to be worried when I saw the 6'5 kids walking into showcases.  I quickly realized a majority of them can't play.  That said, if they can, there will be a line of schools.

What if your kid isn't a pitcher?  We've been through this before with a pitcher son who wanted a HA and it worked out.  My 2021 is a catcher and it seems the only folks getting recruited are pitchers?  We keep telling my kid that it's a COVID crazy year, anyone with any insight on non pitching recruiting for 2021's?

@whoknewwhatwhen posted:

What if your kid isn't a pitcher?  We've been through this before with a pitcher son who wanted a HA and it worked out.  My 2021 is a catcher and it seems the only folks getting recruited are pitchers?  We keep telling my kid that it's a COVID crazy year, anyone with any insight on non pitching recruiting for 2021's?

Great question. My '22 is getting a bit of interest but in the 'need to see it live' and 'show me your test scores' phase (he's looking HA). I'd be very curious how the position player timing has shifted with '21s and '22s. 

22’s I think are fine , timing is still in line. The ‘21 class is a complete mess. I’m just not seeing the available slots as I mentioned before. It’s almost like programs are “skipping” over the ‘21 positional players and just grabbing pitching at this point. It’s not everyplace but it sure is mirroring this in many places. Where they were going to bring in 2 MIF or OF or whatever , they now are doing not bringing in 1 or none and getting an experienced transfer in the portal. One other issue I’m hearing is the lack of direction regarding rosters/limits/% for 22.

I'm with Fmr coach now Dad.  

My 2021 MIF/CF had serious interest from a Big 10 team and an AAC team.  To a lesser extent, a Big 12 team.  And yes, we learned what serious interest looks like and it doesn't look like.  About a month ago, it felt like my son was really close to an offer from the AAC program and getting closer to the Big 10 team.

Due to travel ball this summer, my son was seen by a higher end JUCO out of KS (lots of great JUCO ball in the Jayhawk conference) and got offered after 1 day/2 games.  Visited, got a very generous offer, and a month to decide.  My son was the first position player they offered and 2nd overall 2021.  It was clear he was "loved."

He's a smaller kid at 5'9" 160ish as of today, but every one of his measurables fall within the D1 ranges for MIF and CF and he's stricken by the bright lights that come with playing D1 ball.  But he committed to the JUCO two weeks ago and every day it becomes clearer and clearer that he made the absolute right decision.  His JUCO coach supports kids playing only 1 year of JUCO ball given they're ready to move on.  The coach has an exemplary record with academics and with sending kids to D1 programs.  So my son is going to take a 1-2 year detour to develop (and hopefully get taller!) and ready himself for shorter stint playing D1 ball.

Back to what Fmr Coach said.  "I guess my theme here is if you have a ‘21 and you have an offer I’d take it , as long as the school is in the ball park of being a fit. I just don’t see the amount of slots available as most years. Especially for a position player. The NCAA took a huge dump on the ‘21 class and a lot of very good players are going to end up not playing past HS in many cases."

Yep.  My take is that many schools are laying back on their 2021 classes because they can.  They're already going to have massive numbers on campus this fall.  if there is a class where you can afford to go lighter than usual, I think 2021 is it.  You essentially have two 2020 classes this fall and then go heavier on 2022 if need be and you have time to do so.  I am absolutely worried about many of my son's peers.  I think many are holding out for sexier offers that simply aren't coming.  It took my son some time to get there.  For the longest time, his thought process was "I am good enough to play D1, so I WILL play D1."  I think he'll ultimately end up right, but not straight out of high school.  He's got another year of high school and then 1-2 years of JUCO to develop while the rest of the college baseball world figures out how to operate best in the Covid era.  Find a good and safer spot to land.  Don't waste time with a gamble this large.

PABaseball,

You've been around the block.  In my earlier post in this thread, I suggested you strongly consider what your son has in his head and heart.  For me, it starts there. 

Based on your supplemental post, you provided additional information  which is important beyond what is in his head and heart.   You've seen P5 talent.   You mentioned your 2021 son is "extremely raw" and has "no pitching instructor".  The P5's expressed interest, and you've got mid-major talking offers.  You know as well as I that interest is a "transcontinental flight" away from serious interest or offers.   If a P5 coach needs access to a radar gun, I find it extremely hard to believe that he couldn't get his hands on one.  This sounds to me like the P5 is  trying to let your younger son down easy without pissing off his older brother.     Based on where he is at right now (needs refinement & reps, needs coaching, needs to grow into his body) in a pandemic that has pushed talent down a level or two, don't you think it makes sense to listen very closely to those  mid-major offers and the coaches connections to the baseball summer leagues?   The mid-majors clearly want your son and he has some leverage.  I'd listen very closely to what they have to say.    You've been through this before and know when coaches are serious.

As always, JMO.  Good luck! 

@Fmr coach now Dad posted:

22’s I think are fine , timing is still in line. The ‘21 class is a complete mess. I’m just not seeing the available slots as I mentioned before. It’s almost like programs are “skipping” over the ‘21 positional players and just grabbing pitching at this point. It’s not everyplace but it sure is mirroring this in many places. Where they were going to bring in 2 MIF or OF or whatever , they now are doing not bringing in 1 or none and getting an experienced transfer in the portal. One other issue I’m hearing is the lack of direction regarding rosters/limits/% for 22.

That's been my impression albeit with a small sample size (San Diego/Orange County baseball). Terrible situation for the '21s.

@fenwaysouth posted:

PABaseball,

You've been around the block.  In my earlier post in this thread, I suggested you strongly consider what your son has in his head and heart.  For me, it starts there. 

Based on your supplemental post, you provided additional information  which is important beyond what is in his head and heart.   You've seen P5 talent.   You mentioned your 2021 son is "extremely raw" and has "no pitching instructor".  The P5's expressed interest, and you've got mid-major talking offers.  You know as well as I that interest is a "transcontinental flight" away from serious interest or offers.   If a P5 coach needs access to a radar gun, I find it extremely hard to believe that he couldn't get his hands on one.  This sounds to me like the P5 is  trying to let your younger son down easy without pissing off his older brother.     Based on where he is at right now (needs refinement & reps, needs coaching, needs to grow into his body) in a pandemic that has pushed talent down a level or two, don't you think it makes sense to listen very closely to those  mid-major offers and the coaches connections to the baseball summer leagues?   The mid-majors clearly want your son and he has some leverage.  I'd listen very closely to what they have to say.    You've been through this before and know when coaches are serious.

I hear you. I'm not counting any chickens either, I'm much more skeptical than I am optimistic, especially something as volatile and unpredictable as recruiting. I'm not ruling anything out or pushing the idea that P5s will come knocking. If he were to get 10 P5 offers but was really into one mid major, or even a lower end D1 he'd be free to take that offer as long as it made sense academically/financially. The clout behind "P5 Commit" wears off if you become P5 non traveler or P5 clipboard holder. 

From the conversations he's had with the mid majors there are a bunch that have said come down for a visit, take a look around and we'll talk business. 

From the conversations with the P5s it is we like what we see, can he be at this tournament on this date? Or what is the fall schedule looking like? Will he be in Ft. Meyers, NC, PBR, etc. The older brother's coach has texted the older one and said don't let him make a decision until we see him. So while I understand they haven't done squat as far as showing love, that isn't nothing. 

He will not be ruling anything out. If anything the mid majors showing interest are better academically than most if not all of the P5s that have responded back. I know how big the difference is between interest and lets talk numbers. I think I was more curious as to how much leeway to give the bigger schools given there are actual extenuating circumstances. 

This has also all happened very quickly. He was 82-83 in Feb during winter workouts and since starting to workout 2x a day during quarantine that number has spiked dramatically. The first video he made public/sent to people and all the responses. Also looking to see if in general it might be better to wait this one out or jump on whatever comes. I don't think he's ever really considered too strongly other than what he wants in a college. He just finished his sophomore year and is still waiting for SAT test sites to open up. Just a month ago there was not a single peep from anyone, I don't want him making a decision just because someone was the first to jump on his video - if that makes sense. So I guess the question is more how long to wait for schools as well as how long should we wait before getting serious with a few?

@PABaseball posted:

 The clout behind "P5 Commit" wears off if you become P5 non traveler or P5 clipboard holder. 

 Your point above is quite significant.  A number  of players chase the P5, commit and post their commitment, arrive to school,then are disappointment at playing time. Son had offer  at "Big State U" which had much more visibility (NCAA appearances) than where he committed - a school which was more suited for his academic appetite, and was a place where he could compete and contribute as a freshman.

PABaseball,

Understood.  Thanks for clarifying.   I hope my thoughts are helping as I'm trying to be a sounding board.  Responding to a couple points below in bold.

From the conversations he's had with the mid majors there are a bunch that have said come down for a visit, take a look around and we'll talk business.  – Not sure what the pandemic recruiting rules are right now.   I believe we are in a dead period.  So, your son is limited just like everybody else.  But, I think this is a tremendous opportunity to set up video or in person meeting dates in advance for when the dead period is lifted.  This will be a "tell" if they are willing to schedule something ASAP that is a priority to them.   Use travel coach or high school coach as a proxy if you have to.   He’ll be ready to get in front of whomever is offering to meet.  So, while athletic recruiting may be shut down, you can do your due diligence on the academic and financial aid fronts for the 2-3 schools that interest him the most today.

From the conversations with the P5s it is we like what we see, can he be at this tournament on this date? Or what is the fall schedule looking like? Will he be in Ft. Meyers, NC, PBR, etc. The older brother's coach has texted the older one and said don't let him make a decision until we see him. So while I understand they haven't done squat as far as showing love, that isn't nothing. – It isn’t nothing, but close to it.  They sound like “tire kickers”.   I work with some of the best sales people in the world.  One of their tactics when they are the incumbent vendor and don’t have the cycles to chase down a smaller deal is to tell the customer to not make a decision until you talk to me.  It saves them time so they can focus on bigger deals.  My point is until they actually do something they are a distraction or time pushers.

He will not be ruling anything out. If anything the mid majors showing interest are better academically than most if not all of the P5s that have responded back. I know how big the difference is between interest and lets talk numbers. I think I was more curious as to how much leeway to give the bigger schools given there are actual extenuating circumstances. – Not ruling anything out for anybody showing interest or serious interest is the way to go.   There were at least 2-3 schools that my oldest son was incredibly surprised with once he visited or starting talking to coaches and professors.  The college my oldest son selected he knew very little about 2-3 weeks earlier.   When he saw details on their engineering program and spoke to a professor that changed everything.  He committed.   My point is colleges that want you will bend over backwards.

This has also all happened very quickly. He was 82-83 in Feb during winter workouts and since starting to workout 2x a day during quarantine that number has spiked dramatically. The first video he made public/sent to people and all the responses. Also looking to see if in general it might be better to wait this one out or jump on whatever comes. I don't think he's ever really considered too strongly other than what he wants in a college. He just finished his sophomore year and is still waiting for SAT test sites to open up. Just a month ago there was not a single peep from anyone, I don't want him making a decision just because someone was the first to jump on his video - if that makes sense. So I guess the question is more how long to wait for schools as well as how long should we wait before getting serious with a few? – I understand your position and that is probably great for normal times.   These are not normal times.   I probably would not jump at the first opp either unless it was a dream school, and your son has clarified what he wants to get out of college academically.  However, I may advise my son to strongly consider the best offer (from legit schools) after 2-4 offers because at that point you have a clearer view of his market worth in this crazy pandemic.   If these P5s want your son’s services, I think they need to step up and demonstrate more than passing interest.   You know as well I that coaches are on their best behavior in the recruiting phase.   I would try to get serious with a few as soon as possible.   This will drive up your market value and accelerate the recruiting time table.   The rest will take care of itself.

 Again, I hope this helps in some way.  Good luck!

Great post above..... the real magic will be in deciding when a credible D1 or 2 offer isn’t going to happen and then what level you are willing to dip to, because yes there is a limit in my mind.It’s not an easy read by any means. Our plan is to play through sept 1 and then try to re-evaluate the entire situation and even then it may not be clear.

@fenwaysouth posted:

 Understood.  Thanks for clarifying.   I hope my thoughts are helping as I'm trying to be a sounding board...

Yes you have been very helpful. I think I have a decent baseline knowledge but I'm always all ears. This is why I posted, to see if there was something I was missing and just to get some outside opinions. A lot of people we know are talking how this is great news, but until roster spots are offered and numbers are thrown our way I won't be celebrating anything. I guess the next two weeks will be fairly important. It doesn't help being in a state with terrible restrictions right now, but I guess that also buys some more time. I think an announcement regarding the dead period will also help because the fall season is college camp heavy with Ft. Meyers and Jupiter in the mix as well. 

FYI, heard from a college coach that NCAA may be extending the dead period through Fall (to keep a level playing field and the staff safe to work with their players) which would kill the camps as well.  

Fingers crossed for Ft Meyers for the 22s and Jupiter for the 21s! That's where all the action really heated up and progressed for my 21 last fall.  Do whatever you have to do to be there (both in you're a 22)!!!