How many offers do you need

One.

All you need is the "right" one

TRhit, You are absolutely correct. You may have 10, but if a player doesn't have "the feeling", then it's not enough. If you get one offer and the kid knows "this is where I belong", then you should realize how blessed you are, say thank you, and sign on the dotted line.

A former college player that I knew advised us to figure out the 10-20 colleges that our son would be really interested in. Contact them (we did) and get him in front of them (we did).

He had a 1st choice...so why 10-20? Because who knows if 1-19 would have any interest or not?

FO and TR,
I agree!

I think that sometimes parents want more than one offer as a matter of bragging rights. When you listen to some parents saying thier kid has gotten 4 offers--there are those that think 'well my kid better get 5!'. All it takes is one!

fan

You are so right--I remember a player who had a super academic scholarship to a Division I program but no baseball money--the coach liked him and YES the boy was going to be on the team--he actually started for four years---the mother was demanding a baseball scholarship even if it was for $1--she wanted a baseball scholarship so she could brag-- I told her to tell everyone that her son was playing Division I baseball on scholarship-- who would know and does it really matter!

It's true 1 offer is all you need, or, it may be from the only school you want. But I also agree with lafmom. In our case, my son had offers from a other schools but none of them we felt provided that "good fit" feeling. The school he chose was also his last offer. I'm sure he would have made things work wherever he chose, but the bottom line is I'm glad he could choose on his needs and desire rather than "having" to sign because it was his only option. It should be noted he did not select the best financial offer .

This was a family issue, and not one for bragging rights, as it was no one elses business. When I see all the transfers that occur I wonder in how many of those cases the player went to that initial school because it was his only choice. I'm sure grateful he had the opportunity to choose.

AParent,
"One" could be a good number or it could be a bad number. A lot depends on the player. Some players are being recruited and some players find themselves looking for an opportunity to play. Some players go into the recruiting ride without excluding or pre-selecting any college(s). Maybe they just don’t know what to expect or maybe they want more options...In my opinion options are good. Every player has their own criteria so each situation is a little different. Ours hinged on what position they wanted him to play, the amount of the scholarship, the physical location, the coaches personalities, and the facilities just to name a few. Some coaches would not expose their full intentions until they were in a position to offer. One coach wanted an in-home visit, we agreed and they surprised us when they offered. Another offered during an un-official visit and one offered at an on-campus camp. I think sometimes coaches prematurely offer in hopes of getting an early commitment from the player. It’s difficult to keep all the visits, offers, weighing the pros and cons of each college and their programs in a neat orderly fashion. Things get a little hectic and offers were made prior to what we thought was the end of my son’s ride.
Fungo

My son did not know where he was going to attend college. As Fungo said it took visiting campuses and meeting the staff etc.
The schools he thought was the best in fall of Junior year were not the best fit for him after exploring other possibilities and doing the appropriate research and of course there is some of the gut feeling in there. If son had narrowed things down too soon he would have missed out on his best fit. Everything worked out marvelously in the end.
I think that many of the parents on the board aren't bragging about these issues but asking for experience and wisdom from others that have been in a similar situation.
The very end of the process can be a bit of a pressure cooker as things can move rapidly. Sometimes people might just need a sounding board.
Thank God for HSBBW