How old should you be to commit?

By the time this thread finishes you will probably have a decent list of players committing at fourteen and fifteen who worked out. Unless it’s the dream, target school for the player there’s no reason to commit that early. If the kid remains a top shelf, pro prospect stud any program will take him at anytime. A lot of these kids sign out of high school anyway.

If a kid doesn’t remain on his stud track through high school he’s going to be told he’ll never get on the field if he shows up on campus. Chances are he’ll go somewhere else.

In girl’s softball and other sports committing at fourteen and fifteen is the norm for D1. Girls physically mature sooner. My daughter started receiving offers at the end of her post freshman year travel season. She turned fifteen late in July. By December she was warned the offers were now first come, first serve.

The issue I have with early offers and commits is how many kids have a clue at fourteen and fifteen what they want for a major and what they want to do in life.** My daughter thought she did. She majored in forensic science. In college she decided to become a lawyer.

Colleges shouldn’t be allowed to talk to prospective athletes until they’re juniors (June after soph year). They should be able to offer NLI’s then.

The thing is now unless you’re a pro prospect stud Covid has made a mess of the process.

** Best line by a former poster’s kid: I’m fifteen. I’m not even sure what I want for lunch.

** Best line by a former poster’s kid: I’m fifteen. I’m not even sure what I want for lunch.  This is a great line!    So much truth to this. 

When my son was a freshman/early sophomore he was convinced he wanted to play far south and far away from home.  By the end of his sophomore year/beginning of junior year, he did a complete 180 and realized he did NOT want to be that far from home.  His sister got married and had nieces and nephews and he didn't want to miss out on that so took those schools off his list.  So much changed for him in those 2 years, basically life happens!  So how do these 14-year old kids know how to navigate their futures at that age?

I am sure this is a hot topic, but I agree RJM schools shouldn't be allowed to contact until that summer before their junior year.   

I have 3 sons.  My oldest Mike is committed to Clemson but is contemplating entering the transfer portal during his Senior year of HS to switch to Tennessee.  He committed late, he was 19.  We held him back in 8th grade, then Sophomore year of HS we switched to a private school and had him repeat.  If issues getting him to Tennessee we prob will throw him into a gap year.  My middle son Robbie is into Dance, nuff said.  My youngest son is Chip. He's pre commitment to Ole Miss, he's 10. He's being advised by his Uncle Charlie.

So how do these 14-year old kids know how to navigate their futures at that age?

They’re prospective, future top pro prospects. They're supposed to be all in on baseball. But what if it doesn’t turn that way in college?

One of my college summer ball teammates was talked out of majoring in engineering. He switched to Phys Ed. He wasn’t drafted.

@IAmThatGuy posted:

I have 3 sons.  My oldest Mike is committed to Clemson but is contemplating entering the transfer portal during his Senior year of HS to switch to Tennessee.  He committed late, he was 19.  We held him back in 8th grade, then Sophomore year of HS we switched to a private school and had him repeat.  If issues getting him to Tennessee we prob will throw him into a gap year.  My middle son Robbie is into Dance, nuff said.  My youngest son is Chip. He's pre commitment to Ole Miss, he's 10. He's being advised by his Uncle Charlie.

That's so awesome!  Sounds like you have some very talented children.  Good call on holding back that year.  That extra year will help a lot!

@baseballmom01 posted:

That's so awesome!  Sounds like you have some very talented children.  Good call on holding back that year.  That extra year will help a lot!

It's a joke on several levels - it's satire about holding kids back for athletic maturity, using the portal to trade up, and very early commits. It's also a play on the very old sit-com "My Three Sons" 1960-1972 Fred MacMurray with his three sons Mike, Robbie, and Chip. And yes there was an uncle Charlie, which is also funny because it's slang for a good curveball. @IAmThatGuy, very creative - did I miss anything? You must be older than dirt... lol! My Three Sons

@JucoDad posted:

It's a joke on several levels - it's satire about holding kids back for athletic maturity, using the portal to trade up, and very early commits. It's also a play on the very old sit-com "My Three Sons" 1960-1972 Fred MacMurray with his three sons Mike, Robbie, and Chip. And yes there was an uncle Charlie, which is also funny because it's slang for a good curveball. @IAmThatGuy, very creative - did I miss anything? You must be older than dirt... lol! My Three Sons

Yeah,  I know.  Sarcasm goes both ways.  

what’s age got to do with it?

no, seriously, looking beyond the sarcasm …

at age 14 it is the adults that are driving the decision for the kid, same at age 15 and for many kids age 16.  

How does the recruiting process and decision on where and when to commit change when the kid gets to September of their Junior yr in HS - when the coaches are allowed to call on the kids directly?

Age determines who gets the “My Three Sons” reference.

@PTWood posted:

Age determines who gets the “My Three Sons” reference.

You are one smart and funny baseball mom!

@baseballmom01 posted:

I just saw a 2025 kid who literally just turned 15 in May commit to Tennessee.  He doesn't even have a driver's permit yet!  I've just seen a lot of things happen to kids throughout high school that can completely change your path. Wondering how often it really does work out.

NCAA rules forbid coaches to contact players directly until July 1 of their junior year.

But many of these situations occur while players attend camps on campus. Usually a discussion about coming to play but there is no real commitment on the programs part,  and means nothing until the player is NCAA eligible to make that commitment.

Often a player is a child or grandchild of an alumni who attends camp regularly and gives the coaching staff an opportunity to get to know them over time.

While coaches can't call players until July 1, players can call coaches at any age.  If a college coach is interested in a younger player, the coach calls the travel coach and says, tell Johnny to call me at 6:00.

@anotherparent posted:

While coaches can't call players until July 1, players can call coaches at any age.  If a college coach is interested in a younger player, the coach calls the travel coach and says, tell Johnny to call me at 6:00.

While this might be  true. No real commitment in D1 or D2 baseball is actually recognized  as official until after the signing period. Then the school can officially announce its recruits.

Everything else that is posted, is actually hearsay until it's official.

@TPM posted:

While this might be  true. No real commitment in D1 or D2 baseball is actually recognized  as official until after the signing period. Then the school can officially announce its recruits.

Everything else that is posted, is actually hearsay until it's official.

I understand that it is not official because like @another parent said, my son's club coach would have to call him and then tell him to call a respective coach at the specified time, but even if it is not "official" doesn't "announcing it" on social media basically take him off any other coaches radars? 

Why would it? Because a 14,15  year old said so? 

Ok update.

I do believe that Sept 1 is the correct date a D1 or D2 coach can contact a player.

Also to verify a D1 commitment as seen on social media from a young player, PG or another source will contact the program to find if it's legit or not and post under the recruits year.

See PG  disclaimer regarding accuracy.

The program itself cannot announce until the player signs an NLI and announced officially.

Hope that this clears up any misconception.

@TPM posted:

Why would it? Because a 14,15  year old said so?

So if a 14/15 year-old kid makes this announcement on social media and another coach sees him at a showcase or another event (and yes, I have seen kids commit and still pay to go to these events) checks on PG or another source, sees he's already committed to another school, I assume he just checks him off the list.  Correct??  So at 14/15 you better hope that commitment works out because you are off the radar.  That's why my original question was to know of any actual success stories of kids who did commit that early and ended up playing at that same school. 

@baseballmom01 posted:

So if a 14/15 year-old kid makes this announcement on social media and another coach sees him at a showcase or another event (and yes, I have seen kids commit and still pay to go to these events) checks on PG or another source, sees he's already committed to another school, I assume he just checks him off the list.  Correct??  So at 14/15 you better hope that commitment works out because you are off the radar.  That's why my original question was to know of any actual success stories of kids who did commit that early and ended up playing at that same school.

I updated my original  response.

My understanding is that coach's respect each others programs.

I can't tell you if committing early is a good decision, that's up to the recruit and his family.

I will say that several P5 schools told us directly or indirectly that as long as son was committed to UT they would not talk to us or make an offer but if son decommitted please let them know immediately.  This happened regularly from time son committed, posted it on social media, until he signed NLI.  Still happened but not as regular after NIL.  I am convinced that it happens now except it is transfer portal rather than going into college.     “ if you decide you would like to play for our college, fill in the blank, and you’re going into the transfer portal please let us know immediately.”