It seems as if at this point for 2015, should be committed somewhere ? Earlier post had said most colleges are done with their 2015's? If coaches were interested, would they have already contacted him? NCAA rules permit contact as a Junior or before? My son has had several emails saying they want to recruit him and ask for more info, video, schedules and MANY camp invites but that's it.He is a 7.5 in last PG showcase with a "Follow". Is there anything else he should be doing?
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Need more info, ie position, size, speed, velo, grades? If playing at the next level is his goal, then he needs to find the right fit. That may not include athletic money, but he could find academic or other money for a school that might give him a shot.
Yes, there is still time. Plenty of guys don't get opportunities after there senior season ends.
Best advise is get great grades and continue to get stronger & faster.
I think your okay. I believe that all the references to most schools being done with their 2015 recruits refers to the top level D1's, securing the cream of the crop types. There is still plenty of opportunity, just don't stop trying!
Position player or pitcher?
There is still time however it depends on what level of interest there is up to this point.
My son did not commit until May 1st of his Sr year, but was having contact with coaches and discussions on offers as well as coaches wanting his HS schedule so they could come out and see him. A recruiting coach and a head coach saw him play in the April time frame while they were on road trip and had breaks in their game schedules. He did one visit in April to the program he eventually committed to. He had one program who came out to see him and wanted the pitching coach to see him before they would give him a final offer and it was going to be past May1st so he committed somewhere else.
There is the draft and teams lose players to the draft so some add in as late as August. (mostly pitchers)
Get set up at a JC and then keep working it.
Am I missing something here? Too late for a 2015? HS Junior?
If this is the case - NO its not too late.
As lefthookdad said, some of the top tier teams might have the cream locked up but does not mean its over. Our roller coaster ride started with sitting in the car not moving anywhere. Camp invites, a few letters, coaches inquiries and a few email exchanges but no call, nothing to speak of.
Then came a perk, an NAIA school, wants him late Junior year. That summer was uneventful....even worse fall with all the seniors getting ready to sign their NLI's. Most we got was "we would not be able to offer during the early signing period". Then it started. A D2 called and started the paperwork (with NCAA) and I can't be sure, but that's when the gates opened up. D2 and D3's and high D1's began to watch, visit, call coaches. D1's that were in the wings early now a little more engaged. Schools we never heard of or talked to called.
In the end - he committed in Mid May of his senior year to a school that was not on his initial radar cause he was told it was out of his league.
Don't give up. Look at ALL options, JUCO to High D1. Have your son improve his grades and his skill and keep beating the bushes. Just when you think it's dead, push a little harder. There is something that can be had.
It is not too late. Far from it.
If someone told you that any one or more programs were done with their recruiting classes, they were dead wrong.
Now, there will be some schools who may have filled certain position needs in their 2015 classes. But the notion that they have allotted all their slots is silly. They don't even know for sure how many players they'll need yet. That can depend on injuries, transfers, what underclassmen may sign after the draft, etc.
There may be people you know who've been told something to put them off, comparable to when you ask a girl for a date and she says she has to wash her hair that night. In both situations, it's a mistake to take the stated reason seriously. The real message is, we don't have anything left FOR YOU. But there might be an opportunity there for someone else who may be a stronger candidate.
All that being said, I hope your son isn't just getting started. There's no reason to panic if he hasn't gotten an offer yet, but if he hasn't gotten started on the process yet, he's behind the curve. Not an incurable disease, but definitely a situation where opportunities are going to start to dwindle as he does nothing.
Wow my bad, for some reason I read 2014 when he was a 2015. My goodness he is in the middle of it right now. (except for the elite players who may have committed early)
Thanks everyone for putting me a little at ease. I still don't get how top schools could already have their "cream" committed when they aren't supposed to talk to them til after Junior year. Maybe I'm not understanding the rules! For those that asked on more specifics, my son is a Middle Infielder/3B/RHP standing at 6' 190lb and a 60 y at 7.0. FB touches 80. He just turned 16 in November. He doesn't think he wants to be a "pitcher only" at the next level. PG said his strongest tool is his bat. Can hit contact and power. He actually is leaning towards a D2 because of location. Also, he does want a good chance of playing. He is in a high academic school with weighted GPA over 4.0.
I keep asking myself if he is not getting calls from coaches, what does that mean? Not a good sign at this point? As far as just starting recruiting process? Where should he be at at this stage? He has attended a few showcases and college camps. Can a parent make preliminary calls to coaches or do they want to hear from the player only?
It is not too late. Far from it.
x2.
Batsmith If you want to chat you can always IM me.
Just remember sometimes the cream of the crop spoils. Know of several kids that got call first possible day and committed that fall (verbal) as a junior never got accepted.
Not late at all as everyone has noted. NLI early signing period for a 2015 will be ~November 2014.
It's not clear what your son's plan for engaging with his desired colleges has been to date. You indicated he received some emails, but it's not clear how much contact he has originated.
Operating off of info gleaned from this site, we put together target lists of schools that fit our sons' academic and athletic profiles. We tested that list with scouts, coaches, and college counselors who knew both sons to get third party assessment on where sons realistically fit. We edited the lists based on that input. Then sons reached out to the coaches at the schools that remained on the lists. Lists were roughly 25 - 50 schools originally, but got narrowed down.
Top prospects may get a lot of unsolicited contact, but my boys needed to express/originate interest to schools as I imagine many players on this site did as well.
Batsmith ... Coaches can't contact players before the NCAA deadline. But players can initiate the process by contacting coaches. Players can make their own unofficial visits before the deadline. As long as players initiate contact coaches can make offers. The offers are called verbals. Nothing is binding until a NLI is signed in November of senior year.
In baseball both sides usually honor verbals. But sometimes a player may not gain acceptance to the college or go pro. If a player verbals very early than doesn't advance his skills the college coach will tell the player he will honor the verbal for one year with it unlikely the player will get on the field. It scares the player away.
'Is there still time for 2015?'
Son Jr. 2015 is hoping to be on track now. sent out letters
to some schools. going to play summer travel team, showcase with PG,etc. visit schools..
I was thinking this is the year when it all comes together for the 2015 player..the July 1st time line and beyond.
fall/winter showcases too..
we are trying to follow the time line doc that is posted here on HS Baseball...
I have seen some kids in area waiting until senior year
before they visit schools.. a lot of them dont even now what college they want to go to either.. in-state, out of state...
thanks
Joe
have seen some kids in area waiting until senior year
before they visit schools.. a lot of them dont even now what college they want to go to either.. in-state, out of state...
Kids can do unofficial visits any time. They can only go on an official visit after first day of school senior year. We did a lot of unofficial visits and it was very helpful
Batsmith, as a son of a 2014 position player I can tell you that at this time last year I only saw pitchers that were getting the recruited heavily by now, and some had committed. Position players started getting the love in the Summer. Keep working and get your son exposure this Summer and he will get the options he deserves.
Yes, I think my son can be more aggressive with targeting schools. At this time of year, is it a good idea to call coaches? He may have an opportunity to play on a scout team (I think they play in the fall). Is that worthwhile? The coach has seen my son and indicated he wants him on the team.
...my son is a Middle Infielder/3B/RHP standing at 6' 190lb and a 60 y at 7.0. FB touches 80. He just turned 16 in November. He doesn't think he wants to be a "pitcher only" at the next level. PG said his strongest tool is his bat. Can hit contact and power. He actually is leaning towards a D2 because of location. Also, he does want a good chance of playing. He is in a high academic school with weighted GPA over 4.0....
Make sure he is working on his throwing velo. That needs to take a few ticks upward, which should be attainable considering age. Check for camps at the specific D2 he is targeting and try to make contact with that coach prior to attending so he is more likely to be on their radar.
Regarding Scout ball - I see you are from Calif. If it is the scout league in SoCal, yes, that gets some decent exposure and, more importantly, the coaches/scouts are often well connected to the college coach community, particularly in-state. But be aware that this is usually a pitcher-rich environment with lots of kids in the 85-90 mph range on the bump.
Recruiting is not complicated. It is a simple equation: Recruiting = talent + exposure.
Miss out on either part of the equation and you (he) can find something else to do in college other than baseball. That said, formulate a plan and then execute it. Waiting for the phone to ring is not a plan. Stewing about kids signing early here is not a plan.
Whether other kids sign early has no bearing on whether or not your son can find a good fit at the next level. Start getting him in front of college coaches at all levels and see where he fits. See if he can improve his skills all along the way and make adjustments based upon the feedback he gets. You won't know if he is a D1 player or not until a D1 coach makes an offer. Same for D2 and D3. Start by generating interest (e.g., exposure in camps, showcases, and summer ball tournaments) and build from that. Follow up each sign of interest with a phone call and find out from them (the coaches who show interest) what they see or don't see. Keep at it (execute the plan) until no stone is left unturned. You have more than enough time to get this done.
