Multiple offers just not the right one

Does it matter how many offers a player gets if none of them are the right offer?

As far as the offer from this program you are waiting for, understand that for D2's there are 9 scholarships split among many players. Since you mentioned that the school was pricey,  make sure that you have done your homework  and know what you all can afford and if academic money will be a strong consideration.  

Agree with TPM... clear the clutter.  There is one offer your son is considering.  What is the timeline on that offer?  If need be, use that in a conversation with the coach of pending offer.  Otherwise, use the two weeks to really drill down the research and weigh the pro's and con's of the two schools and figure out what would be the least it would take to accept at the pending school. Your son's travel coach knows something about the pending school HC.  Be sure to maximize that resource along with others.  Are you two satisfied with choosing from these two schools?  Satisfied with the current offer if it turns out that is the only one?  If there is an offer from pending school, talk to both coaches about where they see your son in the equation.  Remember, most offers are only good for one year. 

If reading you right, the two D1 offers are from programs that you term as "not interested in the school". If that is a firm decision in both cases, then sounds as though there's not much to consider at the moment... You go down the road with the D2 coach an see what happens. It sounds like his MO is to bring in all his final (or maybe just top?) recruiting targets and let them compete head to head along with the returning team... So one more audition to go through, either for the spot itself and/or to see who gets what final share of whatever scholly money is available.

FWIW, the "ridiculously high offer" from the D1 which hasn't won much sounds intriguiing to me... What I hear is "large $ amount plus potential for solid PT as a frosh". But that's just my lens... If the school really isn't a fit for your son, then that's that. Also, if offers have begun coming in all at once, maybe more are to come. Best of luck!

When a coach/recruiter truly wants a player for sure, he will not waste time trying to get that players commitment.

So in my mind, that coach sees your son as a good player, one he would like to have, unless he can get better players.  The others are more interested qt this time, they have actually made offers.

The general thought here on this board revolves around two things. 

1. Go where you will be happy. (Though that is really an unknown) Go where you would like to be if baseball was not involved. However for a baseball player, baseball is involved and usually very important.  

2. Go where they love you the most. Go where they want you the most.

Unfortunately, these two things can get in each others way.  And that seems to be the dilemma you are facing.

Just know this... When coaches/recruiters are sure they want someone who they think can help there program a lot.  They don't waste much time making an offer.  This involves the top recruits.  Everyone else falls into, I like him, but not sure how much. Willing to wait and see!  I'm not completely sold! Willing to take a chance of losing him.

Tell the coach, you are planning to make a final decision soon.  You have some offers! I want to go to your school, but only if you truly want me there.  

My guess is that if you have received offers from low and mid DIs and a DII, your in a good position if you want to wait it out.  Especially with DII schools.  Often DII schools do more recruiting after the deadline in Nov.  They see who is left out there uncommitted and go to work on them. It certainly helps that your son is a pitcher.

Sorry if any of this was confusing. Nobody has all the answers, not me anyway.  Every situation is different. Best of luck!

I'm with you on that.  The losing team doesn't want to keep losing, and they're telling this kid  that they think he's the guy who's going to help turn it around. Plus, it's not just the team; it's the college, the cost, etc. Would your turn down a full ride for baseball to Notre Dame?  Or a full basketball ride to Cal? A full ride for football at Rice?

What exactly is the primary criteria that your son (and you) are using to evaluate these offers?   Is it money, education, or baseball?   

I agree with PGStaff to go where they want you and you can be happy.  You hear this statement 1000x on this site but it is true.  It is an absolute grind for (hopefully) 4 years and you have to love it.  Your son will most likely be happy if he has an opportunity for playing time and he does well in the classroom.    

To Soylent Green's point don't be so worried about records and such.  In my experience it is not unusual for programs to go last place to first place.  

100% agree with PG Staff's statement to let the D2 coach know that you have other offers and you need to make a final decision very soon (give him a date).  You are very interested in the school but need to know specifically how much he is wanted and when he will know.  In our experience coaches don't make decisions for the heck of it, they make decisions because they have to or they need to.  A little sense of urgency on their part is not a bad thing. 

Good luck!

Thank you for all of your replies. we were at a tournament all weekend and this is the 1st chance I had to get back on here. The high offer from the D1 I should have explained also that my son was not interested in the school for 2 reasons. The biggest being they do not offer his major. The coach is trying to say major in something else similar. That doesnt really fly with me.  Believe me I wish this was a good option. Financially it would be great and they are pretty much guaranteeing immediate significant PT.  The d2 coach that wants him to come in to workout with the team called him and emailed him since I last posted, expressing his interest in him and asking to have his mother call him. I did. He wanted to ask some financial questions, wants transcripts  and some other papers filled out  so he could make this finacially workable for us.  So I guess this is a good sign.  2 other schools have since jumped on board and want him to visit. We'll see what happens

baseballmomx4- This is a really great thread with some really great answers. I hope others read along as well. Keep us all posted.

Primary criteria is all of the above But Academics first because he needs a J-O-B when he gets out of college. He wants to play baseball but he needs an education. We have to financially be able to afford whatever school he wants to go to, and baseball lastly. Of course my sons criteria was a little different at the start but I think i finally have him coming around to see the logic in my way of thinking. Lol 

What major is he looking for that a Div 1 school wouldn't have? 

You are doing the right thing as maddening as it seems, you have to find the right "fit". My son (with our concurrence) turned down a near 100% offer that did not fit him academically at all. They did have a 3-2 program but it was very difficult to see how it would work for him, and the school did not have the academic programs that he was looking for. Keep grinding it, it will work out. 

Good Luck!

I sometimes wonder if we worry too much about the "best fit."  When I was 17, 18 (or older frankly) I didn't have much of an idea re my future academics/major/career, even though I thought I did.  I didn't know if I was better suited for a big school or a small one even though I visited both. Like many college students, I changed my direction once or twice.  I'd be a bit concerned if my (excellent student) 16 yo had his studies/career all mapped out at this point (fortunately, no worries there at all -- his eyes quickly glaze over when I ask him to ponder such thoughts).

Seems like there is a good-sized craps-shoot element to all of this which isn't inherently bad.

Go where they want you the most, unless there is an academic reason not to.

bigmac you are correct that a lot of kids are not sure, but for some they have an idea of an area of interest and they should be going to a place that accommodates their primary options. As far a size most kids will develop an opinion once they visit a number of schools and talk to current and former students as well as their peers. You can never be 100% sure, but doing your homework really reduces the risk factors in the very risky business of playing college baseball and actually getting to play and stay with a single program for 4 years. When you and I went to college it was a lot less expensive and a much simpler process. (at least for me there was no sports other than chasing girls and surfing...) When you start to add in baseball, cost, location, size, fit, etc it can get pretty complex and you should be developing a "plan" with your son now. If you start these discussions now I think you may be surprised how your son will start to formulate what he wants to do by the time he is 18. 

Big Mac, I agree 100%.  I was pretty clueless myself.  But unfortunately there are fields where you do have to know what you're studying as you apply and matriculate, engineering in particular. At most schools we've looked at with our 2015, you can apply to the engineering school and, if that doesn't work out, migrate fairly easily to arts and sciences or business. But you can't go the other way.  It's a tough thing for a 17yo to figure out.

bigmac made a good point. Lots of times "good" fits don't turn out to be that at all once the player gets to the campus. The coaches are usually great guys while recruiting but some change a lot once the player is at the school. Players often make their decisions with no thought or checking to see what their competition is like. Many students don't really have a clue what college studies require or what the temptations will be once they get there.

The statement about picking a school as if baseball wasn't there is a tough one because in that case my own son would not have gone to the out of state school at which he had a great career. That school was never on our radar until a scout got the head coach interested. My son would not have ended up there however if the school didn't have a reputation in DII baseball and the coach hadn't made it clear that he was wanted badly. Sometimes you get there and the school BECOMES the right fit. Truthfully, there is only a certain kind of player who can survive the relentless Marine Corp atmosphere of playing baseball under his coach. I saw starters who wer .300 hitters quit and starters who led the team in HRs or were .300 hitters not be invited back after a trip to the conference tournament. You never know these things happen until you get to the school.

Remember--good DII's are always bringing in DI dropdowns even at Mid year. Your player has to fight all the time. If he is up for it and confident then this is not necessarily a problem.

We also found out something else schools will do for a player if he is an outstanding student. My sons school made concessions that they didn't make for players who were lesser students in allowing my son to take certain masters courses before he had finished his Bat. degree and then take ones before he had done his internship which could only be done during the summer. They did this because he had the highest GPA of all four year students in his graduating class and won the Commissioners Trophy for the top student athlete in the Conference and he had to do this because he had a fifth year and finished all his bat. courses in four. So five years of baseball and a Masters degree was achievable at the DII he went to. I don't know if this could be done at a D1 with the more extensive traveling. Just something to think about.

Go. Where. They. Want. You.