Privileged & Honored...

Well, yes he is right.   There's no requirement to make an announcement by the player that he has committed to XYZ University.    The college baseball world is relatively small and the coaches will know who has committed where.

It's certainly not required but are you seriously puzzled as to why someone would announce it without it being a requirement?  They are proud.  They want to identify with their new tribe.  They earned ultimate recognition for years of hard work. 

Players tell their friends. The word gets around from high school and travel team to team. The college coaches hear. You tell the coaches you’re talking with you don’t choose. But, the big public announcement is NLI signing day. It’s when your face ends up in the local paper.

Francis7 posted:

A player mentioned to me that another player has been committed for 3 years now. I asked him why I never saw that player do his public "I'm privileged and honored to announce my commitment..." post anywhere.

The player said you don't have to do it. So, I asked "Isn't that the point of committing...to tell everyone else to not bother because you're in a committed relationship? It's like wearing an engagement ring."

Player says no. You don't have to say anything to anyone or make it public. You keep it quiet and just tell another school, if they ask "Sorry, but I'm already committed."

Is that how it works? If that's the way it should work, then why does everyone make announcements about committing or update it on their player profiles?

There is no right answer.   It is up to what the recruit is comfortable with.  There are people who want to tell everyone everything.   There are people who want to tell only family and very close friends.   My son chose to be very private with his recruitment and eventual commitment.   That was entirely up to him, and as parents we followed his lead.   He had teammates who would tweet after every college visit and showcase.   

The point of committing to a coach is so both of you agree that when it comes time to apply for admissions and possibly sign an NLI that both of you are on the same page.   

Good luck!

22and25 posted:

It's certainly not required but are you seriously puzzled as to why someone would announce it without it being a requirement?  They are proud.  They want to identify with their new tribe.  They earned ultimate recognition for years of hard work. 

Never said that. Me? I would post it everywhere and pin it. That's why I asked? It's like getting engaged and telling no one and hiding the ring. I don't know why anyone would do that? Unless you had a good reason to hide it?

Let me do a loose analogy.

One multi-millionaire drives a Porshe, is a member of a country club she never uses, lives in a 5,000 square ft house, sports a huge rock, sits on multiple charitable boards and tweets incessantly to her 3000 followers; another drives a beat up 20 year old vehicle, with a beard shaved once a quarter, gives generously and anonymously, and eschews all form of ostentatious displays.

Who are you to draw any conclusions about either?

There is no right or wrong here; it is all about individual taste and fancy.

My son announced it on Twitter. I didn’t care either way. There haven’t been any cons that I know of but the pros were that the current players and local community welcomed him. 

The tendency is to think that every kid is all about “hey, look at me” but the fact is most are not. 

Goosegg posted:

Let me do a loose analogy.

One multi-millionaire drives a Porshe, is a member of a country club she never uses, lives in a 5,000 square ft house, sports a huge rock, sits on multiple charitable boards and tweets incessantly to her 3000 followers; another drives a beat up 20 year old vehicle, with a beard shaved once a quarter, gives generously and anonymously, and eschews all form of ostentatious displays.

Who are you to draw any conclusions about either?

There is no right or wrong here; it is all about individual taste and fancy.

 

I had something wise and sage to post, but got caught on the second lady having a beard. Lost my train of thought.

One practical reason to announce it, or at least have it recorded somewhere, whether it be on your own Youtube channel, or PG, is so that other schools know of your commitment and will back off.

    There is a downside to that if the team de-commits from you. Have seen that happen, and the players have to scramble at the last minute for a team...any team, to play on.

Go44dad posted:

Goosegg posted:

Let me do a loose analogy.

One multi-millionaire drives a Porshe, is a member of a country club she never uses, lives in a 5,000 square ft house, sports a huge rock, sits on multiple charitable boards and tweets incessantly to her 3000 followers; another drives a beat up 20 year old vehicle, with a beard shaved once a quarter, gives generously and anonymously, and eschews all form of ostentatious displays.

Who are you to draw any conclusions about either?

There is no right or wrong here; it is all about individual taste and fancy.

 

I had something wise and sage to post, but got caught on the second lady having a beard. Lost my train of thought.

😂

Really the player's decision. As for the player with a commitment three years out- it is risky to post. A number of Ivy League commits don't post on PG until they've actually received their acceptance letter.

Usually the school likes you to announce it, just like they do.  Most schools have some picture or meme that they post when a new kid commits.  As other mentioned, a lot of times, other kids committed to the same school will add you and start chats.  A way to get to know each other before you show up.

Thanks for making everything seem normal again, Francis, by posting a very Francis topic. 

JCG posted:

Thanks for making everything seem normal again, Francis, by posting a very Francis topic. 

Well said! 

hshuler posted:

My son announced it on Twitter. I didn’t care either way. There haven’t been any cons that I know of but the pros were that the current players and local community welcomed him. 

The tendency is to think that every kid is all about “hey, look at me” but the fact is most are not. 

 

 Good players know they can earn plenty of “look at me” on the field. Then one fan in the stands turns to another and asks, “Where’s he going to play college ball?” Then everyone in the stands knows. I found out about every player in our area in the stands or from my kids who heard in the dugout. 

It's really not that deep. Kids post because they're proud, excited, and like attention. 

"Isn't that the whole point of committing?" 

No, the point of committing is because they offered a scholarship and if you don't accept and decide that's where you want to go to college, they will likely offer that money to someone else. 

If and when that day comes, I hope my '22 puts it on social media followed very quickly by a public thank you to all the coaches, trainers and teachers who helped him get there. 

baseballhs posted:

Usually the school likes you to announce it, just like they do.  Most schools have some picture or meme that they post when a new kid commits.  As other mentioned, a lot of times, other kids committed to the same school will add you and start chats.  A way to get to know each other before you show up.

Do programs actually post players commitments online? I know that the NCAA does not recognize commitments as it is not a binding contract.

I thought that they don't announce until the NLI is officially signed. Anyone?

I don't think the average athlete and parent have any clue what the elite athlete goes through.  My son was not in my interpretation an elite athlete but I have coached some and know some.  The average kid is happy to get a phone call from a scout or recruiting coach or a HC.  The elite player gets them all hours of the day and night for months on end.  Yes.  They use social media to draw attention to themselves and increase their stock.  But when they are done.  They also want it to end.  I have been with some of these kids when they even got separate phone numbers for friends and family.  They were so embarked with coaches and others calling, texting, and posting that they wanted it to end.  When they finally commit, they just want it all to stop and their way to stop it is to put it out there everywhere.  The sad fact for many of them is that it does not end.  I used to think they were entitled little snots but I have realized that they have something that everybody wants and they know how to put it out there.  Again, I don't think most of us can fathom that world with our sons.

I also think some don't put it out there because that is their plan B.  Maybe a better offer comes along.  And some just don't do social media.

TPM posted:

baseballhs posted:

Usually the school likes you to announce it, just like they do.  Most schools have some picture or meme that they post when a new kid commits.  As other mentioned, a lot of times, other kids committed to the same school will add you and start chats.  A way to get to know each other before you show up.

Do programs actually post players commitments online? I know that the NCAA does not recognize commitments as it is not a binding contract.

I thought that they don't announce until the NLI is officially signed. Anyone?

I was trying to find an example, but can’t right now.  One school posts a pic of a guy in a convertible when they get a new commit.  TCU posts this a pic of the locker room or field and captions 🐸⬆️ #FrogsUp

They don’t name the recruit, they just announce they have one committed.

baseballhs posted:

TPM posted:

baseballhs posted:

Usually the school likes you to announce it, just like they do.  Most schools have some picture or meme that they post when a new kid commits.  As other mentioned, a lot of times, other kids committed to the same school will add you and start chats.  A way to get to know each other before you show up.

Do programs actually post players commitments online? I know that the NCAA does not recognize commitments as it is not a binding contract.

I thought that they don't announce until the NLI is officially signed. Anyone?

I was trying to find an example, but can’t right now.  One school posts a pic of a guy in a convertible when they get a new commit.  TCU posts this a pic of the locker room or field and captions 🐸⬆️ #FrogsUp

They don’t name the recruit, they just announce they have one committed.

Tech coach on twitter posts "Put it on the Board!" without mentioning anything else when they get a verbal.

Even after NLI signing, I don't think there are any official lists posted. Next official public list will be the 2021 Spring roster.

My son's HC to be told him exactly what to do.  "First take a day and clean up all of your social media.  Have an adult double check it.  Then we'll send you a logo that you can put on a picture for your announcement."

Nothing is official until the NLI is signed. I believe programs announce their recruiting class after signings. 

I’m guessing colleges don’t want to announce Studley DoRight verballed and then be publicly held accountable when he crosses them later.

I know I have been on these various message boards too long when it seems as if I am repeating a story I have repeated a dozen times but I'll bore you all again.  Knowing what I know about the recruitment process, in no way would I announce that I have committed to a program until the NLI letter is signed.  Those schools don't have any rules.  They don't have to honor their "commitments" until that letter is signed.  Even then, that agreement is for one year in many cases.  As some of you old timers might remember, my daughter was being recruited by schools all over the country.    She settled on one school as her #1 due to many reasons but one for sure was that so much of my family lived within 20 minutes of that school.  As a freshman in high school, the HC had her try on a uniform when we went for a visit.  He recruited her and came to several tournaments she played in.  In fact, he made it a point to tell other schools that she had committed to him.  That was not true.  We were on an unofficial visit her junior year on the way to a tournament and at a rival university when that coach wanted to know why we were bothering her because the word was out that my daughter was headed to the other school.  Long story short, this coach came and watched my daughter play in a big tournament and she tore it up.  I think she had something like 5 bombs, won a couple of games pitching, and her team won the tournament.  The coach was there for all of it.  We went down the next weekend for the official visit.  He wanted to finalize the offer and stated he would call us.  When he did, he lower his offer and told me that he was lowering it so he could get another player off of my daughter's TB team as well.  It was like a kick in the gut.  She went from a huge offer to a less than 40% offer.  I know Julie (MNMom) might remember us jumping back into the recruitment process with only a couple of months before signing day.  It was horrible.  My daughter was so hurt.  In the long run, it worked out but this is an example of why you don't run around telling everyone you are off the market!

My son has a friend that committed to an ACC school his soph year.  He's a pitcher. Signed the NLI this Fall, posted it on PG, the usual stuff.  Now suddenly he posted on PG last week that he has committed to a WCC school. We found out it was because he didn't get into the ACC school.  So, even with the NLI signed, it can fall apart.  And he's a smart kid and a really good pitcher, so we were shocked he didn't get in. I am glad he found a spot, but can only imagine the stress of doing that in the Feb/March of your senior year. 

Kimb27,

I've seen this happen a few times over the years.  A kid commits, signs his NLI but doesn't get admitted.    In all cases that I'm familiar with, the recruit did not live up to their required academic standing as "prescribed" by the coaching staff.   You've stated that he's a smart kid and a really good pitcher.   I don't doubt that.  But I also think there is more to the story here.   I've personally known a lot of ACC players who would have never got into a few of these schools if they were not recruited athletes.  Either they or their parents have told me as much.    Bottom line is that any recruit  (anywhere)  has to realize they've been hand selected by the coaches to attend their school.   Making a coach look bad to Admissions is not the place a recruit wants to be...ever.   Making the coach look good is where you want to be...always.   Commitment time is the time to show you belong at the next level, and that you can handle your academic responsibilities.   This is why college coaches micromanage freshmen players until they prove they can do the work.

I'm glad your son's friend found a place before all this pandemic craziness.

Good luck!

fenwaysouth,

Yep, and the ACC school doesn't mess around with admittance. So, just more reason for kids not to commit too early. 

I know a kid who got accepted to a academically highly regarded ACC with a 2.7 and 880. For a normal student the average is 3.6 and 1365. But normal students can’t lead off and hit .280 freshman year with a high OB%. He passed the SAT on his last try after being warned his scholarship was contingent on passing.

It's an accomplishment and going through this with my son. It's good to get the word out to try to slow down some of the communications. We're still getting letters, emails, texts, and invites. He committed as a Junior in November.

I'm just glad it isn't like football or basketball and the "collect offers". That is a tad ridiculous, however announcing offers might motivate another school to get off their recruiting butt and make a move. I think that is where baseball falls short. Depending on the school and the timeline to commit, some are no pressure, some are 48 hours or less to commit. We've all heard the stories.

I also think, when you know, you know. I think it is disrepectful to keep other schools waiting on your commitment, when you already know where you're going. Think basketball. We have a local kid who is #1 PF in the country or close to it and he announced his top 5 and swapped out officials of UNC for Michigan. Not sure how you can do that, but whatever. He also finished his season in beginning of March and isn't annoucing until 4/24. That's asinine. He already knows where he's going but he and his dad are blowing up Twitter and for what, but to sell more Tshirts and get followers. It's kinda annoying.  Let the other 4 schools back fill his spot and give another family time to make a decision. I think that is bull$hit.

Same with being let go the day of NLI. That is complete crap. I do not understand the 2023 (9th) and 2024 (8th) announcing commits, and why would you that early, unless it's your dream school. A lot of them change. We're not shopping around and my son picked on fit and development potential. He was very happy to be done and was nice to exhale and relax some after committing. He's still working his butt off and putting on weight and not taking the spot for granted. He knows he still has to compete, get better, and get good grades. Everything can change between now and 11/12/20.  Wish the juniors could sign earlier. Would be nice to lock both sides in, when both are in agreement. 

FYI, some schools like UVA have "auto admits" so you don't even have to take ACT or SAT. We were both shocked with Coach O'Connor told us that.  Luckily my son is HA and has 4.9 weight, 3.9 unweighted and some AP and College courses. 

I don't know how Stanford has 2023s already or even 2022s when we know they have a 3.8 GPA and 1300 on the SAT requirement. (those guys haven't taken the SAT or ACT yet and wouldn't have enough classes/core, for GPA requirement). UNCs was 1000 SAT and 3.0 in core so it sort of makes sense to see commits there.  We know Harvard lowers admission expectations and limits for athletes, 3.25 GPA but like others have said. You still have to get in.

I'm fine with a commitment announcement.  It's the announcements (mostly in football) that say "blessed to have received my 14th D1 offer from Big State U"

....but kids.....PLEASE, when you announce your commitment, please get the name of the school right.  I've seen The University of Ohio State....several others in the past..... and just this week, the University of Purdue.....lol

Yeah, the University of Georgia Tech. HaHa!

Eokerholm posted:

……………………………...

I don't know how Stanford has 2023s already or even 2022s when we know they have a 3.8 GPA and 1300 on the SAT requirement. (those guys haven't taken the SAT or ACT yet and wouldn't have enough classes/core, for GPA requirement). UNCs was 1000 SAT and 3.0 in core so it sort of makes sense to see commits there.  We know Harvard lowers admission expectations and limits for athletes, 3.25 GPA but like others have said. You still have to get in.

 

+1 agree with everything you've said except the last paragraph.  

I've known a handful of recruits who've found a home at Stanford.  Almost all had their respective academic houses in order as high school sophomores...good enough to get offers.   A lot of them took the SAT/ACT early to mid-soph year.  

Harvard can lower admission standards (but rarely does) for athletes as long as they stay within league guidelines.  My son was sitting at a 2000 SAT which was good enough for an offer at that time and they wanted him to re-take it to (hopefully) boost the overall team number.   This happens frequently with Ivy recruits as the Coach is always trying to get that team number up (not down!) so he has some buffer space.  Even with a very high SAT/ACT score, a 3.25 GPA would be a very extreme case even for basketball, hockey, lax  or football.   I've not heard of any recent baseball recruit with a 3.25 GPA going to Harvard.   

The few who get into Harvard with a 3.25 tend to be 6’8” and can run and shoot.

RJM posted:

The few who get into Harvard with a 3.25 tend to be 6’8” and can run and shoot.

Maybe now, but when I was there it was the hockey players that got preferential treatment.  A couple of cases were astonishing.

K9 posted:

RJM posted:

The few who get into Harvard with a 3.25 tend to be 6’8” and can run and shoot.

Maybe now, but when I was there it was the hockey players that got preferential treatment.  A couple of cases were astonishing.

Does anyone think Harvard and Yale won a NCAA hockey championships with a team of skating valedictorians? 

Harvard is big on basketball now.

Francis, I would like to challenge you to post a topic that is better than mindless drivel. Something thought provoking and relevant. Not about shin guards, catchers mitts,  Twitter posts, or airplane travel. We all have a lot of time on our hands. Go to work on this. I would love for you to surprise me. 

adbono posted:

Francis, I would like to challenge you to post a topic that is better than mindless drivel. Something thought provoking and relevant. Not about shin guards, catchers mitts,  Twitter posts, or airplane travel. We all have a lot of time on our hands. Go to work on this. I would love for you to surprise me. 

I apologize for the sh$tty tone of that last post. That should have been worded in a good natured way. Too much whiskey and isolation isn’t a good mix. Challenge stands tho if it can be accepted without hard feelings. 

Imo Franny is a most welcomed distraction for the last crappy awful month.