RECRUITING SERVICE ADVICE FOR A JUCO FRESHMAN

His coach.  That is the job of a juco coach.  They normally are pretty good at it because that is part of their recruiting sale is how many guys they get to a 4 year school.  But most will not do it until after a player's sophomore year unless the four years come calling.  Why would you want to make the jump after the freshman year?

He has very good grades out of HS and a 1220 SAT, and I believe as a freshman you can use his HS grades for a 4 year program.

Getting an offer as a JUCO sophomore is not out of the question, I just want to be proactive and have more options if possible than relying 100% on his Coaching staff.

Dead on Danj.  You will actually find that juco coaches will not be very supportive of helping a freshman move on because they want them for 2 years.  But they are very helpful in helping sophomore players move on.  As you stated, the 4 year schools are reluctant to come recruiting unless they are a stud and in that case they are normally headed to the draft.  It is a tough place to be as a freshman at a juco wanting to make the move early.

@DanJ posted:

This is a thread I'd love to see blow up as my 2021 is a Juco freshman right now.  Unfortunately, the more I learn, the more I think it's almost a bad idea to try starting the process early.  My son went in hoping for an opp to transfer to a D1 after his freshman year.  During the visit and official offer, my son actually asked if it was possible.  The coach said it was extremely hard, but that he wouldn't prevent him from leaving after a year.  Now that he's on campus, it seems very clear that moving sophomores on is the only priority.  I spoke with a seasoned HSBBW member who indicated that it's generally frowned upon.  Juco coaches want to win just like everybody else and most 4-year coaches don't want to sour relationships by poaching Juco freshmen.

But I think I'm with @Julio in that I'd like to get some wheels turning if at all possible.  My son is fine with the idea of playing 2 years of Juco ball now, but he still has big aspirations for after that.  So there is this desire to want to get the process started.  There seems to be a lot of opportunities (showcases and the like) for Juco sophomores in the fall of their sophomore year, but nothing that I've seen for freshmen.  I think most would just recommend a freshman put recruiting totally out of their mind until their spring season is completed.  And I'm not arguing otherwise.  But my son was close to getting a couple D1 offers and those schools have committed to keeping an eye on him, so it'd be nice for him to able to get in front of them sooner than next fall.  A check in of sorts.

I think if the couple D1's said they'd "keep an eye on him" that I'd let them do that.  Maybe even reach out to the RC that he talked to and let them know how his season is going....but I don't think I'd publicly try to start getting him recruited unless the JUCO coach says something and is on board with it.   It seems premature to be talking about this before he has even played a JUCO game...but that's just my thought.  My son's mid-major had some JUCO kids come in....but none were after their freshman year....they all had played 2 years

This is a good topic. My son had college hours out of HS, went D1, didn't like the fit, left and went JUCO after covid year. So, he was freshman again, but academically a sophomore. He wanted to leave after one year JUCO due to academic, and graduating with an associates degree. Coaches were no help , but he did land at another D1 and we didn't have to worry about a whole year of lost academic hours. If you start at a JUCO, and have no dual credit hours from HS, i'm sure the two years JUCO is an easier sale. Just my .02

Our coach told our guys it was extremely hard to get an offers after one year.  I know McLennan had at least one leave last year after one year to a 4 year and I think San Jac did as well.  We have one hitter this year that might be able to pull it off.  For 99% of JUCO kids it is going to be a 2 year deal. 

If you do want to transfer after one year, I'd email coaches during the Spring season.  I don't see any point in it now as nothing has changed except you've been at a JUCO for four months.  Also know that your HC is going to find out and he may or may not be happy about it.     

@DanJ posted:

@Buckeye 2015  I agree with and appreciate everything you've said.  But it's hard to ignore that - if things go as hoped - my kid will be committed to his 4-year a year (or less) from now.  When viewed through that lens, it's hard to swallow feeling anything as premature.  I realize it's not the same as recruiting in HS, but recruiting with Juco ball to a 4-year seems like so much more of a mad dash.  HS to college looks more like a marathon, but Juco to 4-year is a sprint.  I get it, but it's hard to wrap your head around that when the HS recruiting process still is so fresh.  How do you turn off the sense of urgency?  Patience is hard!

I think one reason that it's quicker for the Juco/D1 process than it is for HS/college is that after a year of Juco, D1 (or D2 or D3) coaches can see how a kid did against college competiition instead of how he did against HS kids.   A senior in HS is obviously "the man" among boys when it comes to HS....he could be 18 competing against 15 and 16 year olds.   Once you get to JUCO they are on an equal playiing field as far as age/talent.   If a kid does well as a JUCO freshman, a D1 coach has a lot more reason to feel he can/can't compete at the college level.  A stud at the JC level is going to be able to move up and play in most cases and D1 coaches are always looking for an experienced college player over an incoming freshman or even a sophomore with no PT as a freshman

Many times when you see a freshman leave a juco after 1 year for a 4yr school it was the 4 yr school coach that "placed" the player at the juco.  Often uncovered a late bloomer and did not have any money left...sent the juco a good player for one year until money opened up...In that scenario the player has to be a full academic qualifier out of HS....

@d-mac wrote, “also know that your HC will find out and he may or may not be happy about it.”

I can clear up any questions about that one. If your son is a major contributor to the team the HC WILL NOT be happy about it. He might even do something to prevent it from happening. It’s very rare that a player leaves a JuCo after one year without bridges being burned. JuCo HCs expect recruited players to be with them for 2 years. To them it’s part of the commitment they make when they extend a scholarship offer. So from their perspective any optics that make it seem like a player is trying to leave after one year really pisses them off. I’m talking about things like Dad trying to get the recruiting process started early - which would not be well received and could result in punitive actions towards the player. I will give you 2 real life examples that occurred with schools in Region 5. At a well known JuCo near the Red River a kid wasn’t happy with his lack of playing time and how he was treated. So he told his mom about it. Mom decided to call coaches at 4 year schools that had recruited her son to kick the tires. One of those coaches called the JuCo HC and told him about the call from mom. The kid was kicked off the team bus (and off the team) the next day - in front of all his teammates This happened a few years ago. But a few weeks ago a HS kid that I coach (and helped place) at a top Texas JuCo almost got in hot water with his soon to be JuCo HC over this unlikely series of events. The kids family moved to a different (better) school district and this kid found himself at a new HS for his senior year. Coincidentally this HS got a new baseball HC over the summer as well. New baseball coach sees kid I coach for the first time and tries to play hero. Calls the RC at a low level D1 and promotes this kid even though it’s widely known what JuCo the kid has committed to. Seems somewhat innocent to most parents. But to most coaches it’s not an innocent move at all - it’s tampering with a committed recruit. What HS coach didn’t know was the D1 RC he called was a former player at the same JuCo in question. Former player calls his old JuCo coach and says you aren’t gonna believe the call I just got. JuCo HC got pissed and I got a phone call telling me that if Jack doesn’t want to be here we don’t need him. Took me an evening to clean up that mess and I still have a few words for the HS HC when our paths cross. The point boils down to this : Baseball at the college level is a small world and coaches talk to one another about almost everything. Anything that takes on the appearance of a JuCo player wanting to leave early (after one year) will be viewed negatively and could result in punitive action toward the player. JuCo players (and their parents) have to realize that their HC can HELP them more than anyone else. But he can also HURT them more than anyone else. Four year coaches call JuCo coaches all the time about players. Parents (and sometimes players) aren’t in the loop and don’t ever hear about it. So they think nothing is going on and want to shift back into HS recruiting mode. Don’t do it!!! Just because you aren’t up to speed on what’s happening doesn’t mean that nothing is happening.

@julio   does the JUCO have a moving on page?

This will provide you with an understanding of where the school normally sends their players.

Pbr Juco will be another source of information.

We've just released a JUCO Pipeline Insights feature, which can help you figure out how successful your school is with their placement of players by division, school and position .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFuIV8sXZL4

@julio

@adbono said it all. I would be very careful in going outside the standard protocol of the JUCO with respects to potential placement.

IMHO, your son should be working with coaches, if your son is consider a valuable contributor that can play at certain institutions at the next level, the coach should be communicating the current status of the recruiting process.

Your son and the family just need to verify based on past results if their is a pipeline to the schools that your son is interested in.

Note, the collegiate summer league where your son was placed by the coach(?)  should give your son a feel as to his potential value to the coach.

Julio

what are his Fall stats? Will he be a “impact” player to help his team win?

he will need “transferable” credits. Has he played ‘18 and under in the summer? Did he play in a summer College League? Any pro scout info?

Bob