Son wants to ask coach how long the process will take

fielder, if your son is an '08 I see no problem at all. The sooner he understands the college's position on his recruitment the better. Not suggesting this is the case with your son but most coaches have interest in multiple players to fill one slot and are "waiting" until their #1 choice lets them know his intentions before moving to the next player(s). Stay proactive and keep other options open if possible because anything can happen during his recruitment.
Fungo

quote:

Originally posted by Fungo:
but most coaches have interest in multiple players to fill one slot and are "waiting" until their #1 choice lets them know his intentions before moving to the next player(s). Stay proactive and keep other options open if possible because anything can happen during his recruitment.
Fungo

Very Good points Fungo,

Most coaches we spoke to were upfront (to a certain degree), and let Son know where he was in their recruiting process when we asked. Keep in mind just because u are not their current # 1 that it doesn't mean u are not an important recruit. Their #1 could be rated higher or they have more history with (seen him multiple times) and have a greater comfort level. They may also want to see u perform a few more times to make sure u fit into their program, where they think u do. It does the school and the recruit no good to not do their homework on each other.

both posts good insight.
Keep all doors open if they are of interest. We let the ones we wern't interested know but the others don't burn the bridges.
my son's 1st choice recruited him heavily and after months never made an offer. elected to go with a transfer from JC to fill out their pitching. I wish looking back that I had asked if they were going to make an offer.
My opinion is that if you can't get a LI from them move on. I also understand after looking back at what motivated them. It was a year of trying to get to the next level that year after going to the regionals the year before. They preferred experience that recruiting year.
Don't let it drag out and keep some options open.

quote:

by fielder: just wants to ask the school he really wants to attend how long the process for a verbal commit to take. Any thoughts on whether it's okay to just ask the coach what their timeline is on recruiting him

that's a tough call ... I don't really agree there is much value in pressing for an answer ...

basicly your question has to be
"when can I expect an offer"?(so I can commit)

since they didn't just "overlook or forget" your offer ..
their answer will be something vague & you'll still be at square 1 - wondering

best work on a plan B while hoping that plan A falls into place

Vague answer is an answer. Not the one you want but it tells you they are not prepared to commit yet.

quote:

by bbhddl: Vague answer is an answer. Not the one you want but it tells you they are not prepared to commit yet.

lol, I'll agree -

but, by virtue of the fact that in the original post said that "they had NOT made an offer" ...
ya already knew "they are not prepared to commit yet" (to the player) - nothing new there


now ... he COULD say -

"if I (we) don't get an offer soon, we're moving on"
that response will sure tell ya where you stand
but you might be sawing off the branch you're standing on

for all but a handful of players each yr recruiting follows the coach's pace & NOT the player's or parents .. that's just how it is

that's why a plan B is so important



ps - there IS another stategy that's rarely used

call a repoter and announce your verbal commitment implying you had a great offer in the write-up.

I don't recommend it tho

In our case we told the coach that we were heading to FL to some tryouts which was true. He reacted by saying he wanted to talk to a ML scout who had seen my son. I told him I would get a scout to talk to hi as we were attending acamp in 3 days. Son had 2 innings and struck out 3 and grounded out 3. The scout apparently told the coach that his best years were ahead of him. I found it strange because this scout with the Royals also had an Elite 18U ball club that mys on had just crushed closing 3 innings with 8 Ks and a ground out. I really thought he would say something really great. I would have had a a Pirates scout talk to him who loves him. The coach called and said he decided to go with the JC transfer. They had a terrible year and an even worse one last year.
Point being it did get a reaction and that is why I suggested it might push him into telling you where you stood. As I said I should have done it sooner. It left us scrambling but our second choice came through and we are happy with this situation.
We had alternative plans and even had my son's application to a D2 accepted with student # and it was the largest scholarship offer. The D2 was a great academic school but there shedule was too short and the weather was brutal.
Have several options if possible. we also had a JC that gave us an open door if things didn't work out with any schoolswe were talking to. we were even prepared to sit out a year and showcase if the right opportunity didn't come along. Whats the hurry ? Take a year earn some money and showcase. The clock starts when you sign witha post secondary institute so why settle for a college that you don't really want.

IMO, a player should never consider not attending college the first year. College baseball is about going to college. This shows a coach that going to school was the last thing on your mind, you either weren't college ball material or you were too picky. A player has to be either practicing, conditioning or playing regularly to keep up with the HS players he will have to compete with the following year. If one doesn't make the early signing period, then time to get to work on Plan B, which would include a productive/meaningful senior fall, showcases, unofficial visits, during your senior year.

There is a place for everyone that has the desire to play beyond HS. Unfortunetly and in most cases your first choice will not necessarily be where you end up playing or going to school. And chances are, that many will not make the early signing period, but that's ok, because you technically have plenty of time until the right opportunity comes around, maybe not until next spring. Don't ever compromise because you think your son HAS to sign in the fall, once your son signs that NLI, that's it. But don't ever consider holding up your education because you didn't get to sign an NLI.

Anyone ever look at the 2007 signee thread? Lots of players signing in the spring.

We just heard of two '07 players who signed this month!

That's a good question but I THINK the clock starts ticking only when you set foot on any field, not in the classroom.

quote:

Bobblehead - i think the term for what you mentioned is a "gap" year. i can understand where for some kids, this might be an option. If enrollment at a post-secondary institution starts the clock ticking, is that only if the student participates in a collegiate sport at that institution? in other words, what about the high school kids who have dual enrollment in high school and are taking a class through a community college or university while in h.s.?

The closk starts as soon as you enroll in a post secondary school at any level and not when you start playing a sport.
The gap year as you call it would have meant playing ball at a very high level and a heavy work out scheduel as well. he would not have slacked off but would have worked and gone to showcases as well as some JC and college camps. His DVD and academics would get him a shot during the gap year. He had open invites to several FL schools all he had to do was tell the coach who had already seen his DVD he was coming.
Yes my son is too picky. His attitude is he only gets 4 years to play ball and he wants to go to a great location.

quote:

by bbhddl: The clock starts as soon as you enroll in a post secondary school at any level and not when you start playing a sport

that's correct w/clarification ...

the clock starts when you begin classes the AFTER graduating HS, whether an athlete or not. even if a hs grad picks some early credits before fall I believe they let that slide, but it wouldn't really matter as the clock will run out in June & there are no college summer sports

college credit classes during HS won't start the clock & (technicaly) enrollment often takes place many months before arriving on campus



hope that helps

My son took an extra year in HS because he wanted to play basketball one more year. They travelled to Vegas and Arizona for some games. he actually dropped HS BB that year and he worked part time as well. His old basketball coach is now the coach for a 4A school in BullsHead Arizona.
If we didn't get the offer we wanted , my son would have played a high level senior ball full of college players and ex MLB players. He would have worked out with an Elite team and gone to a local gym that he uses. He had a friend who plays in the minors and he would also workout with him and the team he coaches all winter. There were lots of good options while he searched for a college. We actually did very little except send DVDs and emails. Thye only school he visited was in Vegas on one of his trips during the quiet period. He was getting offers from coaches who never saw him live.
I know for a fact thyat gap year wouldn't hurt his chances and believe it would have helped.

Go ahead and go to an open house at the school. Let the coach know that you will be there. Go ahead and apply. It may cost $35 - $50 but after your son is accepted it will show the coach some commitment to the school. Once a student has been accepted at several schools it opens up some choices. Especially if some coaches are sitting on the fence but several others are making offers.

quote:

Originally posted by Tom R:
Go ahead and go to an open house at the school. Let the coach know that you will be there. Go ahead and apply. It may cost $35 - $50 but after your son is accepted it will show the coach some commitment to the school. Once a student has been accepted at several schools it opens up some choices. Especially if some coaches are sitting on the fence but several others are making offers.

I may be naive, but I don't think a coach is going to base his decision on you applying or not applying unless he specifically ask u too (i.e D-3).

I think it varies by recruit and what schools are recruiting you. I know some schools wanted all application information sent through athletic department, so it could be reviewed and walked over to admissions officer that handles athlete admission. One reason to apply early at some schools is (early admission) required fewer if any essays (very important in my Son's eyes).

Tom R


Your point is well taken

Example: we had a player last year who had been accepted to three great schools of his choice but he could not decide which one he w3anted and he wanted to play ball as well---I asked him to make a decision for me--he did --I called the coach and discussed the player with him--they had lost track of him thinking he wasnt interested---knowing the player had been accepted was a big plus---within 30 minutes he called the boy--within a few hours the boy called back telling me it was a done deal and he had a nice financial package to boot