Just as we got this summer lined up for my 2020 grad, recruiting rules changed. We had planned for this summer to be his “recruiting summer”, but now I can’t figure out what will change. How will this impact his summer? We still have the same schedule planned, but can he no longer expect to (potentially) receive calls after a showcase or tournament? I’m so confused! Help! 
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Mine is a 2021 so I’m not quite in the same boat but I am interested in how this plays out as well for the majority of 2020’s this summer. I say majority because some of the highest rated sophomores have been in contact and been on several visits prior to the rule change.
Based on what I’ve seen posted here, not much really changes except that you can’t visit with coaches on an unofficial visit. There’s another thread on it that goes into more detail.
http://community.hsbaseballweb...ruiting-rule-changes
I think there is value in visiting the campus, getting a feel for the campus, student life etc. but I can definitely see how it might change people’s plans.
Your son can still call coaches. Interested coaches will have his cell number passed to your son for him to call. That did not change. For a 2020, they are a rising junior in about a month. Couple months later and they can go to the schools and talk to the coach, if invited.
So play the best competition you can, preferably in the part of the country your son wants to play in, and enjoy!
We’ve purposely stayed out of the fray. Only started travel ball at 14u. I had no idea that there were championship rings for kids until literally last week. Just developing the boy mentally, academically. Had to take fall off due to illness, so he’s not where he had hoped to be weight-wise. Now Im scared we waited too long considering this rule change. Were coaches not allowed to contact him normally this summer anyway?? Maybe I’m over thinking. He has always been told that he’s a very solid intelligent player. We shall see!! It’s gettung REAL!
They wouldn’t have been able to call him this summer anyway. The most they could is ask him to tour the facilities if your tournament was played at that college (no longer an option) or contact your travel coach and ask him to have your son call (still ok as far as I can tell). Offers can be made over the phone but at that point you would want to see the college if you hadn’t. Sept. 1 isn’t long after summer ends. I do wonder if there will still be a lot of offers or if they hold off for the Sept. 1 date.
Thanks, I wonder as well!
I have a 2020. The only thing I see that really changed is no talking to the player during/after the camp about recruiting stuff, and no UV during 10th grade, but that's almost over for the 2020's. So it really doesn't change the 2020's plan for summer.
The key thing is, your son is not being put at a competitive disadvantage vis a vis the other 2020 players out there. Everyone is in the same boat. So, everyone can just focus on playing over the summer, and come Sept. 1, you'll get some indication of whether coaches think you're a hot commodity or whether things might take longer to develop.
I would add, the idea that summer following sophomore year is the "recruiting summer" is a VERY recent development and it's exactly the trend that the rule aims to reverse. It wasn't that long ago that if you were committed before Christmas of your junior year, you were one of the top 25 guys in the U.S. Now look where we are.
I've always been one to say that there's nothing wrong with early commitments as long as everyone's done their homework and is prepared to make a binding decision. (Technically not binding but realistically should be treated as such.) But at this point, I do think it's gotten out of hand. Younger and younger guys are making decisions on more and more immature bases. This was supposed to be limited to truly exceptional players, with the mainstream guys allowed to show repeatedly and the coaches having a fuller opportunity to evaluate them and possibly to appreciate late bloomers. Now it's become a "keeping up with the Joneses" thing -- and a point of competition among parents.
The rule change turns the clock back maybe 3 years at most. Everyone can live with this, just the way everyone used to. If my son were a 2020 or younger, I'd feel relieved to know that we had more time to see where son stacks up (athletically and academically) and to let him change his mind the inevitable half-dozen times before he has to make a real decision. Also, the extra time will reduce the risk that the coaches he felt comfortable with may not be there by the time he shows up on campus.
That process of feeling sure of one school, then changing your mind, then changing it back or again, is actually very healthy. These teenagers should be given time to sort this all out. All the more so in this day and age, when teenagers are probably less experienced in making adult decisions than any prior generation.
Midlo Dad posted:The key thing is, your son is not being put at a competitive disadvantage vis a vis the other 2020 players out there. Everyone is in the same boat. So, everyone can just focus on playing over the summer, and come Sept. 1, you'll get some indication of whether coaches think you're a hot commodity or whether things might take longer to develop.
I would add, the idea that summer following sophomore year is the "recruiting summer" is a VERY recent development and it's exactly the trend that the rule aims to reverse. It wasn't that long ago that if you were committed before Christmas of your junior year, you were one of the top 25 guys in the U.S. Now look where we are.
I've always been one to say that there's nothing wrong with early commitments as long as everyone's done their homework and is prepared to make a binding decision. (Technically not binding but realistically should be treated as such.) But at this point, I do think it's gotten out of hand. Younger and younger guys are making decisions on more and more immature bases. This was supposed to be limited to truly exceptional players, with the mainstream guys allowed to show repeatedly and the coaches having a fuller opportunity to evaluate them and possibly to appreciate late bloomers. Now it's become a "keeping up with the Joneses" thing -- and a point of competition among parents.
The rule change turns the clock back maybe 3 years at most. Everyone can live with this, just the way everyone used to. If my son were a 2020 or younger, I'd feel relieved to know that we had more time to see where son stacks up (athletically and academically) and to let him change his mind the inevitable half-dozen times before he has to make a real decision. Also, the extra time will reduce the risk that the coaches he felt comfortable with may not be there by the time he shows up on campus.
That process of feeling sure of one school, then changing your mind, then changing it back or again, is actually very healthy. These teenagers should be given time to sort this all out. All the more so in this day and age, when teenagers are probably less experienced in making adult decisions than any prior generation.
I agree with you 100% that the younger commits are not in the best interest of these kids. That being said....
Early commits have been the rapidly growing trend, and these rules are not likely to stop the trend. The new rules appear to be a compromise among all the various opinions of the coaches, and they ended up accomplishing nothing but giving the schools more of the upper hand.
If they wanted to truly change the early commit trend, they would've banned all contact and offers. They didn't. All they did was give the schools even more advantage. Schools can go see kids, and even still make offers when the kid arranges to call. However, the kid now has to make his decision based on less info than previously since he's prohibited from unofficial visits and discussions with the program. Time will tell, but I don't see the early commit trend fading.
I feel the 2021s are the ones in the most limbo because they are the first class who aren't close enough to Jr year to just wait it out. My 2021 has 4 of his travel teammates committed already to D1. We believe this summer after freshman year is still going to be extremely important in pursing top programs. Coaches who bought into the early commit approach and are successful at projecting kids, will not be deterred by these rules.
I think this will help the 2022s and to an extent, the 2021s. I think the 2020s are at a bit of a disadvantage. If you look at the committed pages on 2020s, there are a majority committed through the 500s. A lot of boys have already done UVs and can make a decision if offers come in this summer. Others haven’t, or may not have even been seen by a lot of schools yet. We were in the middle of the process, so my son has been to about half the schools he is talking to. He could make a decision if he’s been there and they see him this summer and decide to offer. The others may be great fits but we will have no idea until we can visit next year. We were hoping to visit two in May and that’s not possible now. Again, don’t think it slows ghings down much. I saw a 2022 announce his commitment yesterday.
Oh. Ok. So I was under the impression that coaches could potentially call him if they wanted to, this summer. Thus far, the only “contact” he’s had has been two “Come to this Showcase” emails/letters from two schools he’s not interested in. Signed him up for the showcase/Combine anyway since there will be other schools there.
I’m wondering if we should back his schedule down a little this summer, and put a couple showcases off until next summer. He JUST got an invite to the PBR Underclass Games in Virginia in June, which of course is a qualifier for Future Games. And there’s Showball. Problem is that he IS interested in high academic schools, and I’ve read that they fill rosters early.
We’ve visited ZERO schools other than a self-guided William and Mary visit with an alumni friend.
OR, should we STILL go all out and then ALSO go all out next summer? Or do off-season showcases in Fall/Winter??
What would you do?
Coaches will be out watching 2020s and 2021s. Don't change any plans. As stated there are only a few changes and they won't really affect your son.
I would start now with a list of programs that would be a good fit for your son. If it's high academics he is interested in, follow those programs through showcases and tournaments.
SchollySearchn posted:Oh. Ok. So I was under the impression that coaches could potentially call him if they wanted to, this summer. Thus far, the only “contact” he’s had has been two “Come to this Showcase” emails/letters from two schools he’s not interested in. Signed him up for the showcase/Combine anyway since there will be other schools there.
I’m wondering if we should back his schedule down a little this summer, and put a couple showcases off until next summer. He JUST got an invite to the PBR Underclass Games in Virginia in June, which of course is a qualifier for Future Games. And there’s Showball. Problem is that he IS interested in high academic schools, and I’ve read that they fill rosters early.
We’ve visited ZERO schools other than a self-guided William and Mary visit with an alumni friend.
OR, should we STILL go all out and then ALSO go all out next summer? Or do off-season showcases in Fall/Winter??
What would you do?
I would not change plans. The coaches cannot directly call your son, but they can call his travel coach and ask that he call them. That will typically happen after a showcase or tournament if they see him and are interested. He can start a dialogue and get a feel for the coach and the program, and if he likes that can think about visiting after September 1. I agree with going to camps or showcases at schools that fit your son's ability and that he is interested in. A good way to be seen. If he is looking stronger in the Fall than he was in Summer, definitely do a few showcases to update his stats.
Parent of an uncommitted 2020 LHP here. My son and I have been planning a full summer of travel tournaments, showcases, and college camps. These new rules will not change his plans. The camps especially seem to be his best avenue still to experience "unofficially" the school, campus, and coaches even if no actual recruiting occurs. If my son was a 2021 or younger, however, I'd like to think I would encourage him to focus more time and money on training/development instead.
The earlier trending of the D1 recruiting timeline (at least up until the rule changes) seemed to be more accelerated in some parts of the country than others, so I'd consider that, too when making a plan. I'll also add that my son has received a few more camp invites in the past week that have included the assistant coach's cell phone in the body of the email... don't recall seeing that as much in the past. Of course, convincing my introverted son to make the call is a whole different challenge!
I am happy now to have had my son take his first SAT as a sophomore. It helps that he scored better than expected, too. One less thing to worry about should he be lucky enough get any OV invites as a junior this fall.
My 2020 son has been emailing a D1 coach for a few months and just got his first reply. The coach said he'd be out/and or one of his assistants watching his game this week. At the bottom, below the coach's name, is his cell #...he never asked him to call however...should he wait til asked to call to actually call? I would think so, but dont want him to miss out because Im not guiding him correctly...thanks
SchollySearchn posted:Just as we got this summer lined up for my 2020 grad, recruiting rules changed. We had planned for this summer to be his “recruiting summer”, but now I can’t figure out what will change. How will this impact his summer? We still have the same schedule planned, but can he no longer expect to (potentially) receive calls after a showcase or tournament? I’m so confused! Help!
A good easy resource site, www.ncsasports.com, explains the changes in simple terms parents and players can understand.
edcoach posted:My 2020 son has been emailing a D1 coach for a few months and just got his first reply. The coach said he'd be out/and or one of his assistants watching his game this week. At the bottom, below the coach's name, is his cell #...he never asked him to call however...should he wait til asked to call to actually call? I would think so, but dont want him to miss out because Im not guiding him correctly...thanks
I don’t “think” the coach is allowed to do that. That said, yes, I would have your son call. He should check their schedule for a night the aren’t playing. Text in the morning with the time he will call. My son usually also texts a 10 minute warning.
TheRightScuff posted:. If my son was a 2021 or younger, however, I'd like to think I would encourage him to focus more time and money on training/development instead.
Can you elaborate on that please? Why the difference in approach for a 2021 as opposed to a 2020?
3and2Fastball posted:TheRightScuff posted:. If my son was a 2021 or younger, however, I'd like to think I would encourage him to focus more time and money on training/development instead.Can you elaborate on that please? Why the difference in approach for a 2021 as opposed to a 2020?
My uneducated guess is that schools will be recruiting fewer rising sophomores this year than in recent years, at least for those kids not ranked super high nationally. So more focus on strength and skill development would hopefully provide a better payoff down the road. Before the rule change, the trend toward earlier and earlier recruiting seemed to be accelerating, putting more push to get more exposure sooner.
I didn't worry at all about my son's exposure as a rising freshman... so he spent half the summer working out (strength training) daily with a group of coaches and players and doing pitcher-specific drills. Marked improvement in both velo and command. I was more concerned about exposure for him as a rising sophomore last summer, and he spent a lot of time at travel tournaments as a P.O. watching more games than he pitched. To be expected for a P.O., but a lot of time missed when we could have been more selfish on his personal development.
That said, I don't regret any of the college camps my son attended as a rising sophomore, even if most may have been 'cash grabs' for the schools. They were very helpful to him to learn about what's out there. He saw D1, D2, D3, JC, and NAIA schools and/or coaches... exactly zero offers, but that wasn't the point. He gained good experience to hopefully help him eventually make a more informed decision.
Midlo Dad posted:The key thing is, your son is not being put at a competitive disadvantage vis a vis the other 2020 players out there. Everyone is in the same boat. So, everyone can just focus on playing over the summer, and come Sept. 1, you'll get some indication of whether coaches think you're a hot commodity or whether things might take longer to develop.
I would add, the idea that summer following sophomore year is the "recruiting summer" is a VERY recent development and it's exactly the trend that the rule aims to reverse. It wasn't that long ago that if you were committed before Christmas of your junior year, you were one of the top 25 guys in the U.S. Now look where we are.
I've always been one to say that there's nothing wrong with early commitments as long as everyone's done their homework and is prepared to make a binding decision. (Technically not binding but realistically should be treated as such.) But at this point, I do think it's gotten out of hand. Younger and younger guys are making decisions on more and more immature bases. This was supposed to be limited to truly exceptional players, with the mainstream guys allowed to show repeatedly and the coaches having a fuller opportunity to evaluate them and possibly to appreciate late bloomers. Now it's become a "keeping up with the Joneses" thing -- and a point of competition among parents.
The rule change turns the clock back maybe 3 years at most. Everyone can live with this, just the way everyone used to. If my son were a 2020 or younger, I'd feel relieved to know that we had more time to see where son stacks up (athletically and academically) and to let him change his mind the inevitable half-dozen times before he has to make a real decision. Also, the extra time will reduce the risk that the coaches he felt comfortable with may not be there by the time he shows up on campus.
That process of feeling sure of one school, then changing your mind, then changing it back or again, is actually very healthy. These teenagers should be given time to sort this all out. All the more so in this day and age, when teenagers are probably less experienced in making adult decisions than any prior generation.
I'm not so sure it put recruiting back to how it was three years ago. Time will tell. Take ten/fifteen of the top programs. Look up the number of recruits by month and compare year over year. I don't think it will change.
But it did reduce the information a kid will have about a school and vice versa. It did put more pressure on a kid starting his Junior year, when the pressure to visit multiple schools and make a decision will be at the same time that school is starting. Might not be that big of a deal for a kid with multiple options in a population/college dense area. But how about that kid in Reno, Nv?
Guess the coaches can watch and see how they get off the bus. This also moves more information funnelled through the Travel coach.
