To Share or Not to Share Interested Schools

The baseball community is a small world. Be honest. Coaches talk. They find out most everything. Being honest can speed up a counter offer. Do not bluff/lie.

In our area, the recruiters/coaches seem to be on friendly terms and I've been told they typically share info/thoughts on the better recruits throughout the recruiting process. This is what I have heard. If a player is nationally recruited, of course, this would not pertain to them.

If a coach asks what other schools are interested you should tell him.  Withholding information like that cant help you and it CAN hurt you.  It can be off-putting to the coach that is asking.

I know it's an awkward question, but they all ask it and I don't think it does you good to withhold information.  As others have said, the coaching circle is small, so they're going to find out, if they don't know already.  Better they hear it from you.

Be honest and know that schools you mention to other coaches, when they ask of course, could mean many things to a coach. For example, my son received a very strong offer from a D2 school and then let coaches know that his recruiting status had changed. Son very quickly received return calls/texts asking which school had offered. That got things moving quickly and other offers and invitations to visit the campus and head coach followed.

Prior to any offers, coaches also asked my son who he was "talking to." Son was honest and specifically indicated a couple of the schools and coaches by name and then finished with "and also a couple of others."

Above all else, be honest with the coaches. As others have said, most of these guys know each other and talk. Good Luck 

Great feedback and perspective from all who have replied, thank you!

MidAtlanticDad posted:

IMO, your son is taking the high road, and there are ways for him to do that without hurting himself too much. Something like... "I'm talking to other D1 programs, and I do have offers, but I don't think those other coaches would want me repeating our conversations."

"Standard" these days is to answer the question directly and honestly (naming names). At this point, I think all coaches expect you to talk to other schools about what they've offered you. In some cases it's playing offers against each other. In other cases it's a negotiation, and the coach asking the questions needs to know what it's going to take to sign you.

I agree with MidAtlantic Dad.  Your son is taking the high road with his response.  The coach is asking the question because he wants to know if your son knows what he is doing, and what value he is bringing to the market.  He also wants to know what schools he is competing against.  Replying with the above doesn't put you at a disadvantage or give away too much information.   My son typically responded with a similar answer and he would include the names of the conferences for the schools that were offering or interested in him (ie..Ivy, Patriot, CAA, A10, NESCAC) as this would better clue the coach what my son was looking for.

IMO its not about taking the high road (or not) - its about whether you want to make a deal or play the game.  If you are ready to make a deal then its absolutely appropriate to share information about other offers on the table.  Speaking from my own experience, I find it off-putting when I ask a kid who is talking to him and I get a vague answer.  On the flip side, I appreciate the honesty when a kid will say, "I have offers from A & B, and they have offered me this & that.  But I am interested in your school too, so if you can make a similar offer I will consider it." At that point the school has enough information to make a decision about how bad they want the player (or not) - and the player has enough information to make a choice. 

My son and I agreed to openly share who he is talking to, who he visited and who has offered to anyone.  And also agreed to never talk about the amount/type/structure/timeline of an offer.  And that is still what we do.

I have also taught my son that there are people in the world who "share" information and those who "take" information without sharing information with you.  Never trust the second group.

We would share who we had talked to and who had made offer but not the offer itself.  Sharing the amount of the offer can help or hurt you and you must make the choice.  It was interesting that most of them knew who we were being recruited by before we told them but every now and then they were surprised.  i believe that also made them more intrigued.  When the SEC offer came in, several of the other P5 schools upped theirs tremendously.  We did not tell them but they knew it within minutes.  So the circle is small when you really get down to it.  I believe it also played a part that my son's travel team had connections at several P5 schools that were recruiting him so when they found out he was getting offered from SEC school they contacted their coaching friends and the word spread fast.  We never shared the amount but did confirm that he had been offered by UT.

I would answer honestly....if you're "talking to" other schools, tell them, but also say something along the lines of "but I am really interested in your program".  If he has offers, tell them you have offers...but don't say what.....and again, "but I am still very interested in discussing your program with you if you feel I'd be a fit". 

I agree with most of the posts above, be honest, it's a small community and they are going to find out anyway. 

But PLEASE don't let your son post all his offers on social media!  drives me crazy to see that " blessed to have received my 35th offer from "state U".

pabaseballdad posted:

I agree with most of the posts above, be honest, it's a small community and they are going to find out anyway. 

But PLEASE don't let your son post all his offers on social media!  drives me crazy to see that " blessed to have received my 35th offer from "state U".

 

 

Tell them. 

Just don't be "brag-a-docious"...

Honesty, as stated above. Coaches want a player who can contribute to their program...put ego in check! Forget the twitter, FB, instagram, snapchat, etc!   

If asked directly, be honest.  I think in general it is good to be honest in the recruiting process.  Baseball is such a small world, and these coaches all talk to each other.

if you are 6'1" don't say you are 6'2"

if you run a 7.3 60 and you expect to run a 6.9 by the time you hit a showcase in 6 months, tell them that exactly, what you are working towards, but be honest about the best you've run

and if they ask who else has offered you, tell them.  If they don't ask, nobody needs to know....

I would share because it can confirm what level recruit they think you are and that you have other options. 

As some have alluded to, they know, and if they don't know, they will know.  I also agree that I wouldn't tell them what the offer particulars are, but you aren't going to hurt anything by telling them when they ask.