Verbal Commitments Already???

Mom, Many times, the kids that verbal this early are expected to be high round draft picks. That is one reason a kid would go ahead, because he doesn't want to deal with colleges calling. Son had a teammate that last summer who verbaled on June 30. Another scenario is a kid that wants to go to a particular college no matter what - there's no other program, amount of money, coach, etc. that would pull them away - so they commit. I've always wondered about the intelligence of doing this - but I guess in certain situations it can make sense.

One of the top RHP in NC has already verbally committed to Clemson.

JT,
I think, not sure, almost all of Clemson's 06 recruits have committed.
A committment so early to a school is a signal for other schools to stop calling the recruit. Ours committed september after visiting Clemson, he just wanted the phone calls to stop, he knew already where he wanted to go.
One of the reasons why parents should do their homework (with their son of course) in their junior year.
College programs begin this month, many coaches want to be ready to get back to their school routine and not worry about recruiting.
And as stated, many of these verbals come from many players who are blue chip players and have a choice early on to attend the school of their dreams.

Attending alot of Junior Days and unofficial visits to college campuses and meeting the coaching staff as a Junior, are extremely helpful in narrowing choices. I don't think some people realize how important the summer BEFORE the Junior year is as far as getting noticed and getting recruiting letters and Junior Day invites from the schools in the Fall and Spring. There's alot of information out there the schools can offer to help in decision making early.

It's only 100 days until the early signing period. It may seem early, but most of the major programs will have much of their money committed at this point.
It's certainly not time to make a bad decision out of haste, but in reality you are in prime time if your son is a potential D1 recruit.

Counting days scares me--why you doing that?

The only verbal commitment I have made is to my coaches, parents, and teachers to get my darn grades up. Chemistry sucks

Is it fair to say that the bigger the program the earlier you need to commit, otherwise they move on to the next guy on their list?

I've heard coaches say that once they make an offer the timeline for acceptance will be limited, so they don't lose choice B if you decide to go elsewhere.

Others have said that waiting for more offers will build leverage. Any feedback from those of you who have already been through this with your 05's or earlier is appreciated.

It's really relative to the players skill level, how much they want the player and what if any agreement you might have made with them.

For instance, if you say we've narrowed it to 3 schools you're our first visit and we owe it to ourselves and them to visit. We'll get back to you on 15 September and they say OK, then that's an agreement to wait. But if you say, well we want to keep our options open and we're not sure -- then that more non-committal and they likely since they better not waste any more time on you.

Bottom Line, no your bargaining position in advance (what schools are interested) and what you want in advance (academics, playing time, location etc.) -- do your homework.

If you have these things figured in advance you'll be in position to negotiate and be honest -- if so they are more likely to wait.

NC Dad, I found first of all, that all coaches appreciate honesty on the recruit's part. As long as the kid is honest and states that they are meeting with other schools and just aren't sure, coaches will usually hold the offer for awhile. Most coaches can tell you their timeline or when they have to have an answer. IMO, coaches do not look highly on their peers that pressure a player into making a decision, although I'm sure there are some that use this technique. Most coaches want a player to truly want to come to their program, not feel pressured into doing so.

Great Post lafmom...Found value/truth in this on a variety of levels...Good advice.

We did it that way with the colleges ...

... during the early visits, we told all of them that our son wanted to make is decision, if at all possible, by "X" date. It was a date well ahead of the NLI signing date and none of them had any problem with that decision, even if they had to wait an extra 6 weeks after making their offer.

Were up front about it at the initial meetings in July/August. The decision date would be on or before "Month/Day". Out son got the opportunity to do his homework and complete his planned visits without additional pressure.

We gave a date that my son would make his decision by mid october then he changed it to mid september. All were willing to wait, not that some schools didn't put on more pressure than others. You will find that they appreciate the timeline. If they say they can't wait, then I say, oh well, don't wait. Never make a decision based on panic mode.
I agree with the wording, saying, "I want to leave my options open", being interpreted as, "I may not be interested enough in your program" or, "I am awaiting my fav school to offer me', or "if you want me offer me a better scholarship".

On the other hand if you have been awaiting a call that doesn't seem to come (and there was intrest), do not hesitate to call the coach up and ask what is going on. They are not going to call every recruit to tell them they picked someone else, (remember the A,B,C player scenerio). Some will, but most won't, then you get an idea of where you stand and where you have to go from there. They will not perceive it as being pushy (your son can make the call).
In another board there is a discussion regarding dad hurting the players chances of being recruited. This is a completely different scenerio. If a coach has called every week for weeks, and stopped calling, you might assume their A player said yes first. However, you might call and get an answer like, "so sorry been traveling and fallen behind in my phone calls, had a family issue come up,etc". Don't be afraid to ask, they are human and generally very nice guys!

It's hard to make the call based on the thought of rejection. However, I would prefer that my son knew instead of ASSUMING.
And although ours had a chance to go play in a lot of places, he did get passed over by a few schools. He may be a good player, but that didn't mean he fit into their program.

quote:

Attending alot of Junior Days and unofficial visits to college campuses and meeting the coaching staff as a Junior, are extremely helpful in narrowing choices. I don't think some people realize how important the summer BEFORE the Junior year is as far as getting noticed and getting recruiting letters and Junior Day invites from the schools in the Fall and Spring. There's alot of information out there the schools can offer to help in decision making early.

Man awesome statement!!! Sometimes you scratch your head with a few guys you wonder why they are highly covented. You speak to the parents and you find out not only does the sons have some talent but the parents are wonderful promoters.

penja,
Yes a very good suggestion, but some don't get invites.
Another one, if you can't make junior day, try to get your player to one of the season games of a school that he is intrested in. Gives a great perspective.

My son is a rising senior and just committed to a major D1 program. In today's world, the recruiting process starts very early and competition for the top prospects is intense. In my son's case, schools started recruiting him after his freshman season. After two years of questionnaires, emails and unofficial visits, believe me he was ready to make a decision. This year for the first time coaches were allowed one phone call to juniors during the month of March. There were nights when he would get 3-4 calls and be on the phone for several hours. While this can be very flattering, it can also become a distraction. Don't get me wrong, he feels very fortunate and is very appreciative of the interest he received, but he is also relieved that the recuiting process is behind him.

quote:

penja,
Yes a very good suggestion, but some don't get invites.
Another one, if you can't make junior day, try to get your player to one of the season games of a school that he is intrested in. Gives a great perspective

Totally agree. I should have stated that a letter to the colleges shows interest shows early maturity IMO.

wncbb,
Congratulations to your son.

The recruiting process is beginning earlier and ending earlier as well. I have seen a change even since my son first started receiving letters.

TPM:

You have a PM

Here's an interesting article on "quick decisions"...from Student Sports, part of Area Code.... I see much truth in the pressure to verbal earlier & earlier...Don't agree, but it is a reality...And often these recruiters then place a "price tag" on the kids head in relation to pro scouting or the draft, so best to do one's homework before making a verbal...

http://ssbaseball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=347180

baseballmom,
Great article, and oh so true.
Too bad it can't be like football, these kids get months to decide where they want to go, take all of their visits and it's big news!

IMO the early verbals these days are due to the heightened awareness of college recruiting and players who are narrowing their Top choices at an earlier age. My son verballed in mid-July last year and never had regrets. He (& parents ) had been looking at college and baseball programs across the country since freshman year. It helped to have been very proactive in contacting coaches to see where the interest was mutual. So it was a no-brainer for him when his #1 made an offer after July 1st. I know it doesn't always happen this way and my son was fortunate. But, I can't stress enough how important it is for HS players to do your school research well in advance and not let the emotions of the Junior summer take over. Players need to evaluate whether they truly have the skills to play at the college level and then go and find the program where there is a mutual interested. Don't wait until Senior year to learn that all of your dream schools on your list have no interest. I suggest that players constantly add and delete schools all during HS based on direct feedback from coaches, along with your research of their academics and baseball programs.

So, get your name out there early and often. Give as many schools as possible an opportunity to hear about you and see you play before they make their roster decisions come July 1st. Knowing the pros & cons of a program is important so that you have more to compare than just $'s. Good Luck to all the '06 players & parents out there. It's an exciting time!

Is it true that colleges can now call in march of the junior year????

quote:

Originally posted by mrmom:
Is it true that colleges can now call in march of the junior year????

Yes, The school can make phone contact once during the Month of March. The next phone contact can not be until July 1.