What is the JUCO recruiting timeline

My son reached out to several d1 juco programs in mid summer before his senior year. Sent an intro email with video and metrics. One immediately called saying they were going to be needing his position. After that son would update them, but never really got much response other than one word replies. Come October, they offered a full scholarship without ever seeing him play in person and were ready to send him the paperwork to sign in Nov. He asked to visit and meet in person first, but he ended up signing soon after. My son did reach out to other d1/d2 juco programs in the late summer/early fall and some of those jucos responded that they had already finished recruiting. He had reached out to the nearest D1 juco program during his HS junior year, but never heard anything.

Son used College Baseball Insights to help determine which programs have a good history of placing players into D1 programs. I think it's very useful to be evaluated though, so you don't waste your time aiming too high as there are many jucos that have developmental programs and playing time is competitive.

Yes, I do think an earlier start would have benefited or at least couldn't hurt, especially for the top tier of juco programs. However, I will say I am glad my son isn't going to a routinely top 10 program because that would make me more nervous about playing time potential.

Sounds like he's a pitcher, so honestly there will be schools that will want him.

My son also had the option to go to a ncaa d2 program, but financially it was better for him to go juco. Some of his teammates are going d2 and have already stated they plan to jump in the portal to try and go d1 after 1 year. I'm thinking that strategy may backfire if they aren't playing that first year to prove themselves or it might help them out because I do know D1 coaches go to that portal to find guys. I just hope those same coaches are also keeping their eyes open for juco guys too.

I was really hoping my son could play collegiate ball this summer as I'm pretty confident he'd have no problem fitting in, but we weren't successful in finding him a home as some leagues don't take incoming freshman. He will play local legion ball. I may send him to a camp or two, but he's going to just continue getting stronger/faster.

I guess I can just google it, but how does one find out who and where the quality d1 juco’s are located?

We utilized College Baseball Insights for how/where they placed players, player attrition, past performance. We also googled players that left to try and determine why? There's a lot you can tell by looking at current and former players social media accounts.

@Momball11 posted:

Yes, I do think an earlier start would have benefited or at least couldn't hurt, especially for the top tier of juco programs. However, I will say I am glad my son isn't going to a routinely top 10 program because that would make me more nervous about playing time potential.

Sounds like he's a pitcher, so honestly there will be schools that will want him.

My son also had the option to go to a ncaa d2 program, but financially it was better for him to go juco. Some of his teammates are going d2 and have already stated they plan to jump in the portal to try and go d1 after 1 year. I'm thinking that strategy may backfire…

Thanks.  Your reply is very helpful.  It made me think about some things and helped frame some competing pathways that used to be at odds with each other.  One thing I’ve let go is the idea of chasing something bigger over the next year (ie: P5).  He’s got no chance in that area.  What he does have is internal drive and competitiveness.  He’s also got talent.  What he needs is continued development.  You and yours were smart to not overshoot at any level and land somewhere you’ll get playing time.  Really appreciate you sharing your info.  Thanks

@Momball11 posted:

We utilized College Baseball Insights for how/where they placed players, player attrition, past performance. We also googled players that left to try and determine why? There's a lot you can tell by looking at current and former players social media accounts.

I’ve been doing some info gathering recently for players I know.  And I happened to look into a few of the players other people have mentioned.  Some of them playing with success at solid JUCOs after de-committing before freshman year from their P5 schools. A few others transferred in their first fall season.  That would be so difficult and making the right choice initially instead of letting big eyes, or pride, or ego take you down the wrong path.  

@Dadof3 posted:

I guess I can just google it, but how does one find out who and where the quality d1 juco’s are located?

Your son's HS or travel coach can help with questions. You can google as well.

Do juco's recruit mainly local kids? (with a 2-3 hour drive?)

@Dadof3 posted:

Do juco's recruit mainly local kids? (with a 2-3 hour drive?)

It depends on the program and their boarding situation. Some kids go away to JuCos and have to find their own housing. I know of a couple of kids from the Philadelphia area who played at Harford in Maryland. They weren’t commuting 80 miles.

If you’re looking JuCo think Harford and more south.

@Dadof3 posted:

I guess I can just google it, but how does one find out who and where the quality d1 juco’s are located?

Tbh if you want good information you need to talk to people that are involved in JuCo baseball. You won’t get the true picture from a Google search. JuCo is still the wild west in comparison to other forms of college baseball. Some programs have very little oversight. Some programs don’t care about academics. Some do. Some places the inmates run the asylum. Some programs are run as tight as any D1 program you will find. More importantly, most JuCos are either better for hitters than pitchers - or vice versa. Usually depending on whether the HC was a pitcher or a played a position in his playing days. You won’t find the answers to those things on a computer screen. You need to talk to people that are familiar with the program. And when you do you need to ask the right questions.

@adbono posted:

Tbh if you want good information you need to talk to people that are involved in JuCo baseball. You won’t get the true picture from a Google search. JuCo is still the wild west in comparison to other forms of college baseball. Some programs have very little oversight. Some programs don’t care about academics. Some do. Some places the inmates run the asylum. Some programs are run as tight as any D1 program you will find. More importantly, most JuCos are either better for hitters than pitchers - or vice versa. Usually depending on whether the HC was a pitcher or a played a position in his playing days. You won’t find the answers to those things on a computer screen. You need to talk to people that are familiar with the program. And when you do you need to ask the right questions.

I thought that Dadof3 meant location wise where the better Jucos were located.

Agree 100% with adbono. You would definetly need to seek out people who are involved in Juco baseball.

Yes, definitely where some of the better ones are located and if they recruit kids to come there from a distance.

But good information too Adbono

@Dadof3 posted:

Yes, definitely where some of the better ones are located and if they recruit kids to come there from a distance.

Most JuCos recruit kids within their own state or bordering states. Primarily b/c they don’t have recruiting budgets that allow for a lot of travel. The better programs (for the most part) are in the southern half of the US. States that have a number of good programs include Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arizona & California. But there are good programs other places too. Go to the NJCAA website and research championship events, rankings, etc. That will get you started. I will tell you that the regional differences in Junior College baseball are huge. Among the top conferences, the level of play is much better than most people realize.

@Dadof3 posted:

Yes, definitely where some of the better ones are located and if they recruit kids to come there from a distance.

Very difficult as an out of state player to get into a FL Juco due to lottery $$ and college pre pay. Costs for tuition reasonable but costs for room and board off the charts.

Also most of these programs feed into Florida D1 programs. 

Dad of 3:

You may desire to review the list of teams in California. The California State Community Colleges have their own Tournament. They offer NO scholarships.

https://www.cccbca.com/sports/...24/overall-standings

Bob

@Consultant posted:

Dad of 3:

You may desire to review the list of teams in California. The California State Community Colleges have their own Tournament. They offer NO scholarships.

https://www.cccbca.com/sports/...24/overall-standings

Bob

California JuCos are great for in state players. But not for out of state players, for the reason Bob mentioned. Florida JuCos fall into the same category for the reasons that TPM mentioned. For all practical purposes, unless you are a resident, you can cross schools in those 2 states off your list - no matter how good they are.

@adbono posted:

Most JuCos recruit kids within their own state or bordering states. Primarily b/c they don’t have recruiting budgets that allow for a lot of travel. The better programs (for the most part) are in the southern half of the US. States that have a number of good programs include Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arizona & California. But there are good programs other places too. Go to the NJCAA website and research championship events, rankings, etc. That will get you started. I will tell you that the regional differences in Junior College baseball are huge. Among the top conferences, the level of play is much better than most people realize.

very good to know!  TY

@adbono posted:

California JuCos are great for in state players. But not for out of state players, for the reason Bob mentioned. Florida JuCos fall into the same category for the reasons that TPM mentioned. For all practical purposes, unless you are a resident, you can cross schools in those 2 states off your list - no matter how good they are.

Wow, thanks for saving us time!

@TexasLefty I'm going to be blunt, researching JUCO programs is very challenging.

Why?  Because the majority of the information on their websites is incomplete.

The most important criteria:

JUCO Pipeline, why because once this is known, you can backfill your other questions.

E.G - development, placement, etc.

Now here is the problem:

Many schools have an alumni page, this is not always as up-to-date to help you make a decision or short list programs.

Total No. of Alumni at d1 schools

Here is the CBI JUCO Pipeline Dashboard: One-stop shop all juco programs since 2017.

Note, we are currently reconciling the pipelines for 2024 season.

NCAA-D1 Completed.

NCAA-D2, NCAA-D3 and NAIA are tbd.

Here is the drill down

Details by position

Here is a link to JUCO Pipeline video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KW5a-6JciA

Here is a link to the free version of the feature

https://collegebaseballinsight...line-dashboard-free/

@Momball11

@TexasLefty you can start with the state participation report to help to you understand the landscape as to where student althetes go.

Note, you can filter by grade class and division, e.g. how many Freshman RHP are playing from my state?  Quickly, look at previous trends, etc

Wow, so much information to digest

@Dadof3 posted:

Wow, so much information to digest

Start with the following:

https://keepplayingbaseball.or...f-the-juco-pipeline/

TY

@Dadof3 posted:

Do juco's recruit mainly local kids? (with a 2-3 hour drive?)

@Dadof3  CBI solution is all visual, you can learn about any JUCO in less than 10 mins.

You will not get this information via Google, as for JUCOs don't have this level of detail

, thus you can quickly find out where schools recruit from

No. of players by Position and grad class

No. of transfers to Next Level (annually), below is the no. of transfers for the 2024 season.

Note, you can look at history since 2017.

High Level Team Roster Insights (including HC Tenure)

5 yr W/L record (2024 as of Apr 9th)

Financial Budget

Baseball Budget (10 yrs), note 2023 budget to be released by end of April

@TexasLefty posted:

Recruiting timeline starts for my 2026 at the end of this summer.   Is there a recruiting timeline for JUCOs?  I’m more interested in understanding the timeline for quality programs preferably with solid pitching coach(es).   My experience in seeing a few kids ahead of mine is that there isn’t really any urgency to go play at a JUCO if you were recruited and de-committed.  But what if you know that’s where you are headed?  Should you reach out to them and start building relationships and get assessments?  Relationships and networks go along way in terms of opportunities, so the answer is probably yes.  

More info about my kid is he’s a quality LHP and I’d project him to be in the 86-87 FB range in 2 years based on general progression over the years.  Might happen faster, might not.  He tops out at 81 now hasn’t developed physically although he’s got a big frame and puts in time working out   He shot up to 6’1 this year and about to turn 16 so possibly still some height to come.  I guess the real question is, does contacting JUCOs too early hurt your chances?  He doesn’t have anything phenomenal to show other than being a really solid pitcher with 5 pitches (4 for strikes most of the time).  

HA D1 could be an option but I think my son would probably choose to seek out his best chances to keep playing baseball, which means best baseball related school and atmosphere to play at the next step, even if that’s with a 4yr and done.  

So I rambled through this post.  I was going to delete some stuff for brevity, but there hasn’t been a lot of action in the board so maybe I’ll have more to read now 🤣.  Is there a time to start talking to JUCOs to get on their radar?

Which region do most of the players in your area go?

Region 5-New Mexico and Western Texas

Region 14-  Eastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana

@CollegebaseballInsights Thanks!  

@TexasLefty posted:

@CollegebaseballInsights Thanks!  

Here is a link to the Iowa Western Alumni

https://www.goreivers.com/sports/bsb/former

Note, they are better than most schools in documenting where there players are going (committed).

Note, this does not guarantee their player is actually on the 4 yr roster.  Secondly, many don't track when alumni transfer from initial commitment.

Here is an example of the challenges of researching juco (Wharton JC).

http://www.wcjc.edu/student-li...aseball/default.aspx

Wharton roster is limited, they don't keep history and they don't have a listing as to where their alumni are:

http://www.wcjc.edu/student-li...baseball-roster.aspx

Thus we have to research and find the information using different techniques

CBI has their roster history since 2017.

E.G - where players are from?

No. of players from 2023 team transferred to a 4 yr school

Total No. of alumni at 4 yr schools for 2024 (showing location and division)

JUCO Details (showing position and 4 yr school details).

As you can see, they have a strong presence with d1 pitchers

@CollegebaseballInsights posted:

Here is an example of the challenges of researching juco (Wharton JC).

http://www.wcjc.edu/student-li...aseball/default.aspx

Wharton roster is limited, they don't keep history and they don't have a listing as to where their alumni are:

http://www.wcjc.edu/student-li...baseball-roster.aspx

Thus we have to research and find the information using different techniques

CBI has their roster history since 2017.

E.G - where players are from?

No. of players from 2023 team transferred to a 4 yr school

Total No. of alumni at 4 yr schools for 2024 (showing location and division)

JUCO Details (showing position and 4 yr school details).

As you can see, they have a strong presence with d1 pitchers

Wharton also has a relatively new, young, high energy coaching staff. It is a program that is trending up.

@adbono posted:

Wharton also has a relatively new, young, high energy coaching staff. It is a program that is trending up.

This will be hard to see, CBI Conference comparison report shows key metrics for all schools within a conference, thus you can start comparing.

e.g - Head Coaching Tenure.

@CollegebaseballInsights posted:

This will be hard to see, CBI Conference comparison report shows key metrics for all schools within a conference, thus you can start comparing.

e.g - Head Coaching Tenure.

I understand that. I was providing additional information that most people wouldn’t know and also would not be able to discern from the metrics that you provide - which are awesome btw. But, while metrics are factual, they often don’t tell the whole story. A coach with a long tenure can be either a good or a bad thing - depending on the coach. Same for a new coaching staff. It could be good or bad. There is a lot of coaching turnover in JuCo baseball - especially with the Assistant Coaches.

@adbono posted:

I understand that. I was providing additional information that most people wouldn’t know and also would not be able to discern from the metrics that you provide - which are awesome btw. But, while metrics are factual, they often don’t tell the whole story. A coach with a long tenure can be either a good or a bad thing - depending on the coach. Same for a new coaching staff. It could be good or bad. There is a lot of coaching turnover in JuCo baseball - especially with the Assistant Coaches.

Agreed. CBI data driven approach eliminates 90% of the noise. the other 3%, don't need 10% will be speaking to the sales rep, I mean the coaching staff.

With respect to head coaching changes, CBI tracks all changes

https://collegebaseballinsight...l-coaching-carousel/

My thoughts about juco are dated, next year it will be 10 years since my son was a Hill College freshman.

My son got his opportunity because I called and talked to the Hill head coach during the summer of his incoming HS senior year and arranged an individual tryout. He threw a pen in the basketball gym because it was raining, and they offered – he accepted.

He did a camp at Brenham the following week even though he’d just committed to Hill – because playing baseball is fun, and the $50 was spent. They offered at the end of the camp – he declined.

The following week I received a return call from the head coach at McClennan, I’d called the same day I’d called the Hill coach – he was 3 weeks late, but he offered over the phone. He gave me the sell on why McClennan was better than Hill, but my son wasn’t interested in breaking his commitment.

I guess what I’m saying is that juco HC’s are approachable, their camps are economical and they’re quick to commit if they think your son can help them be competitive.  

Your mileage may vary, but the kid’s Texas juco AA from Hill transferred seamlessly to Arkansas where he played his junior year.

Juco is no frills, but it was a blast to watch…

Don't sleep on all D2 JUCO's. I am biased as my son plays for a D2 in Iowa (one of the D2's listed on the CBI top 25 schools with D1 players posted earlier in the thread). This past weekend my sons school played against another school on the list. I know our team best and we have 4 D1 position players right now with 3 others that will be D1 but trying to fit in official visits in season and we have 3 committed D1 pitchers with 2 others very close, all Sophomores. Our opponent has at least 3 position players and 4 arms currently committed to D1s. I would guess that there will be 10 Sophs on each team that will be committed by season end. Last year was similar and next season should be the same.

JUCO has been awesome for my son (he was at a D1 his freshman year and regrets it) and if anyone has questions about the JUCO's in the middle of the country feel free to reach out (Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and a little less knowledge/experience with MO/KS/NE).

The JuCo route is the best path for the overwhelming majority of HS players that move on to college baseball. It always has been but more people seem to be waking up to it.

@adbono posted:

The JuCo route is the best path for the overwhelming majority of HS players that move on to college baseball. It always has been but more people seem to be waking up to it.

I can see that very clearly now.  With more people waking up to it, it also seems like there will be added complexities to that path in the coming years, if not already present.  

@TexasLefty posted:

I can see that very clearly now.  With more people waking up to it, it also seems like there will be added complexities to that path in the coming years, if not already present.  

What complexities?