...write a law making verbals carry legal weight...
Yeah that will fix it.
...write a law making verbals carry legal weight...
This would seem to be the likely progression. Some coach at a top five school will announce they aren't going to honor verbals anymore and it will turn into a huge game of musical chairs. Good news is, this will mean the final commitment will be signing day effectively making early verbals truly meaningless.IMHO there is the key. If coaches take the position that they will not recognize verbals, and just continue recruiting, more girls will flip. .
I'd think they would still do it some as relationship building but it won't matter since verbals will be more like going steady than like being engaged. Just won't mean much.Once coaches realize the verbal doesn't hold weight anymore they'll stop offering them so early.
A year or so ago I was sitting and talking with the HC of an SEC program. Their phone rings and they step out to take the call. After about 5 minutes the coach returns, clearly frustrated and tells me the call was from an 8th grader that they were working very hard to recruit. The recruit had called to say that she had elected to go to another SEC school. When asked why she selected one school over the other all she could say is she really liked the other school. When pressed further with regard to the differences in the softball program, academics, location, etc. All she could say is that she really liked the other school. It sounded to me like a typical conversation you would have with a 13 year old.
Money generating sports like football and basketball drive the majority of the decisions the NCAA makes...and early recruiting has not been a problem for them because coaches wait until boys mature before making decisions. Football and basketball coaches also continue to recruit players who are verbally committed to other schools, unlike sports like softball where there is an unwritten "coach's code" to back off players that are verballed. Softball coaches also do not have the budgets to recruit players they are not confident they can sign.
I [personally think eliminating the 14U brackets at showcases would be a good start. As showcases have become more popular, organizers are adding teams as fast as they can to increase revenue.
I attended the "Be Your Best" coaches clinic in NJ a few years back and Mike Smith from Oregon spoke of this same practice. He stated that he hated the practice of seeking younger players to commit and wished that the NCAA would prohibit it. He felt forced to do as his peers to keep getting the "good talent" and remain competitive. His program is by no means mediocre. I would bet he is one of the many coaches who spoke out about this practice to the NCAA.
What is the harm in the current situation? Who is being hurt, and how?
I haven't formed a firm opinion on it. Would like to hear the main concerns.