'22 when to commit ?

[AW95SY]

Between now and Spring 2022 there is a lot of time for your DD to develop in a lot of different ways, She may become more excited about leaving home (getting the H--- out of Dodge), she may find different academic interests, She may develop strong relationships with other coaches. What is a great fit now may not be a good fit in a year. Then again, she may develop in a way that reinforces her current feelings. All that said, The important thing is that the school will ultimately be able to provide your DD the opportunity to maximize her success the rest of her life in whatever field she chooses, some schools will fit this bill better than others. Softball is a wonderful way to open a lot of these doors, but most will not have a career in the game post college, so courses of study, mentorships, networks and friendships are critical.

Some additional thoughts not specific to your DD: If a player is not jumping at the chance to commit to a team now, is it because she is naturally tentative with big life decisions and is just taking some extra time? Or is there some underlying issue that may be difficult to articulate? If she is jumping at this opportunity is it because this is truly what she wants, or because she is stressed by the process and is looking for relief? With the transfer portal now what it is, we get to see just how many players have found themselves in a bad fit early on, and for whatever reason are looking to get out. As parents, it is ultimately our job to support and guide our children in the selection of a school where they will find happiness and success.

 

[Shiloh]

[QUOTE="Shiloh, post: 596594, member: 13377

A player on my DDs team committed before entering 8th grade. Now that’s something to worry about!

Those days are long gone.


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[/QUOTE]

Gone, but not that far in the past. She's a 2022 who verballed in the summer of 2017. There are still a few out there.

 

[marriard]

Gone, but not that far in the past. She's a 2022 who verballed in the summer of 2017. There are still a few out there.

Of the 10-12 girls I knew who committed that early - we are down to 1 who is still (technically) committed to the same school.

 

[Shiloh]

Yeah, she's still committed, to the same school!
And those coaches actively follow the team on AGL, GC, etc.

She's a complete stud.

 

[Hillhouse]

I bought a car last year. When I went on the lot, I saw one I liked, fit my budget and had all the features I wanted. After 10 min with the salesman talking I said "I'll take it". He asked if I was sure I didn't wanna keep shopping, which I thought was nice but, I said "why keep shopping when I found what I want?" Same with the school, the coaches, distance from home, if you find what you like... take it. With all of these new policies and things due to Covid, you don't know what is coming next. Will seniors get a 6th season is this one cancels? We don't know. In the land of "unknowns" if someone is offering you certainty, take it. You both can change your minds until the NLI is signed. It may pay to ask the coach how they've handled things when kids have gotten homesick, do they release them willingly or do they have to enter the portal? Either way you have an option if things don't work out.

 

[marriard]

Yeah, she's still committed, to the same school!
And those coaches actively follow the team on AGL, GC, etc.

She's a complete stud.

Yes she is...

Of the others, at least 3 don't play softball anymore... 3 were studs in 14U but haven't progressed in softball in any way so are looking for a new home because they are not P5 players, 1 'upgraded' to a better school and the rest decommitted for a variety of reasons (coaches left/fired, wanted to stay close to home, just changed their minds, etc) and are planning on attending some other school.

 

[YOCOACH]

It's a verbal commit until her NLI is signed and the verbal is only as good as the paper it's written on. Go for it. As Cannonball said, coaches have a whiteboard full of players by position that they'd like to get. They're not going to wait around forever before they make a verbal offer to the next name below your DD's on that board. Even after the NLI is signed, if she changes her major, Freshman year consists mostly of basic requirement course. She can transfer those anywhere should it become the wrong fit.

 

[Cannonball]

Unfortunately, most people never get a chance to see a coach's whiteboard with the recruit's names on them. When my dd went on her official visit, there was 5 total on that visit. Both players and parents sat in the office where all could see the names. Everyone knew exactly where their child stood. The coach had a position's needed list and an overall ranking of all of the recruits. It was pretty neat to see.

 

[YOCOACH]

Unfortunately, most people never get a chance to see a coach's whiteboard with the recruit's names on them. When my dd went on her official visit, there was 5 total on that visit. Both players and parents sat in the office where all could see the names. Everyone knew exactly where their child stood. The coach had a position's needed list and an overall ranking of all of the recruits. It was pretty neat to see.

Yep and like most TB coaches that want to set their upcoming years' roster ASAP, college coaches want to set their recruiting class for that year just as badly. Also, they want to know how much Athletic Scholarship money they have to spend if they're turned down by a potential recruit.