Also. You can't sign until your senior year I think?? Why verbal now. It's not binding they can pull off you and then your left holding the bucket late in the process when everyone thought you had already committed. Not likely but possible. Just silly to me. The growth and sometimes lack there of from 14 to 17 or 18 is so unpredictable. Kid may be great sure she is but just don't see committing now and I still don't see how d1 school can offer 8th grader. I misread the rules
Recruiting is a big game of musical chairs and unless your DD is a bonafide STUD there is a chance the school of her dreams will have already committed all of their athletic money for her class if she waits too long in the process. I know several seniors who are now signing as preferred walk-ons because they kept holding out for a better offer from another school and when that offer never came, they had to resort to "Plan B"....but the "Plan B" coaches had already committed all of their athletic money to other players. There is still a chance for academic money with great grades and a good ACT/SAT score, but that is up to the admissions board, not the softball coaches.