Sue Enquist takes on early recruiting...

[riseball]

Another scenario I have seen is as follows:

Coach: I really enjoyed having you at our camp this past weekend. You definitely have the skills and the speed to compete at this level. You are what we are looking for in our future recruits. Keep getting better and we can discuss a package. Do you think that is something that might interest you?

Player: Yes, I would be very interested.

Coach: Ok, Let's stay in touch.

Although there is no actual offer, Susie announces to friends and family that she is verbaled to Dream Big U.

Too many times I have had TB coaches tell me that Susie is verballed to Big Name U. Only to find out when pressed, that no package was ever discussed. It is all pure fantasy.

 

[55dad]

But can anything beat this kid!?!?

OTL: The Boy Who Cried Cal - ESPN

 

[slugger3]

During the first week of October, in regards to the top D1 pitching and catching recruits in the nation (no, my DD is neither) do they get legitimate offers from schools they had no idea were interested in them?

How about at the lower collegiate levels?

 

[teammom2]

Is there a level where coaches are more trustworthy? I guess what I'm asking is a lower profile d1/d2/d3 coach any more likely to honor a verbal than another? Also, can I just say how ridiculous I find it that a 2020 can verbal--essentially writing her future-to a coach/program that can't even answer an email because she's too young? Whole process is ridiculous.

 

[SoCalASABlue]

Is there a level where coaches are more trustworthy? I guess what I'm asking is a lower profile d1/d2/d3 coach any more likely to honor a verbal than another? Also, can I just say how ridiculous I find it that a 2020 can verbal--essentially writing her future-to a coach/program that can't even answer an email because she's too young? Whole process is ridiculous.

There are coaches at every level that field teams because they are expected to and they get money for it. There are coaches at every level that are routinely suspended for breaking the rules when it comes to player eligibility. A coach's personal integrity is just that - personal - it's not institutional. All parents and player need to remember a verbal is worth the paper it's written on

On the flip side, a player's integrity is important too. If a verbal commitment is made by a player and things change to the point that the player changes her mind, the player IMHO should let the coach know immediately so the coach can look for a new player.

 

[marriard]

Is there a level where coaches are more trustworthy?

Nope. Not as a group. It is the personal integrity of the coach themselves.

I guess what I'm asking is a lower profile d1/d2/d3 coach any more likely to honor a verbal than another?

Nope. Again, you can't group coaches by division in this way. It is each coaches personal integrity. And forget college - my friend runs a local rec league and they just got rid of an 8U rec coach for various blatant rules violations including birth certificate forgery and for telling kids who were new to stay home for certain games so he could only have his experienced players playing.

Also, can I just say how ridiculous I find it that a 2020 can verbal--essentially writing her future-to a coach/program that can't even answer an email because she's too young? Whole process is ridiculous.

Yep. And when you get there you find that these coaches are shocked when you tell them that your freshman daughter is not planning to commit to any school this year and what a 'great opportunity she is missing by not committing TODAY'

 

[TMD]

Nope. Not as a group. It is the personal integrity of the coach themselves.


Nope. Again, you can't group coaches by division in this way. It is each coaches personal integrity. And forget college - my friend runs a local rec league and they just got rid of an 8U rec coach for various blatant rules violations including birth certificate forgery and for telling kids who were new to stay home for certain games so he could only have his experienced players playing.




Yep. And when you get there you find that these coaches are shocked when you tell them that your freshman daughter is not planning to commit to any school this year and what a 'great opportunity she is missing by not committing TODAY'

So I ran across this today in another FP forum. Interesting article about curbing the early recruiting proposed by the Ivy League. Not softball-specific, but definitely softball-relevant.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/09/21/ivy-league-announces-proposals-curbing-early-recruitment-athletes?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=ddd03ccf45-DNU20160921&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-ddd03ccf45-199150421&mc_cid=ddd03ccf45&mc_eid=b0722d4f92

 

[Greenmonsters]

So I ran across this today in another FP forum. Interesting article about curbing the early recruiting proposed by the Ivy League. Not softball-specific, but definitely softball-relevant.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/09/21/ivy-league-announces-proposals-curbing-early-recruitment-athletes?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=ddd03ccf45-DNU20160921&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-ddd03ccf45-199150421&mc_cid=ddd03ccf45&mc_eid=b0722d4f92

Let's see if the NCAA pulls it head out of the sand. Overdue, but won't happen IMO

 

[YOCOACH]

Agree...not gonna happen. I still like Riseball's idea the best. Have the coaches put 4 years worth of skin in the game. That'll fix it in a hurry.

ETA: And if you cut that back to 16-18 AS's after so many years and only allow 4-6 to be splittable, then the parents may not feel so under pressure to commit since they're only getting an x number of dollars for those players at the bottom of the depth chart. They may just sit back and say well college X offered a full ride. This will still keep the competition in recruiting.

 

[riseball]

College coaches talking about the problems with early recruiting reminds me of politicians talking about campaign finance reform. It is a lot of disingenuous hot air and there is no real intention on their part of stopping it.