Define Recruiting - Active vs Passing Interest

When someone asks you "Who is recruiting you?" does this mean you can list every school that mailed you a letter of interest, called once, keeps calling or invites you to visit (unoffical or offical)?

 

I would discount the letters unless they were personally written by the Coach. But if you are fielding phone calls and making arrangements for an official visit...then yes, there is certainly a strong interest.

The thing about the recruiting process is it can be filled with ebbs and flows. Some people like to sign in the fall so they can to get the process out of the way. The concern in doing that is it probably wasn't the best offer, but the trade off is in the early relief.

Too many times, I have had people tell me in the spring that they wished they had waited. There is nothing wrong with the fall signings, but many times the best offers are in the late winter, early spring and sometimes later. So those of you that do not sign in the fall.....don't panic. There is plenty of time.

 

Good information, Braves. I have two questions that I am interested in and hope you can provide insight to them.
1. Do most colleges hold back some scholarship money for spring signings, or do they also try to get as many early commitments as possible, and, thus, possibly use up all their money?
2. You mention that the spring often brings a better offer. For baseball, what is considered a good monetary effort for: a) one of the elite players, b) an all-star calliber player who plays on the Panthers, the O's, one of the Dirtbag teams, etc., and has at least acquired some attention on a statewide level, and c) a good ball player who has local recognition, but not any attention on a showcase team, etc.?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

 

Great questions Asheville. I'm going to let some other posters comment first. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on here as well as college recruiters.

Although every college would like to sign everybody in the fall and get the process behind them, also; it's nearly impossible to do that. One of the biggest reasons that monies are freed up in the late spring is because a coach gets a surprising announcement that a player is not returning (quitting or transferring) or a player that signed his NLI in the fall is academically ineligible.

I believe more schools are re-emphasizing the importance of grades. It helps them tremendously with their athletic budgets and the new NCAA rules governing the academic side of athletic scholarships. Teams now must find the student/athlete because the athlete/student will penalize them. You won't see many programs going after low performing students anymore. They just can not take the chance of scholarships being taken away.

A very good thread discussing this topic:

http://www.thisboardrocks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62263&highlight=academic+guidelines

 

confused

So, confusion reigns here - on one hand its better to wait til spring to get more money - if so, why do all the "big guns" commit so early? Surely they would have been made offers in order to commit. Bumgarner, Hinson, Runion (from NW). These guys have all verbally committed - it would stand to reason that they've recd good offers. Should they have waited til spring for better offers?

What constitutes a good offer? 30%, 40%? I know ive read 50% is about as good as youre gonna get in baseball and that a "full ride" is almost unheard of based on the # of schollys allowed to baseball. If a school is recruiting you heavily in the fall and makes an offer of 30% or better (baseball $$ only) - wouldnt that be considered a pretty good offer?

Logic makes it seem like the coaches would be going after the players they really want in the fall with the bigest part of their budget, then in the spring, going after the next in line and maybe the freed up $$$ from players not returning or qualifying would allow them to get a few other players that might be left at that point.

its all greek to me

 

Most of the "blue chippers" are signed in the fall and in some cases their junior year. But when you look at all the players that are signed, they are the minority.

Give the college coach some credit. They understand the desires of most HS players is to sign early...and they are conducting a business. They want to save as much as they can, too. Don't forget for a moment that college baseball, as in all college sports, is a business. When you realize that, one won't become jaded to the process. Think of the recruiting budget as a pie. A recruiter believes that he can sign x amount of players, but he was able to get a few at less than thought....Wow...he can sign more or he can give more to a highly contested recruit. There are hundreds of scenarios that can affect the process, but the results are nearly the same. Quite a bit of money in the spring.

I would not get too caught up with percentages. A 30% athletic scholarship at NC State is greater than a 50% scholarship at Duke. Private schools have more ways of generating outside scholarships than a public school. So, there are so many things to consider from a % standpoint. The bottom line in regards to the financial aspect, when it is all said and done, what is left for the parents to pay.

One of the things I keep hoping for is the NC lottery will help offset some of the parents burden in the future...just like competing states do.

 

Yes, they do have an A list that they aggressively recruit in the fall. And the big time baseball schools usually grab them up. Again, that is a small minority of schools qualified as big time and a minority of players seeking schollys that are affected.

To follow up on my previous post about spring signings (and the monies), coaches also realize that many players are anxious and might be in a panic mode. My word of advice is this: Be patient, don't panic....if your son is college material, he will receive more in the spring than in the fall.

The other huge advantage in the spring signing is this: You will have a much clearer picture, based on earlier signings, which school best fits your son. Too many times a player signs in the fall and finds out by the end of spring that 5-6 other players were recruited for the same position.

There is just so much that goes into the recruiting process, that's why I mentioned the ebb and flow. But, if you sign in the fall, you will not have to go through the mental jump ropes. It's a balancing act that is unique for each family.

 

A full ride..hmm...rare indeed for a total athletic scholly, although there are a few that get them. But any combination of athletic/academic scholarships that = 100% is a "full ride" to me. I don't care who pays, as long as it's not me

 

I'm just venturing an educated guess here, but I would say less than 10% of the signings happen in the fall. Like Braves said Schools would rather wait, but for the real top players they are being forced by the competition to offer earlier than they would like.

Full baseball scholies are a very rare animal. A wise piece of advice I received early in the game was also mentioned by Braves - Don't let the tuition costs of Private schools scare you away. They seem to have a multitude of different scholarships to give if they want you.

Good luck to all in the recruiting adventure, relax and let things develope this fall and into the spring. Remember at division 2 schools you can go the campus for a tryout. This is potentially a great opportunity to have your son looked at, for you and him to get to know the staff, and lastly a chance to get a feel for the campus.

 

Parents, I would say this: An above average talented kid who has a good reputation, finishes in the top 10% of his class, & scores 1200+ SAT (old test...I don't know the equivalent for the revised test) can generate a ton of interest & find plenty of money at a school.

Both years when Ty played in the State Games, I saw the coaches/scout book. It detailed every kid's academic record. I'm certain this is common at other Showcase events.

Point: Coaches LOVE a kid who can help their program without costing a penny of athletic scholarship. So tell Junior that he can quadruple his chance to play college ball if he will hit the books.