Unofficial Visits

One of the girls from my neighbors 18U travel team is going on an unofficial visit this weekend to an ACC school. The young lady going on the visit is a junior. When my neighbor's daughter told me about this, we both had some questions and we hoped we could get some answers from the TBR folks.

-What can be paid for by the school on an unofficial?

-Can the school make an offer to a Jr. on an unofficial?

-If an offer can be made, can the athlete verbally accept the offer and how binding is a verbal offer to both sides?

-What are the penalties if either side changes their mind due to injury or a better offer (if they can)?

-If this is the first visit of any type this girl has been on, should she accept the offer?

-If allowed and she is offered something, should she decline knowing there will be other offers and official visits to come or take this one since they must be very interested since they are making an offer early in the Jr. year?

-If she verbally commits, can other schools still recruit and can she take her 5 official visits as a sr.?

Hopefully some of the softball parents on TBR have been through something like this and can answer these questions.

 

Visits

On the unoffical visits that I have been involved rules are pretty simple.The school can't pay for anything for you,they can provide you with 3 tickets to a sporting event,such as a football game.There has never been any discussion as far as a offer. Talks were limited to how interested they were in you and that they would be watching you play. I encourage anyone that is intersted in a school do the unoffical visits and you can either pursue or elimanate schools early and then when July 1 of your senior year you can get very serious on which ones you want to visit.You may have your list down to a couple of schools and see no need for 5 visits.Good luck but scd. the unoffical visits through the Coaching staff and also a lot of schools have what they call Junior days just for this ,I know VT does this weekend and there maybe others. Check out there web-sites for info.

 

Unofficial Visit

On a unofficial visit you are allowed as a coach to do 4 things.

1. Give three complimentary tickets to the recruit and parents or guardian.
Bylaw: 13.7.2.1

2. Provide one meal in the campus dining hall for a recruit and parents
or guardian. Bylaw: 13.7.2.1.1

3. Transportation to view the practice facility or competition site.
Bylaw: 13.5.3

4. Arrange academic interviews. Bylaw: 13.7.2.1.6

Verbal comitments before their upcoming senior year are flatering but not something to bank on! Things always change with that much time. Coaches find a better player or athletes finds a better situation. This is about 75% of the time. Thorough players won't agree to play for a school before their upcoming senior year and thorough coaches won't ask them to!



sorry Coach...hit the wrong button again... :banginghe

 

i apologize for muffin up your great post.

Printable Post from you for all HS underclassmen........Thanks!

 

Verbal

Some great posts and wonderful information shared. Keep in mind all these suggestions, rules, by-laws etc. but make up your own mind when it comes to commitment as Only U and your family know your situation. I like the comment if it is right for U, U can do it anytime.

 

Unlike football and basketball, baseball is a bit different in their committments...and I have to assume softball is the same. College coaches in those sports honor their committments and they expect the student/athlete to do the same. After you have notified the other schools that were interested, they will wish you luck and move on

Why would the coaches do this? Because the coaching circle is very small and one's reputation is at stake. The recruiters never know when they may be interviewing for a position at a rival school. In baseball, everybody knows everybody..there are no secrets. I have to assume that softball operates with the same ethics.

Now, do players or coaches renege on their committments? Yes, but it is very rare and there are usually consequences

 

This is what happens when I sign on late in the day...What did you do this time? LOL

 

This is the type of posts that I think are the most helpful.
What do I mean by this? A question was asked and an answer was provided with the bylaws to back it up. A lot of us post on here and sometimes we think we have the right answers because this has been relayed to us by a reliable source or we asked a college coach. In this case the question was asked and the answer given with the appropriate references if you want to check it out for yourself.
Thanks coach...

 

Enkajet...I'm crushed. Are you saying that I will have to give appropriate references now?



























Just kidding. I happen to agree with you.

 

Braves its probably too tedious to always ask people to reference the bylaws because then it would really limit our posts. But, if those who are in the know read what we post and we state something that might not be totally correct or needs more clarification then,I hope more of those in the know, post using the bylaws to back up their statements or positions.