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Post: #54686
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This message was edited by soccerwest on May 07th, 2013 21:47 GMT
Quoted from: Hooked002, May 07th, 2013 20:30 GMTQuoted from: Lets Play Soccer, February 12th, 2013 22:11 GMTSo I've just heard a Sophomore that has verbally committed to a school.
Following up on some of the posts about early verbals in this thread, here is some information from a post on BigSoccer today (which is consistent with what I have seen):
"At the end of the first week in May, 21 months ahead of the NLI signing date:
The class of 2013 had about 26 commitments.
The class of 2014 had about 54 commitments.
The class of 2015 already has 110 commitments.
A clear trend there.
At the same check point (end of first week in May) 9 months ahead of NLI day:
The class of 2013 had about 740 commitments.
The class of 2014 currently has about 844 commitments.
Does this mean that the 2015s will have about 1,000? Are we really seeing that kind of a trend?"
The NCAA needs to step in. What 2015er knows what college she want to attend at that age? I feel like kids are being pressured to commit early or lose out if they wait.
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 20sDad |
May 08th, 2013 16:41 GMT |
 
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Post: #54687
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Losing out is a valid concern for a kid that wants to maximize their choices. I assume it’s a lot easier for coaches to make competitive offers to potential players when they have a couple of years to make room and free up scholarship money. Players that wait until later in the process might be running the risk of limiting what is available to them. I’m not sure it really merits the NCAA stepping in.
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Post: #54699
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Soccerwest. I know where you are coming from because I felt the same way a couple years ago. I didn't think a sophomore was ready to make a 4 year commitment. This is also a decision that will also have a major impact on the rest of their lives. Now that my daughter is a 2015 I think differently. If you start your college search at an early age which should be no later than at the beginning of your freshman year than you should have a good idea of where you want to go. Also, kids that are committing early are usually committing to one of their dream schools.
I remember telling myself that I was not going to let my daughter commit until after her junior year, but now both my wife and I have changed our minds regarding that and most likely she will be making her commitment in the next month. The second semester of their sophomore year can be very overwhelming. Coaches want you to call, email and visit. It takes a lot out of them. The sooner you commit also most likely the more money you will get. If you are committing to the school of your dream than I don't think you can commit too early. If you are committing to a school that you never thought of going, but they are the only ones making you an offer than that's a different story. I also feel that by her committing before her junior year she will be able to concentrate more on her studies the last two years of HS and will have more time for her social life as well.
My one advice is to do as many ID camps as possible so the coaches can get to know you and you get to know them and the campus.
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Post: #54752
PT: #125/129
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Quoted from: Blues99, May 12th, 2013 19:58 GMTNow that my daughter is a 2015 I think differently. If you start your college search at an early age which should be no later than at the beginning of your freshman year than you should have a good idea of where you want to go. Also, kids that are committing early are usually committing to one of their dream schools.
Blues99 - what will happen if your daughter commits to a school but then changes her mind about the educational path she wants to follow and the school to which she has committed doesn't offer a major that enables her to get the education she now wants?
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Post: #54753
PT: #126/129
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My two cents: Legitimate academic considerations trump soccer and the needs of the kids trump the needs of the coaches. So you call the coach to apologize and back out of the deal. Not ideal, but there are potential lifetime consequences that are more important than rigid conformity to this verbal commitment system that is forced on these kids at such a young age. Not the best for the coach, but the coach will survive and, in the big picture, the verbal commitment system will still be working fine as a means of organizing rosters and opportunities. One other thought - this scenario should be a caution against committing to (or enrolling in) a school with a very restricted curriculum unless you are sure of what you will study.
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Post: #54754
PT: #127/129
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Quoted from: Far Post, May 17th, 2013 03:25 GMTMy two cents: Legitimate academic considerations trump soccer and the needs of the kids trump the needs of the coaches. So you call the coach to apologize and back out of the deal. Not ideal, but there are potential lifetime consequences that are more important than rigid conformity to this verbal commitment system that is forced on these kids at such a young age. Not the best for the coach, but the coach will survive and, in the big picture, the verbal commitment system will still be working fine as a means of organizing rosters and opportunities. One other thought - this scenario should be a caution against committing to (or enrolling in) a school with a very restricted curriculum unless you are sure of what you will study.
Thanks Far Post. But I wasn't really asking what specifically the steps should be for a player who finds themselves in that position. I was trying to ask a thought-provoking question (perhaps not very successfully!) that would provide a counterpoint to Blues99's thought that it's okay to commit early if it's your dream school.
My point was that even if a child wants to commit to their dream school from a soccer standpoint, early commitments do a disservice to the player because they generally aren't at the age where they are equipped to understand what they want to do in terms of a career path.
When she was a sophomore, my daughter was convinced that she knew what career path she wanted to follow. But she changed her mind when she was a junior. The school she will be attending in the fall has a very strong major in her chosen field, but they do not have a strong major in the field she originally thought she wanted to pursue. In fact, they don't have a major in that field at all.
I am happy that my daughter waited until halfway through her junior year to commit and that by that time, she had chosen a career path about which she is now very passionate. And in the fall, she will play for the school she has dreamed of playing for since she was 9 years old.
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Post: #54756
PT: #128/129
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Quoted from: ScottyBoy, May 16th, 2013 17:13 GMTBlues... what are ID camps?
ScottyBoy - ID camps are soccer camps put on by colleges with one stated purpose and one not-so-publicly-stated purpose:
1) the stated purpose - to identify potential recruits for the college's soccer team;
2) the not-so-publicly-stated purpose - to make money for the college's soccer program.
As a player looking for exposure, if you use camps wisely (make sure that your skill level is appropriate for the college's program and make sure that the coaching staff knows why you're there - through advance contacts with the coaching staff from you and your club coach), then they can serve the first purpose and the second purpose.
If you don't use them wisely (you just show up and you are one of 100-200 players), they will serve the second purpose. 
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Post: #54757
PT: #129/129
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Quoted from: KeeperDad, May 17th, 2013 03:56 GMTQuoted from: Far Post, May 17th, 2013 03:25 GMTMy two cents: Legitimate academic considerations trump soccer and the needs of the kids trump the needs of the coaches. So you call the coach to apologize and back out of the deal. Not ideal, but there are potential lifetime consequences that are more important than rigid conformity to this verbal commitment system that is forced on these kids at such a young age. Not the best for the coach, but the coach will survive and, in the big picture, the verbal commitment system will still be working fine as a means of organizing rosters and opportunities. One other thought - this scenario should be a caution against committing to (or enrolling in) a school with a very restricted curriculum unless you are sure of what you will study.
Thanks Far Post. But I wasn't really asking what specifically the steps should be for a player who finds themselves in that position. I was trying to ask a thought-provoking question (perhaps not very successfully!) that would provide a counterpoint to Blues99's thought that it's okay to commit early if it's your dream school.
My point was that even if a child wants to commit to their dream school from a soccer standpoint, early commitments do a disservice to the player because they generally aren't at the age where they are equipped to understand what they want to do in terms of a career path.
When she was a sophomore, my daughter was convinced that she knew what career path she wanted to follow. But she changed her mind when she was a junior. The school she will be attending in the fall has a very strong major in her chosen field, but they do not have a strong major in the field she originally thought she wanted to pursue. In fact, they don't have a major in that field at all.
I am happy that my daughter waited until halfway through her junior year to commit and that by that time, she had chosen a career path about which she is now very passionate. And in the fall, she will play for the school she has dreamed of playing for since she was 9 years old.
Good stuff said by all.
The bottom line is that things (choices) change all of the time. Schools. Majors (and even when they are attending college).
College coaches can change their minds, too
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