Early Verbal Commitment Question

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Can someone explain the logistics of a junior making a verbal commitment? Given the contact restrictions, does a conversation take place at ... an unofficial visit, or through a phone call that the player initiates?

Just trying to figure out how it happens - if the player has to initiate the contact, is it just through good planning or coincidence that they call the coach at a school who happens to be interested in making an offer?

 

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verbal commitments are just that... verbal. You can ask questions at an unofficial visit. You can say I want to go to your school. They can say that's great.... both can change their mind at any time. You can commit as an 8th grader if you want.

I am verbally comitting to the Statman school of score keeping... there its official. now maybe all those other score keeping schools will leave me alone and I can focus on my Texas Holdem game.

 

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No, I think it's more than just saying it. Not that it's binding, but isn't there a letter of intent - some kind of agreement made?

And, as someone else mentioned, can they tell a girl who is younger than a senior how much they would offer her? Who would make a verbal commitment if scholarship details were not even discussed?

There have been mentions here of such early verbal commitments (didn't bigtrain anounce his daughter had made a verbal commitment to Northwestern last year, and she is now a senior?) - I'd like to know how it is done.

 

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DD had and offer the Aug before her Junior year started, during an unofficial visit on campus.....ended up verballing this Oct of her senior year after exploring her options......very patient coach,LOL....But she is happy with her choice!

 

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I always understood a verbal commitment also meant once the player has verbally commited no other school could have any contact with the player. Does anyone know if that is true? The school can back out of a verbal at anytime. I don't see the value to the player, only the value to the school. If an 8th grader verbals and then doesn't progress as they had hoped they just release the player from the verbal. I would say verbals happen generally during unoffical visits. Schools can contact players by mail and email after Sept. 1st of their junior year. I would think from the number of letters you receive from a particular university or college you could guess who is very interested and who is just sending a form letter advirtising their camps.

 

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That question frustrated me too last year. I felt like I was behind on getting my kids scouted and looked at. I did some digging and talked to people that made the claim "My daughter verbally committed to _____ university. This is what I found out. You can ask all the questions you want to a coach and they can tell you anything in return. So If you ask them "Could my DD get a full ride to your school if they chose to play here?" and they answer "Yes" then you are verbally commited. Some players are just that good - or gifted and they will offer that info without ever knowing the other factors that come into play of getting a scholarship.

There are 4 girls on my 16u team from last year, that are seniors this year. All of them are getting "offers" to D2 and D1 schools as we speak. None have committed yet. The scholoarship amounts have a lot of factors - grades and academic scholarship potential, income and grant potential. One of my girls was offered a full ride on July 3rd (the first day they could in 07) to D1 Oakland university if she had a 2.5 GPA. Sometimes it straight forward sometimes its work.

My suggestion is to start the conversation with do you need a shortstop? what kind of player are you looking for? etc... Parents need to call the coaches when their daughter has zeroed in on 3-4 schools.

 

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I've had some contact with girls who have made early verbal committments. Money is discussed and offers are made.
Prior to the junior year, coaches can not initiate contact, but players can attend camps to show interest, and coaches are allowed to talk to players at that time - even inviting them back for an unofficial visit. As of September 1 of the player's junior year, coaches can initiate contact through email and text messaging. I'm not sure about text messaging prior to the junior year, but email contact can only be initiated after Sept. 1 of the junior year.
The girls I've talked to indicated that they did receive an offer from the coach at the time of their unofficial visits. These visits are not just about a player going to a school and saying, Yeah, I want to come here. The coach lets the player know that she (the coach)is interested and wants the player to come for a visit. At that time, the campus is toured, often contact is made with other players, and the recruit's future field of study is explored. The player and her family are completely responsible for their own food and lodging during an unofficial visit.
But each school is different and subject to the athletic director's policies. I've been told that most schools honor the verbal, and do not allow the coach to back out over a whim. The biggest problems that I've been made aware of involve players finding "something better" and not honoring their end of the deal. I think this happens most often with high profile football and basketball players who commit early to have a place to go and then back out. Which is why some schools are now limiting early offers.
Too bad for the honest parents who have taught their daughters to honor committments.
At any rate, the only way coaches become aware of players is through contact - players contact the coach first to show interest, and coaches coming to watch the girl play. Usually coaches have a list of players they want to watch, so it's very important to let them know that a girl is interested. In a big tournament like Compuware there are so many teams that coaches can't see everyone. So players shouldn't take chances that a coach will see them.

 

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Did that really say 2.5 at Oakland? Oakland MI? Dang, that's a stretch goal for a GPA... Do you really think a kid with a 2.5 could handle the rigors of playing D1 and get the minimum grade required? I as a parent would be worried about that.

 

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OK, I know that you are referring to NCAA, but did you know that you can sign your junior year for a NAIA school? My daughter was told at a college visit as a junior that she could sign for them if she wanted.

 

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Hilliard dad,

Yes, someone with a 2.5 could handle the rigors if they put their mind to it. My college roommate had a 1.9 in high school....played college football and graduated with a 3.1. He was smart, just didn't apply himself in high school.

 

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Below is a story to consider when making an early verbal commitment. Just one of the pitfalls in recruiting.

http://spysoftball.com/november_6_update3.htm

 

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Too bad the spy guy did not put the school/coach names out in the open
he also mentioned she received something in writing -- i find that hard to believe, and if it did happen then you have the basis for a binding contract -- and a lawsuit
i doubt there was anything in writing

 

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A prospective Student Athlete is defined as a freshman, however off campus recruiting contacts can not be made until July 1st of their Junior year. There are alot of laws and guidelines in conjunction with this and it can not be broken down genericly. There are all sorts of so called contact from telephone calls, overnight visits, official and unoficcial visits.

Bottom line is if a student verbaly comitts to a school, it really doesn't mean anything except the simple fact that you just gave that coach your word that you will attend. The coach is also giving you his or her word that there will be a spot open when you get there, however this is not allways the case. Sometimes coaches will close that door and not tell you and offer that spot to another student- this happens all the time.

There are certain times that you can sign a leter of intent. Once you sign this you are going to that school no matter what- even if you change your mind because you are bound and the school is also bound - at least for the short term.

Early signing period is November 14th - november 21st
late signing period is April 9th - August 1st.

You can not sign a letter of intent until after 7:00am local time



Division 1

(a) August 1 through September 3, 2007:*

Contact period


(b) September 4 through November 22, 2007,
[except for (1) and (2) below:

Contact only (no evaluation)


(1) October 12 through November 4, 2007:

Contact period


(2) November 12-15, 2007:

Dead period


(c) November 23, 2007, through January 1, 2008,* [except for (1) below]:

Quiet period


(1) 12:01 a.m. November 28 through 12:01 a.m. December 2:

Dead period


(d) January 2 through July 31, 2008, [except for (1) and (2) below:

(1) April 7 -10:

(2) May 27 to noon June 5:

(e) During high school regional and state championship competition
that does not occur during a dead period:

(f) The following state specific contact/evaluation periods are
permissible:

(1) In Hawaii, contacts and evaluations shall be permissible
between November 22, 2007, and January 1, 2008, except
for 12:01 a.m. on the day of registration for the national
convention of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association
November 28, (12:01 a.m.) to on the day after adjournment of
the convention (December 1, 12:01 a.m.)

(2) In those states that play high school softball season in
the fall, evaluations shall be permissible during those
seasons, except during dead periods.


*Each institution is limited to 50 evaluation days (August 1 - July 31) per Bylaw 13.02.6.2, which do not include employment of coaches in instructional camps/clinics or the observation of prospects participating in high school softball competition.

Contact period

Dead period

Dead period

Evaluation period


Contact period - permissible for authorized athletic department staff members to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.
Dead period - not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on- or off-campus or permit official or unofficial visits.

Evaluation period - permissible for authorized athletics department staff to be involved in off-campus activities to assess academic qualifications and playing abililties. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts with a prospect are permitted.

Quiet period - permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution's campus.


The National Letter of intent is a binding aggreement between the student and school.

 

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Mr. Hesse (spysoftball) will only on very rare occasions post negatvie comments about a program, and even then only if he can verify and be sure both sides are represented. He will sometimes take a swing at broader groups such as the NFCA, or ASA ruling organizations. He did however take a swing at the more "elite" college programs very recently over the very issue of early commitments.

 

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I believe there is a way to still play softball without sitting out if you have already signed a letter of intent. However, you must play at a school in a lower division--Div. I letter of intent could leave and go to Div. II or III. I know that after my daughter singed, there were coaches who still tried to recruit her from a lower level and also told her that if she was unhappy at the school she signed that she should call them.

 

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Heck even my 8U dd verbally commits!!!!!!!!! ;D