It's the July 4th weekend and Collegiate Development Programs and other elite baseball clubs are participating in top, scout filled tournaments like the 18 and under WWBA in East Cobb. Many incoming seniors and even some incoming juniors will be asked to verbally commit to their college of their choice and verbal. Is this the time of year to verbal? Some schools will want you to verbal now. Should you do it? This is a question that we have wrestled with for years as we put our son's through the recruiting conundrum. There are several answers that relate to various scenarios. Let's start with age...
UNCOMMITTED SENIORS.
If a senior has been getting several offers and hasn't made all of the official visits yet and thinks that a banner summer showcase season could improve his chances for a better offer, then waiting for the school he really wants to go to should be the choice. Enjoy July 1st (the first official day that an incoming senior can recieve phone calls from college coaches) and the phone calls you will get and then, after a heart to heart with your coaches, parents and yourself...make the RIGHT decision. The signing period isn't until November 11, 2009, so the only timeline is making the decision before the availability of offers goes dry. Remember, a student should always pick the school first, then baseball.
Hopefully, he has already applied to those schools already and is just waiting for a baseball offer. We have made this comment several times. Don't verbal if it's not a school that interests him just to play baseball. If baseball doesn't work out, then he's stuck with a school he doesn't like. We have seen the scenario where an student/athlete turned full time student, has to start the application process all over again to attend another school that fits him and his major. That's a big pain.
JUNIORS
There are some that would disagree, but now through spring of his junior year is still too early to verbal if a player had some type of correspondence with a college coach and he has told the player that he wants him to be a part of his team. It's flattering, but if that player is good, he will get interest from other schools as well. Don't say yes to the first college that shows interest. Play your high school season. Step it up this summer on a great College Development Program. The recruiting process can be a lot of fun if you follow this timeline.
However...there's always a however...IF and only IF, a player receives a solid "offer" (it's really just solid interest at this point due to NCAA restrictions) from a school that has been on the top of his list and there will be no post decision dissonance that could ever give him regrets, then maybe it will be OK to verbal.
This early verbal is usually reserved for the coveted athletes that a school wants to tie up now so that they can concentrate on other needs. It also can be a relief for the top athlete to finally concentrate on playing ball. Many elite athletes get bombarded with mountains of e-mails and regular mail everyday and it gets old after a while. Verbally announcing his decision usually stops the activity. Now, verbals are non-binding for both the player and the school at this stage...but, that doesn't mean that a player can or should change his mind. Barring any injuries to a player, a school should not back down on it's offer either. They both can legally, but it's not really acceptable, unless there has been a change in the coaching staff or other outside influences that change the ground rules a bit. Bottom line, a player must be absolutley sure that this is his number one choice. If so, then make the announcement.
SOPHOMORES
First of all, the majority of sophomores will not get "offers" or solid interest yet...Yes, you will get letters and e-mails...that doesn't necessarily imply solid interest.. So, sophomores players and parents...don't even think about it! That said, we do know literally a handful of sophomores that have verballed. (Literally, less than 5 exceptionally talented players that we know of.) And, unless a player is one of those handful of super-studs that comes around every once in a while, there is absolutely no reason a sophomore should be thinking that he is missing out on something at this age. Physically, mentally, and practically, there is so much baseball ahead. A player should just use this time to play exceptional ball. This is the time to make the high school varsity team if he can. That should be priority number one. Make a top rated travel team. That is priority number two. Get seen at showcases and major tourney's. That's priority number three. Sophomore year is a time when a player should be scaling up his game to a higher level. He may have dominated at a younger age, but how does that scale to playing against other players two to three years his senior? It can be a wake-up call and all the more reason to relax and just play the game, work-out, get stronger, smarter and better.
We hope this helps. Any personal experiences that players, parents or coaches want to add? Use the comment section below. Don't worry. You can reply as anonymous.
RT Staff
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