Recruiting Tips for Parents Just Starting the Process

Dos Equis said:
Their priorities change. Their bodies change. Their confidence changes. They mature.

Keep your minds and options open. It takes a very unique 14, or 15 year-old to understand the choice they are making prior to junior year. Yes, some are ready to decide, but the transfer rates and number of girls who stop playing women's soccer would suggest that too may are not.

Even under the current system, there are still spots junior year at most schools. There are even schools needing to fill spots senior year due to de-commits, academic performance issues, and transfers. That includes the power 5 conferences.

The proposed changes, in my opinion, are in the best interests of everyone.
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I agree that the changes are good for all involved (if they are adopted). However, most of the top Power 5 schools don't have money senior year and many don't have it past early junior year. For example, my kid's team already has 1o or 11 players committed for 2020 (the class that will be replacing her class which are sophomores) and they aren't a notoriously early recruiting school.
 
beachbum said:
When my daughter was going through this process and we did campus visits, I asked almost every coach a couple of general questions. Let me preface that i did not like my daughter having the pressure of deciding to commit her freshman year in high school(not many 8th and 9th graders have a grasp on this stuff). It was very flattering and ego boasting for her that she was being recruited that early, but once the offers started coming the pressure mounted throughout the year. We knew at some point they would put a time limits on her offers. Question one, what do you think about recruiting girls in 8th and 9th grade. Most if not all did not like it but it is what they had to do to keep up. They didn't like it because the girls were not physically or emotionally mature and still changing. One coach said they miss on about half the girls at that younger age. He did say that the national team players have a higher success rate. Question 2. This is off the recruiting topic a little bit but the question was, what do you think of the Development Academy that is coming in? Not one that i spoke to(small sample size) was in favor of this as of last year. They knew that the federation didn't really care about the college recruitment process. So aside from the fact that the federation doesn't cater to the college recruiting process, they now having two competing leagues, which would make their job more difficult. They all said they would handle it, but didn't seem happy about it.
So in summary from what i have heard: it will pass, and most college coaches are for it.
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Being a YNT player doesn't predict success at more than a 60% or so rate. And success is relative. IMHO the eye test is best. Players that have a high work rate, technical skill and some athletic ability are going to do well the majority of the time.
 
Sheriff Joe said:
Bad to good or bad to worse? It seems my 02 went from really fast to really slow from u12 to u16, she is heading back to being fast again.
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It is a fickle thing. Girls can lose speed due to awkwardness and then regain it once they get used to their body again. It is really hard to tell. An open line of communication with your player and a healthy push never hurts. Good luck to you and your player sir.
 
Dubs said:
So, with the assumption that this does pass end of April, do coaches curb the current recruiting practices before that? How does this affect girls that are being actively recruited now?
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I talked to 2 D1 coaches(one power 5, one not) in the last week and they are trying to get 03's and 04's in for visits and committed before/if this gets approved, again small sample size
 
MakeAPlay said:
I agree that the changes are good for all involved (if they are adopted). However, most of the top Power 5 schools don't have money senior year and many don't have it past early junior year. For example, my kid's team already has 1o or 11 players committed for 2020 (the class that will be replacing her class which are sophomores) and they aren't a notoriously early recruiting school.
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It is a great list of committed players, and that list of girls is responsible for a significant amount of the stress that the '02 and '03 players in Socal are experiencing right now. It would be interesting to take a screen shot of their Top Drawer 2020 list (it is up to 12 now) and compare it to the the UCLA signing day press release come February 2020.

I am genuinely uncertain how to evaluate whether the proposed rules are or are not in the interest of the Power 5 conferences. I know one active P5 coach who believes it will pass, and another outside the P5, but successful in recent years, who shared that belief. I tend to look to other sports that recently implemented similar changes for guidance (Men's and Women's Lacrosse). This FAQ also answers some questions about the impact on current recruits.
 
MakeAPlay said:
It is a fickle thing. Girls can lose speed due to awkwardness and then regain it once they get used to their body again. It is really hard to tell. An open line of communication with your player and a healthy push never hurts. Good luck to you and your player sir.
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Thank you, the push is on.
 
Dos Equis said:
It is a great list of committed players, and that list of girls is responsible for a significant amount of the stress that the '02 and '03 players in Socal are experiencing right now. It would be interesting to take a screen shot of their Top Drawer 2020 list (it is up to 12 now) and compare it to the the UCLA signing day press release come February 2020.

I am genuinely uncertain how to evaluate whether the proposed rules are or are not in the interest of the Power 5 conferences. I know one active P5 coach who believes it will pass, and another outside the P5, but successful in recent years, who shared that belief. I tend to look to other sports that recently implemented similar changes for guidance (Men's and Women's Lacrosse). This FAQ also answers some questions about the impact on current recruits.
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I haven't seen them lose a commitment after it was announced yet (even Pugh showed up for a semester). I don't know enough about the 2020 class to make any sort of judgement but I will say that it is Josh's last class and he has yet to disappoint me. Thanks for the info and I also hope that the legislation passes for the good of the future young female athletes.
 
Has anyone heard anything more on the recruiting rules change? I heard that unofficial visits can be taken as of first week Sophomore year... Any truth to this?
 
So will the NCAA rule changes really make changes for the better?. What do you think?
1) No more ID camp visits by players 8-11th? ( I think parents will still be sign them up for the "Development" camps the college provides ages 8-11, the coaches will be able to see them play just not Officially be able to approach and have a "Recruiting Conversation" )
2) No more unofficial Visits by players 8-11th? ( I think these visits will just now be academic visits and current collage players will now be the escorts to talking to the visitors, again no official "Recruiting Conversation" )
3) No more verbal commits before Sept 1 Junior year ( Unofficially , but aren't Verbal commits unofficial anyway)
4) No more Collage Scouting at the 8-11 grade ( Ughm, year right)
5) No more Free Game tickets before Sept 1 ( That will do it , that the one change that is going to make a big difference.)
Don't get me wrong I'm all for change here, I just believe there should be more than what they proposed to really impact change in the system that is already geared for commits at 9th grade. Our "Kids" don't need that pressure and should have a lot more time to figure it all out for themselves.

“The more restrictive we can make the environment on the institutional side, the more beneficial the experience we offer student-athletes,” ~NCAA
 
beachbum said:
When my daughter was going through this process and we did campus visits, I asked almost every coach a couple of general questions. Let me preface that i did not like my daughter having the pressure of deciding to commit her freshman year in high school(not many 8th and 9th graders have a grasp on this stuff). It was very flattering and ego boasting for her that she was being recruited that early, but once the offers started coming the pressure mounted throughout the year. We knew at some point they would put a time limits on her offers. Question one, what do you think about recruiting girls in 8th and 9th grade. Most if not all did not like it but it is what they had to do to keep up. They didn't like it because the girls were not physically or emotionally mature and still changing. One coach said they miss on about half the girls at that younger age. He did say that the national team players have a higher success rate. Question 2. This is off the recruiting topic a little bit but the question was, what do you think of the Development Academy that is coming in? Not one that i spoke to(small sample size) was in favor of this as of last year. They knew that the federation didn't really care about the college recruitment process. So aside from the fact that the federation doesn't cater to the college recruiting process, they now having two competing leagues, which would make their job more difficult. They all said they would handle it, but didn't seem happy about it.
So in summary from what i have heard: it will pass, and most college coaches are for it.
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Making offers to 8th and 9th graders is a violation of NCAA rules.
 
espola said:
Making offers to 8th and 9th graders is a violation of NCAA rules.
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Incorrect. NCAA does not recognize verbal offers. To them, they do not exist. Call it ostrich method, but current rules allow for a verbal at any time. It is non-binding and non-existent to them.
 
espola said:
Interesting way to agree with me.
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Perhaps. But illegal would imply a violation. That is all I quibble with. It is a handshake that has no legal standing. It would only be illegal if the coach contacts the player in a way not allowed by the rules. The current rules are swiss cheese. The changes proposed would make this illegal.
 
Dos Equis said:
Perhaps. But illegal would imply a violation. That is all I quibble with. It is a handshake that has no legal standing. It would only be illegal if the coach contacts the player in a way not allowed by the rules. The current rules are swiss cheese. The changes proposed would make this illegal.
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As I said...
 
SOCCERMINION said:
So will the NCAA rule changes really make changes for the better?. What do you think?
1) No more ID camp visits by players 8-11th? ( I think parents will still be sign them up for the "Development" camps the college provides ages 8-11, the coaches will be able to see them play just not Officially be able to approach and have a "Recruiting Conversation" )
2) No more unofficial Visits by players 8-11th? ( I think these visits will just now be academic visits and current collage players will now be the escorts to talking to the visitors, again no official "Recruiting Conversation" )
3) No more verbal commits before Sept 1 Junior year ( Unofficially , but aren't Verbal commits unofficial anyway)
4) No more Collage Scouting at the 8-11 grade ( Ughm, year right)
5) No more Free Game tickets before Sept 1 ( That will do it , that the one change that is going to make a big difference.)
Don't get me wrong I'm all for change here, I just believe there should be more than what they proposed to really impact change in the system that is already geared for commits at 9th grade. Our "Kids" don't need that pressure and should have a lot more time to figure it all out for themselves.

“The more restrictive we can make the environment on the institutional side, the more beneficial the experience we offer student-athletes,” ~NCAA
Click to expand...

Junior high was too early... But Junior year of high school just seems too late. The players should be allowed to make their visits, get to know the coaches, and openly discuss their options during sophomore year. They have an INCREDIBLE amount of pressure on the Junior year with all the testing etc anyway-- the stress of an even quicker decision and the confusion of not knowing where they stand in regards to their sport will send a few more over the edge. Plus, on the other side of the coin, if coaches "aren't allowed" to scout in 8-11th, when exactly are they to do it? Senior year? Just doesn't seem realistic does it? It only helps the players for the coaches to scout throughout soph year-- otherwise seems they'd have to rely on word of mouth/reputation even more-- and do we really want that?

So basically with this scenario, it all has to go the way of floppy hats and sunglasses, hush-hush convos with youth coaches out by the Norco porta-potties, stressful uncertainty for some kids, and for others, the ultimate teen-torture of not posting their "Unofficial" verbal commitment announcements for up to two years.... Joking aside, as you suggest Soccerminion, this just seems like somewhere in the murky middle of change and no change.
 
9th grade is too early to commit. I've seen plenty of kids entering high school thinking they are geniuses in math and science only to struggle in high school Chemistry and Physics. It is a wake up call for career choices and college majors. And I have also seen kids go in the reverse direction falling in love with a class such as Biology, Computer Sciene or Political Science. Until a person knows what general area they would like to major in, it is not advisable to pick a college that might not have a major you're interested in pursuing. Some people make the wrong assumption that schools like Cal and UCLA have every major and they do not. Other schools like Oregon don't even have engineering at all. Kids need time to develop interests before committing.

Beginning of 11th grade is an optimal time to commit. As said above the pressure of school is a lot during this year so removing the soccer burden would be a plus. Also if a kid commits to an Ivy and they need a certain test score to bump up their merit scholarship, they can focus on that goal.
 
Fact said:
9th grade is too early to commit. I've seen plenty of kids entering high school thinking they are geniuses in math and science only to struggle in high school Chemistry and Physics. It is a wake up call for career choices and college majors. And I have also seen kids go in the reverse direction falling in love with a class such as Biology, Computer Sciene or Political Science. Until a person knows what general area they would like to major in, it is not advisable to pick a college that might not have a major you're interested in pursuing. Some people make the wrong assumption that schools like Cal and UCLA have every major and they do not. Other schools like Oregon don't even have engineering at all. Kids need time to develop interests before committing.

Beginning of 11th grade is an optimal time to commit. As said above the pressure of school is a lot during this year so removing the soccer burden would be a plus. Also if a kid commits to an Ivy and they need a certain test score to bump up their merit scholarship, they can focus on that goal.
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Sophomore year is 10th grade. Much easier to know your SAT/grade requirements for an Ivy if you know you are going to one when you are in your sophomore year.

Frankly Im not trying to be argumentative. Actually committing Junior year is ok (isn't that basically how it is now anyway?). I just think they should be able to explore their options, talk to coaches, go on unofficials, know where they stand and fit in and what will be necessary to achieve admittance prior to Junior year if that is when they are to decide. Then they know the benchmarks they have to hit to be successful (as in grades and test scores). In other words, start the process in early Sophomore year (10th grade).
 
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Sorry to sound like a broken record, but is the legislation set on making unofficial visits start of Junior year? I read somewhere that it was Sophomore year. If it is indeed Sophomore, it would make more sense to me, with official visits starting Junior year. Still unclear how this will shake out.
 
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