The
State of Softball- Early Commitments
NCAA Division
I rules state that college coaches may not have face to face contact with
high school players off campus until after completion of their junior year. Until
those dates, college coaches cannot phone or text players, talk to players at
tournaments, or have players come on an official visit until they start their
senior year. Players may email coaches
to express their interest, but coaches may not send any correspondence back
until their junior year. Rules do not prohibit players from visiting college
campuses at their own expense or from meeting with coaches about their program.
Athletes may also call the coach at any time no matter what grade they are in.
When you see that a player
has made an early commitment to a college before starting her senior year,
before the time she could take an official visit, many questions rise.
In most cases, a college coach has watched the player in action at
tournaments, playing for a travel team or top gold team as an eighth grader,
freshman, or sophomore. How is it that in today’s softball world that there are
so many early verbal commitments from young athletes if coaches cannot contact
them until their junior year? Many may say it is the parents, travel ball, and
college coaches fault but who is really to blame? Over the next few weeks I
will be discussing views from each group that plays a key role in the recruiting
process.
NCAA Academic and Membership Affairs Staff. (2013). NCAA
Division I Manual. (pp. 75-133). Indianapolis, Indiana
Hewitt, P. M. (2009).
THE RECRUITING PROCESS. College Student-Athletes: Challenges, Opportunities,
and Policy Implications, 37.
This is an interesting debate. Rules are in place for a reason - sometimes to protect the young athlete, but somebody hungry for glory always finds the way around the rules.
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