Friday, January 31, 2014

The State of Softball- Early Commitments


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.

 


1 comment:

  1. 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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