Do college coaches pay much attention to U19?

[Unregistered]

Who actually gives a crap what you think is stupid? Really is your kid even in a position to be thinking about commitment or are you just one of the dinosaurs living in the past and not accepting the realities of today. In either event your little crusade is misplaced because the fact is that college recruiting on the girls side does start in the 7th/8th grade now and there are actually some young girls out there who are faced with making a very tough decision at a very early age. All you do is make that decision harder for them gather information about.

Just because it's happening doesn't mean its in the best interest of players or college coaches.

[Unregistered]

Here's the thing - parents can say NO. Your job is to protect your child and guide them through a complicated process when they are ready to do so. If your player isn't ready to make such a decision then say NO. Will opportunities be missed? Yes, but mostly in terms of $. Coaches will make room on the roster for a baller (and the coach at 8th grade very well might not be there junior year). If they prove themselves freshman year they might be able to get $ later. Stop chasing the $ and do what's best for your kid. The earlier it happens the more likely it will fall apart later on, either before senior year or in college.

Translation:
I have enough money that the scholarship is not important. My princess will go to scholl wherever she wants to attend regardless of the pricetag
What an entitles POV. Newsflash for those with a silver spoon up their a** for some families the $ is a make or break.

[Unregistered]

Here's the thing - parents can say NO. Your job is to protect your child and guide them through a complicated process when they are ready to do so. If your player isn't ready to make such a decision then say NO. Will opportunities be missed? Yes, but mostly in terms of $. Coaches will make room on the roster for a baller (and the coach at 8th grade very well might not be there junior year). If they prove themselves freshman year they might be able to get $ later. Stop chasing the $ and do what's best for your kid. The earlier it happens the more likely it will fall apart later on, either before senior year or in college.

Thanks Pollyanna!

For some parents, I agree, it's chasing the badge of early commit, that's bad, but for most chasing the $ is what they think is best for their kid.

[Unregistered]

My child had multiple offers up to 100% by the summer after her freshman year. She waited until the spring of sophomore year and lost three offers along the way and one was reduced. The schools clearly felt a little insulted that she didn't jump at what they thought were very generous offers because they were. She wasn't sure what all her options would be.

[Unregistered]

Translation:
I have enough money that the scholarship is not important. My princess will go to scholl wherever she wants to attend regardless of the pricetag
What an entitles POV. Newsflash for those with a silver spoon up their a** for some families the $ is a make or break.

No we could use every dollar we can get but that doesn't mean having my kid commit in 8th grade is in her best long term interest. Having her chose the wrong school, wrong soccer program, the coach leaves, have her be unhappy, maybe even drop out or get cut and lose that money anyway? Besides, in soccer many families are middle to upper income so they do have more give and take on their ability to cover college or at least some of it. Lower income families can get financial aid. Throw in some merit money and you're at a 50% deal already.

[Unregistered]

My child had multiple offers up to 100% by the summer after her freshman year. She waited until the spring of sophomore year and lost three offers along the way and one was reduced. The schools clearly felt a little insulted that she didn't jump at what they thought were very generous offers because they were. She wasn't sure what all her options would be.

Offers don't last long and your D waited far too long. They expect you to make a decision pretty quickly so they can move on if you're going to decline. My oldest learned that the hard way too. You can push back some but not months on end.

[Unregistered]

Or the definition of reality

Message boards find a way to make rare occurrences seem like everyone's reality. There is more than one early commit scenario. People tend to assume its always elite player. it is sometimes , it can also be player with connection to school for a wide range of reasons. Coaches like some degree certainty.

truly elite prospects have a lot more time than it appears, but there is a level of fake prestige associated with early commitment. Money is a factor for most of us, I understand, but it does seem that a few families seem to settle earlier than they really need to

[Unregistered]

Just because it's happening doesn't mean its in the best interest of players or college coaches.

But that is not your call is it? No one actually cares about your opinion, especially when you keep denying the realities of going on. Makes you look out of touch.

[Unregistered]

My child had multiple offers up to 100% by the summer after her freshman year. She waited until the spring of sophomore year and lost three offers along the way and one was reduced. The schools clearly felt a little insulted that she didn't jump at what they thought were very generous offers because they were. She wasn't sure what all her options would be.

You were either arrogant or didn't understand how the process works. You actually gave your kid a bad rep by signaling to the coaches at those schools that you were just trolling for offers and weren't really serious. That is a symptom of the "showcase mentality" where you go to showcases to troll for offers instead of targeting the ones that you were seriously interested. It's also a reason why certain coaches and clubs get a bad rep with college coaches.

[Unregistered]

Message boards find a way to make rare occurrences seem like everyone's reality. There is more than one early commit scenario. People tend to assume its always elite player. it is sometimes , it can also be player with connection to school for a wide range of reasons. Coaches like some degree certainty.

truly elite prospects have a lot more time than it appears, but there is a level of fake prestige associated with early commitment. Money is a factor for most of us, I understand, but it does seem that a few families seem to settle earlier than they really need to

Again, who are you to judge whether or not a family "settled"? That is beyond an asshat statement.

[Unregistered]

But that is not your call is it? No one actually cares about your opinion, especially when you keep denying the realities of going on. Makes you look out of touch.

I'm well aware of the realities and pros and cons of waiting vs not. Stop making people fearful they'll miss out. You're only contributing to the hysteria

[Unregistered]

Again, who are you to judge whether or not a family "settled"? That is beyond an asshat statement.

Not that poster but some families do jump on their earliest offers because they're afraid that might the best one they get or afraid they will lose it (which can happen if you wait too long to accept). "Settle" might be too strong a word but how do you know for sure what is the best fit without looking at several options?

[Unregistered]

No we could use every dollar we can get but that doesn't mean having my kid commit in 8th grade is in her best long term interest. Having her chose the wrong school, wrong soccer program, the coach leaves, have her be unhappy, maybe even drop out or get cut and lose that money anyway? Besides, in soccer many families are middle to upper income so they do have more give and take on their ability to cover college or at least some of it. Lower income families can get financial aid. Throw in some merit money and you're at a 50% deal already.

If you target realistically and then study when the programs you are interested in typically start committing players that will give you a realistic "window" of opportunity. The reason everyone is trying to get committed so early is they don't take this step and try to beat everyone else to the money. The only ones that get the early decision forced on them is the top level players going to the top level programs. They set the timeline. Everyone else is actually causing themselves problems by pushing for offers before they are really in a position to accept them.

[Unregistered]

Not that poster but some families do jump on their earliest offers because they're afraid that might the best one they get or afraid they will lose it (which can happen if you wait too long to accept). "Settle" might be too strong a word but how do you know for sure what is the best fit without looking at several options?

This is where the clubs fail most families. It's an education issue. Most college coaches will wait a max of 90 days for an answer but some will only give you a couple of weeks. The issue is as soon as you start asking for offers there is a realistic expectation that you will give a prompt answer. Put yourself in the college coaches position. Do you think that they want you taking their offer and shopping it around like you are doing? Parents don't get that this isn't a one sided affair. You really shouldn't be asking for an offer from a program that you aren't seriously interested in accepting. The real trick to all of this is timing your offers so that they all get made at the same time so you can make one decision. You can only do that if you actually target your interest. That is yet another reason the whole showcase approach is wrong.

[Unregistered]

I'm well aware of the realities and pros and cons of waiting vs not. Stop making people fearful they'll miss out. You're only contributing to the hysteria

I'm not making them fearful they will miss out I'm trying to educate how this game gets played. From what I'm reading you keep trying to pretend that none of this is happening. The clubs generally do a horrible job explaining how the timeline impacts players of various levels and then how and when players of different levels should solicit offers. They have everyone rushing out like fools chasing programs beyond their kid's playing ability because the clubs don't want to burst their bubbles and potentially impact their cash flow. This all comes down to being objective and understanding where your kid fits in the soccer pyramid. Once you do that you know where and when to go. That is the real travesty here, the clubs have everyone thinking all of the programs recruit as though they were a top 10 program when they don't. Most college coaches understand that they have to wait on other programs further up the rankings to pass on kids before they can get a shot at the talent they will likely land. Recruiting is about the waterfall effect and it is not a sprint.