Please explain how "comitments" work.

[Unregistered]

Eventually, you are going to have to talk with the coach. Even a younger player ('012 or '013) will need to have some direct communication with the coach and it is during those conversations (either by phone or on campus during an unofficial visit) that you need to hammer out the details of the deal. I reccomend that you memorialize anything that you discuss with an e-mail. Sort of the old: I just wanted to be sure about our conversation. You have promised X, Y and Z. Is that correct? But remember that anything that is discussed or agreed to during the "verbal" phase and prior to signing a NLI is completely unenforceable - even if it is in writing. So those e-mails are really more for clarification (and maybe some leverage) when the NLI is finally sent. I think people are also a little nieve to believe that coaches are really worried about their reputation with future recruits if they back-off of their verbal promises. Most of the early verbal commits are made months (and maybe even years) before the player is allowed to sign a NLI. Every verbal carrues a HUGE CAVEAT, that things could change. In today's market, I doubt that players would be too concerned if someone else has their deal changed or removed. It is really a caveat emptor world out there, but also an "every girl for herself" sitiation.

[Unregistered]

Seems like you are searching for a simple answer to a complex question. The simple answer is that a "commitment" is just a handshake agreement that the athlete and college are committed to each other and the result will be a signed National Letter of Intent. The rest of your questions relate back to the whole recruiting process. What you need to understand is that recruiting is really like a mating ritual where both parties are actively looking for each other. All of your questions are just variables in the dating discussion because each situation you find is going to be unique. It really comes down to finding the set of circumstance that fit your child the best.

Nicely summarized!

[Unregistered]

Haven't made visits yet and both schools require flights.

Do out of region recruits fly out on their own dime?

[Unregistered]

Do out of region recruits fly out on their own dime?

Of course...they even make the student/athlete pay for a portion of any tickets to games.

[Unregistered]

Of course...they even make the student/athlete pay for a portion of any tickets to games.

Where's the incentive to do the air travel to visit a school, especially if they recruited you?

[Unregistered]

Where's the incentive to do the air travel to visit a school, especially if they recruited you?

If you don't go they will recruit someone else. They just move to the next one on the list. No player is indispensable to a program.

[Unregistered]

My kid has received two email $ offers. One for a percentage and the other for part academic up to a total percent and other athletic tbd. Haven't made visits yet and both schools require flights. Other regional schools expressed interest on 9/1 but only asked for her to visit and noted she was a top recruit. How do you know who is serious and isn't sending emails out to large numbers of players hoping to get 5 out of top 20 to reply?

I'm curious to know the RPI ranking of these programs? I'm assuming they are not in the top 10?

[Unregistered]

If you don't go they will recruit someone else. They just move to the next one on the list. No player is indispensable to a program.

This sounds like a dubious approach to recruiting. The aim for coaches, at least at very competitive programs, is to get the best players possible--even if none of those players is "indispensable," whatever exactly that would mean.