New recruiting rules

[MAHOCKEY FAN]

So an observation from lacrosse. Lacrosse changed their recruiting rules about 3 years before hockey. The recruiting of the 2021s in lax is notably been very slow this year. Coaches do not feel the urgency. Unfortunately while I think this is a good thing, (later recruiting), the new reality is that I have heard of 3 cases(2 men, 1 women) going on official recruiting trips where the parents pay for everything, and six months later the team is still waffling. That is where I can see an improvement....limit how long a team has after an official trip to either make an offer, or cut them lose. Unnecessarily dragging it out , after asking them to come visit, seems like the pendulum has swung the other way. I predict similar in a couple years for hockey....after the current 9th graders have been decommitted when they don’t develop.

 

[ARM]

Re: New recruiting rules

... the new reality is that I have heard of 3 cases(2 men, 1 women) going on official recruiting trips where the parents pay for everything, and six months later the team is still waffling. That is where I can see an improvement....limit how long a team has after an official trip to either make an offer, or cut them lose.

My understanding is that the difference between official and unofficial visits is that the team pays for an official visit. What you are describing seems to be an unofficial visit, if the recruit didn't receive any compensation from the team. It is difficult to put too many rules around an unofficial visit, because there are times where the team doesn't even know that someone is planning to make an unofficial visit to the school.

In any case, does the rule change that you're proposing really help the students? You suggest that the program be required to cut the student loose after a visit. However, the student is already "loose", in that she is in no way committed to that program until she signs an NLI. If she thinks that an offer is too long in coming, she is already free to look elsewhere. Your proposed change would just eliminate one possible program from which she might receive aid. I realize that you are hoping that the deadline would spur the program to make an offer, but if they haven't done so after six months, particularly for a recruit where the program didn't pay for a visit, it isn't likely that the program was planning to make an offer at all. That recruit seems to be more of a fallback plan if some other recruit doesn't pan out.

 

[MAHOCKEY FAN]

Re: New recruiting rules

I stand corrected. Unofficial visits is actually all that is allowed for 2021’s until sept 1 of senior year. I understand what’ you are saying,but these were planned visits, where recruits stayed overnight with current students...so these were not “ we didn’t know you were coming situations”. One family flew out to West coast to visit there dream school....at their own expense. My point is to get rid of the teasers.... you will see it when it comes. Yes the student can go else where until an NLI.

 

[crzyeagle]

Re: New recruiting rules

Here's the thing with official visits: "Schools may pay for a recruit’s transportation to and from campus. However, they can only provide transportation for parent/guardians if they travel in the same car as the recruit. Flights and separate bus or train tickets may not be purchased for parents" (NCSA Recruiting website). It's unfortunate for a family to put up the money to travel out to a school they think their daughter/son will be attending but go 4,5,6,7+ months or more waiting for an offer and it feels like the travel was wasted. It's unfortunate, but it happens all the time in every sport. I bet you could ask hundreds of families of football and basketball recruits and they probably have similar scenarios of them paying the travel expenses thinking their child will be attending xyz university only to come to find out that they will not be given an offer. Unfortunately, life isn't all sunshine and rainbows and offers handed to kids right there on the visit because they showed up and paid for their travel. The coaches are in this profession to win on top of making these athletes into the best people possible come graduation. They are not in this profession to satisfy every single recruit that walks through their door with an offer if they don't believe that particular recruit will help them win on the ice, field, court, what have you.

 

[Sieve1]

Here's the thing with official visits: "Schools may pay for a recruit’s transportation to and from campus. However, they can only provide transportation for parent/guardians if they travel in the same car as the recruit. Flights and separate bus or train tickets may not be purchased for parents" (NCSA Recruiting website). It's unfortunate for a family to put up the money to travel out to a school they think their daughter/son will be attending but go 4,5,6,7+ months or more waiting for an offer and it feels like the travel was wasted. It's unfortunate, but it happens all the time in every sport. I bet you could ask hundreds of families of football and basketball recruits and they probably have similar scenarios of them paying the travel expenses thinking their child will be attending xyz university only to come to find out that they will not be given an offer. Unfortunately, life isn't all sunshine and rainbows and offers handed to kids right there on the visit because they showed up and paid for their travel. The coaches are in this profession to win on top of making these athletes into the best people possible come graduation. They are not in this profession to satisfy every single recruit that walks through their door with an offer if they don't believe that particular recruit will help them win on the ice, field, court, what have you.

In our experience with another sport, and the experience of older, verbally committed hockey players at our club, the official visit seems to be used as a “welcome to the team” visit during the recruit’s senior year, rather than an actual decision making trip. It could vary by program though.