When one of my kids was going through this, his friends who committed early were hounding him every day to commit somewhere quick or all his preferred teams would be full.
FOMO is real.
It's more this than anything.
if you are good nearly all teams will wait for you, at least until signing day, which as we know, is in November.
(Yes. there are some very good schools, who have the pick of whomever they want, where spots may be all gone but those are the exceptions, not the rule.)
In addition to concern about limited roster spots at athletes' favorite schools, the athletes also want to commit early enough to help recruit fellow athletes to their chosen school. They want to give those other athletes a 'nudge' in their direction (a consensus) to help them make their final decision to build a competitive team together. We've likely seen that happen at at Arkansas, Colorado, Furman and UCLA this Summer, where all 3 of those schools already have 4 commits each.
My kid is a 2027. Talking with a coach about a visit the coach asked how quickly was my kid looking to commit, start of this year or later. My kid said at the earliest late spring after track, so the coach wanted to make the visit later in the year and not during xc.
My kid is a 2027. Talking with a coach about a visit the coach asked how quickly was my kid looking to commit, start of this year or later. My kid said at the earliest late spring after track, so the coach wanted to make the visit later in the year and not during xc.
I'd suggest taking at least 1 visit during XC season to attend a football game and get a feel for the vibe and energy, plus it's a lot of fun. Most coaches at schools that have a good football program like to use football games to recruit, and I believe the recruits should live it up and take advantage of that opportunity to have a fun weekend visiting schools. Fall is the best time to do that, IMO. Winter basketball and Spring baseball games are fun too, but nothing like Fall football.
My kid is a 2026, and the coaches he's been in contact with are hoping for a decision in late November/early December (basically Thanksgiving).
They were "hoping" for a decision over the Summer, trust me. By November/December of his/her senior year, the roster may be full. Why would you wait that long?
My kid is a 2027. Talking with a coach about a visit the coach asked how quickly was my kid looking to commit, start of this year or later. My kid said at the earliest late spring after track, so the coach wanted to make the visit later in the year and not during xc.
I'd suggest taking at least 1 visit during XC season to attend a football game and get a feel for the vibe and energy, plus it's a lot of fun. Most coaches at schools that have a good football program like to use football games to recruit, and I believe the recruits should live it up and take advantage of that opportunity to have a fun weekend visiting schools. Fall is the best time to do that, IMO. Winter basketball and Spring baseball games are fun too, but nothing like Fall football.
Oh I'm trying. My kid is not a big football fan, but I want go. We have one visit schedule already, but the football team is not playing that weekend.
My kid is a 2026, and the coaches he's been in contact with are hoping for a decision in late November/early December (basically Thanksgiving).
They were "hoping" for a decision over the Summer, trust me. By November/December of his/her senior year, the roster may be full. Why would you wait that long?
Well he's not distance (throws actually) and the schools are D1 mid major. They've all consistently said Nov 12 is ideal, thanksgiving or shortly after at the latest.
