D1 confusion

Roster limitations? .maybe they'd like a 65ft sp instead?

If the college coach is that stupid and incompetent, then do you really want to run for that coach?

Just look for other schools that believe in him and that value him. He'll be happier at those schools than the school with the dumb coach.

From what I know, he's a well-respected coach. It might a roster thing, that makes sense. Yes, my son is casting a wide net, so we'll see!

If that school opted in to the house settlement then they probably have to be a lot more selective about their recruiting than they were 2 years ago.

As it is, if he's not scoring at the conference meet or contributing on relays really quickly, he won't be a priority. Especially now with the transfer portal when coaches can just poach kids that already have experience at the collegiate level.

Ok. I'll state the obvious, and I am surprised others haven't commented on this yet.

I'll be nice. A school that is looking at taking a 4:15 and 1:52 kid is not elite by any means.

Maybe upper level mid-major, but in this day and age, 4:15/1:52 guys out of high school are really not getting too many looks from elite programs. I can't speak as to why they gave you those times, but it may just be a "hold you off" kind of communication.

Also, with all the new limits and the craziness in the NCAA these days, nothing is the same as it was and these next few years graduating classes will feel the brunt.

I also caution you about "doing your research" on the current athletes on the team and comparing "your little Johnny" to them and their situation. As I said, its a different ball game now and they already have their seat at the table.

this is a dumb thread. the number is what the coach says the number is, even if it's arbitrary, squirrely, or complete bs. (and probably set by the fact the slowest kids are no longer 11th graders, they grew up to be college runners and got faster than 11th grade). if you feel like the coach is being unfair or dishonest, you don't argue with that, you move on. what's the idea, you woodshed the guy and tell him he's lying or something, so let my kid on......to run for that same guy? odds are you don't get the school/team without the coach.

i wouldn't waste my time on a school who says they might consider your kid in another year only under certain conditions. by spring you might already have several offers, have sent in all your applications, perhaps know a lot of admissions.

if you have a brain you line up only "yeses" by spring. if you think the coach is being demanding and not dishonest, you can maybe include 1 last school in your applications that's a risk, and see what happens. but the deal is you may have admissions and time-limited team offers before you get a chance to improve.

last, surely there is some similar school that wants your kid.

Good post. Spot on. People whine and complain and think they are owed an answer from a coach.

D1 elite requires 1:50/4:05 junior year. The school youvare describing is barely better than D3. What are the top 10 tines in the conference this season? Look in Tfrrs. Betting something like 1:49 and 3:42. If your son isnt running this times, he is of no value. Schools have a short period of time to get down to the new limits. They can no longer carry a bunch of dead weight.

The good news is this kid is fast enough already to get picked up by someone... somewhere.

And with penalty free transfers...he is in the position to improve and portal to another school if he wants...

With all due respect, this is one of the least confusing “confusing” situations I’ve seen posted. You are in touch with the coach and he’s given you specific times to meet for consideration. You have no idea what moving pieces have led to setting those standards; I wouldn’t waste time second guessing him. You have far more information than most people have to work with. That said, I agree with posters above that the school in question might not be ideal. Keep your options open—sounds like you’ll have many.

i didn't mean to sound pro-coach, it's more pro-reality. short of discrimination or he gets fired or quits, what he says, goes. there is no appeal. you can't go around him to the AD or college president. it's his team. and he is trusted to pick the team, and he can offer some kids more and your kid less, be inconsistent about what he demands to make it, etc.

your job is to consider whether you are even willing to consider a school who makes that tepid "offer," and whether anything about the interaction put you off. because as some are saying, you make the team, you get this same guy as coach. that's the prize. it's not an abstraction. he's the package deal. he will be picking future teams, deciding if you make them, if you get any years, or more than one. he will set the training. he will decide if you go to the meets, including any where you have a travel roster, a 10 man cross country limit, or who goes to conference.

Agree, it's hilarious. We see thread after thread from parents who think their kid is Galen Rupp complaining about the lack of clarity. And here we have a coach who has explicitly said what those standards are, and even that isn't good enough, because the kid isn't good enough.

Also what events is the school focused on for distance? I had a friend coaching against UTEP when they had 2 1:43 guys and another at 1:47 a few years ago.

He stopped trying at the 800 when those dudes showed up and put everyone in steeple/ 10k.

I apologize if I wasn't clear. I do not think my kid is the best in the whole world nor was I trying to challenge the coach. I was trying to connect the dots between what times he said were the minimum with the actual times of his correct roster. If my son's times are faster than the school's current roster's times in high school, then why the "minimum" 4:15 and 1:52 or they won't consider him?

Thank you! He does have offers and we are thankful! He is just really trying to get his dream school:)

I was not whining, complaining or expecting an answer from the coach, I apologize if that came across that way!

Not every program is like this, but a fair number used to always say they were only considering kids with insanely elite times. Makes sense for a Stanford or a Colorado or whatnot, but you’d have the coach at like, Iowa or similar saying they needed their recruits to be sub-9 in the 3200 when that’s purely hopium at a program like that. Ultimately most programs take kids whose times don’t quite line up with their alleged recruiting standards.

As a parent of a rising college student athlete who just went through this entire process, it's not hilarious. We don't live in this world and really have no idea what the process is, how it's different than all other processes we've experienced, or how our child fits in to any of it. We did come to realize just what you are saying here- published recruiting numbers do not reflect the reality of a team's composition or their needs, especially now. Coaches are sometimes not good at communicating, and sometimes don't have time to effectively deal with the huge number of athletes contacting them. We did not have a high school coach who could give us any advice or guidance, so we were on our own, as many parent are. The recruiting programs that advertise helping athletes are garbage and social media offers no help whatsoever (obviously). Please keep in mind that it's extremely difficult to navigate the recruiting process right now and some parents are just looking for whatever help or guidance they can find.

Frannie72 - our son did get a great offer at a school that he is really happy with! Good luck! Keep asking questions and ignore the snarky comments. You'll find a school where your kid feels welcomed and encouraged by the coach and team- that's the right place.

the idea to doing your research is to anticipate where you will be received well, not to argue with those who turn you down because in theory it should have worked on paper. and once you have a reception -- and in this situation even standards -- you know exactly where you stand.

also, all due respect to this emerging line of posts, but whether you make a sports team is based on A vs. B now, not whether you believe you were faster in 10th or 11th grade and think you project out faster. no. he's saying with the college athletes on hand and their times, as well as any roster limits, this is what i need now. what the current runners did years ago is trivia if they run 152 and 415 now. you're not being recruited 2-3 years ago when they were.

you're not confused on the standards, it sounds like you're confused who you're dealing with. you thought on paper you had a home, but this is the response. you're more confused about the coach. if so, you either err on the side of this coach puts me off, or you talk to him again at some point and decide if you like the vibes at all.

last, it should be not just the lack of guarantees, but that if you did make it you probably run a handful of meets all year as your reward. i get it seems to be a thing among ambitious parents/kids to be the dumbest slowest kid in the school on the team at the most elite place, but that is precarious admissions and recruiting strategy. for sports i would want to be someplace i fit in the middle or top so i have security, coaching focus, and some success. the last walkon is an afterthought who might get a couple meets all year. you did your research, how many meets did the slowest kids get. i know kids seem to build this up into a rocky training montage but everyone else is training and competing hard, too.

there is usually a positive answer to these situations. if williams won't take your kid, pomona or swat would love to have them. so to speak. or the equivalent in whatever division or conference you can list. you're better off going to the one happy to have you and not begging the indifferent one to change its mind. you're happier now. you're less stressed when you show up. you just do your thing.