Top 15 runner in country in 3200/1600 coach just left. If granted release can the runner still change mind and run for signed school or have all ties been cut? Is their still money available for an athlete of this caliber this late in the summer? Advice, past experiences please help!
Until you can type this thread title and your post coherently, I am certain that no one can help you.
speling and grammer wrote:
Until you can type this thread title and your post coherently, I am certain that no one can help you.
+1
You can't have it both ways. Make a decision. Either you don't want to go there and take your chances with what's out there this late. Or you want your current scholarship and take your chances with who the school hires to coach you.
Imagine if I asked my wife if I could go on some dates to see if I like someone better. But if not will she stay with me.
Highly likely OP is from Texas.
If this is J.T. of WDMD signed to run at Iowa State, talk to Pollard or the incoming coach.
I believe I heard in other sports (basketball?) a recruit could change his mind if a coaching change was made, but I could be wrong. If I was you, when the new coach talked to me and if he didn't explain my options I would tend to think he was a little less than honest and my red flags would come up, that's not to say that he is definitely dirty but I would prefer a 100% open and upfront coach.
Come on wrote:
I believe I heard in other sports (basketball?) a recruit could change his mind if a coaching change was made, but I could be wrong. If I was you, when the new coach talked to me and if he didn't explain my options I would tend to think he was a little less than honest and my red flags would come up, that's not to say that he is definitely dirty but I would prefer a 100% open and upfront coach.
With ANY sport, the school has to release you from the letter of intent. BB and FB are the only schools that have a sit a year rule though.
OP, are you this athlete's coach/parent?
Anyway, assuming the info another poster gave is correct--namely, that the athlete can be released from the LOI--I feel confident that there's a D1 program (even a pretty good one) that would have big money still available for a top-15-in-US prospect. I knew one D1 coach (at a decent program, too) who gave out his last scholarship in late August, if memory serves--and the kid involved, though a good prospect for many reasons, was likely not even a top-100-in-US guy.
If you're completely flexible about the athlete's destination, there should be some solid money available. Email a bunch of the better D1 programs and find out!
And also keep in mind the possibility of staying at the school the athlete signed with. S/he probably signed because of more than just the coach.
Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but welcome to college track.
-Guy with three coaches in 4 years
Is it your opinion that colleges that have money and/or a place for a distance runner will tell you that one would be welcome at their program. If the rules state that a college cannot have contact with an athlete in this situation, how does one find out whether getting a release is advantageous. Its a catch 22.
Will the schools "bend" the rules and tell you that they have room?
I'm guessing it's an Oklahoma recruit on the men's side
JT? Grass is always greener my friend. Stay at ISU and get a great experience in a great conference. You will have every opportunity to stay near home (your parents will appreciate this)get a valued degree paid for, and still have coaches that can help you reach your goals. Things may not work out for you, the departing coach etc... at BS either and then what? Best Wishes.
CycloneAlum wrote:
If this is J.T. of WDMD signed to run at Iowa State, talk to Pollard or the incoming coach.
OMG, how would anyone figure out who you are talking about? Straight 007 right there. Stupid ISU fan/grad.
Casual Fan in Iowa wrote:
CycloneAlum wrote:If this is J.T. of WDMD signed to run at Iowa State, talk to Pollard or the incoming coach.
OMG, how would anyone figure out who you are talking about? Straight 007 right there. Stupid ISU fan/grad.
Well, there are only about 10-15 boys ranked in the top 10-15 in the mile in the country. And, few if any of them are going to a college where the coach just left. And, just a minute or so from this original post being launched a comment was also added to the Martin Smith thread going to ISU. Seems like a lot of coincidences.
Honestly, if it is who I thought, you are probably in better hands. Martin Smith seems to do a better job with men as of recent and Corey Ihmels the opposite. That being said, A.H. of W-SR got her release. But, she has a few more handlers with her personal coach 100+ miles away from her hometown.
Finally, once released, schools are then free and clear to contact an athlete.
My son ran into similar problem/concern and there was hardly a school that still had scholarship money available. Not quite as good as you, but as of 3 weeks ago, I would encourage you to contact the following schools to see if it would work.
NC State
Ok State
UNCG
Penn State
Georgia Tech
Furman
Georgia
Remember admissions and roster limitations as well as athletic aid are concerns going forward!
Money money all right wrote:
NC State
Ok State
UNCG
Penn State
Georgia Tech
Furman
Georgia
which one of these kids is not like the other?
which one of these kids is not like the rest?
fo real? uncg?!
Many college coaches are overrated. Some are good, maybe you really liked the one where you chose to go but it didn't work out for him/her. Stay put for all of the right reasons. Moving to follow a coach that transitions isn't a very good reason. Things might not work out for them or another great opportunity might come up and off they go again. You just haven't had a chance to get to know the new coach yet and maybe you will find that things will work out just fine. Give it a year and then decide. You won't be too far into your major at that point. The school has to honor the scholarship you have signed for and in my eyes,at this point, they are more committed to you than the coach you signed up with.
Sorry about the added stress to your new beginning. I know it would be much more comfortable and stable to go-in at this point with a focused summer of preparation and expectation but I would recommend seriously visiting with the new guy/gal soon before you make life changing decisions which will remove you from the environment you wanted. Have you been to orientation? That would be another concern if you've already taken the time to register, paid some fees, made housing arrangements etc... I know all that can be changed but it's your comfort level and summer preparation/focus that you will have to deal with and could make for a hectic couple of upcoming months. Good Luck.
I think a position that some runners (distance vs sprints) take is that if the program goes from a distance head coach to a sprint centric head coach, the whole program is going to change. If the athlete was "wooed" or recruited using the auspices that the program they were going to was great for distance runners i.e. Colarado, OU, etc...then the direction of the program is or could change depending on the new head coach...don't you think it would be prudent for the athlete to explore their options?
Not necessarily follow the leaving coach, but maybe another program that is more suited for their specialty.[quote]kdlsigfe wrote:
Sure, I suppose that could be true. I have a hard time believing that even a sprint oriented head coach (and their distance assistant at larger schools) wouldn't like to have good recruits for other events that could help score in conference meets or possibly even qualify for NCAA's. The unfortunate thing about the college experience in a lot of places these days is that there is a lot of separation between the cross team and the track team if the head coach isn't distance oriented and even when they are. Hard to call track and field a team sport in this situation.
I had a national XC champion for a cross/track head coach and he had a surprisingly large amount of decathlon & sprint/hurdle/throwers all-americans that he worked with. Some coaches can flat out coach, he was one of them. He also taught gymnastics along with the standard theory of track and field class for Phys Ed/Coach students. I really liked being on a balanced team during the track season. We all had fun competing at a high level together and everyone got along well. There wasn't any event group that thought they were better than the other because coach had a good approach about recruiting for balance and able to coach all of us well with very little help including fall program for sprinter/hurdler/jumper types during the XC season. He still had plenty of XC NCAA qualifying teams and individuals without compromising the track team. Kids just earned their scholarships over time and committment to the program. Only one full scholarship that I was aware of and since he pulled a gold medal out of the Olympic Games, I figured he'd earned it.