WAG New NCAA Recruiting Rules

[gasrgoose]

It is a gamble on both sides, but if someone loses in the whole deal, it's going to be the kid. It's the school that is calling the shots. They are the ones with power, they are the ones with a line of kids waiting to get scholarships. The kid is pretty innocent and clueless in this whole mess. The recruiting process is hard enough for high schoolers with sane parents and responsible coaches who know what they are doing, it doesn't need to be made more difficult by throwing in middle schoolers and parents with stars in their eyes who have no idea what is going on. I have no problem with college coaches looking at younger kids when they visit gyms, keeping tabs on them at meets, chatting with their coaches or even the kids themselves. I have no problem with a college coach telling a club coach they are interested in 12 year old Sally and want to receive video updates on her. It's the whole commitment language that bugs me and just doesn't sit right.
For the record, I'm not talking verbals from high school juniors who are a few months out from signing NLIs, I think that's a different story.

I agree that it is a difficult process for the kids, parents and club coaches. It's going to challenging when there is a $100,000 scholarship available. But I don't believe the kids are the only ones who lose if the commitment doesn't work out. NCAA coaches get fired if they don't meet expectations at their schools and they need the best athletes to win. This is the livelihood for the coaches families and if they lose their job they will have to relocate their family. So I don't believe the coaches are taking verbal commitments lightly, as if they have nothing to lose if it doesn't work out. I'd argue the coach has as much to lose, if not more. Especially considering if their reputation is tarnished enough they could become unlikely to be hired again.

 

[tomtnt]

Who is Rhonda?

Club coach from region 1, Norcal. She has a few gymnasts currently at Boise st.

 

[tomtnt]

The whole situation is extremely odd

Boise doesn’t “tend” to not recruit early. They never have under Neil, period. Everything about the way Neil and Boise have acted in the past says they wouldn’t verbal a 12 year old. Just because your experience makes something “hard to believe” doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

There was a thread about this started by Greg Marsden (former Utah coach) on Facebook with lots of passionate responses. Rhonda did some digging to get some information from appropriate sources, so I think that is who the above posters are referencing.

Yes and Tina Bird went on there and cleared things up as well.

 

[bookworm]

Boise doesn’t “tend” to not recruit early. They never have under Neil, period. Everything about the way Neil and Boise have acted in the past says they wouldn’t verbal a 12 year old. Just because your experience makes something “hard to believe” doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Well everyone I know who did a verbal commit had a similar exchange with the college coaches , just to be sure something like this didn't happen. I still say the kid got the idea she was "verballed" from someone ....it's not a story to make up and put out on social media and think it will just fly because she says so. The phraseology she uses in her announcement " verbally committing to a full ride athletic scholarship" sounds like she got that from someone official...I feel bad for the kid because she must be mortified...

And "just because my experience" was that I also talked to the coaches about any commitments, I wonder what type of involvement her parents had before this announcement was posted. The kid is 12, can't even get into a PG13 movie on her own but we'll just let her handle all this college stuff on her own?!

 

[wandrewsjr]

Well everyone I know who did a verbal commit had a similar exchange with the college coaches , just to be sure something like this didn't happen. I still say the kid got the idea she was "verballed" from someone ....it's not a story to make up and put out on social media and think it will just fly because she says so. The phraseology she uses in her announcement " verbally committing to a full ride athletic scholarship" sounds like she got that from someone official...I feel bad for the kid because she must be mortified...

And "just because my experience" was that I also talked to the coaches about any commitments, I wonder what type of involvement her parents had before this announcement was posted. The kid is 12, can't even get into a PG13 movie on her own but we'll just let her handle all this college stuff on her own?!

I don't understand your reasoning. She used the phrase "verbally committing to a full ride scholership" because, as you say, that is the phrase EVERY gymnast uses when announcing. How does her using the phrase everyone uses in any way indicate that phrase came from someone official at Boise State?

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

It sounds to me like the mistake happened with her club coach not with Boise. The club coach may not be all that familiar with how the recruiting process works and may have gotten notification from Boise that they had interest in the gymnast and the club coach took that to mean a verbal had been extended. Just my guess though.

 

[bookworm]

I don't understand your reasoning. She used the phrase "verbally committing to a full ride scholership" because, as you say, that is the phrase EVERY gymnast uses when announcing. How does her using the phrase everyone uses in any way indicate that phrase came from someone official at Boise State?

Meaning someone put that out as an option to her , her coach & her family...not "I'm going to Westerns!" Or "I'm starting to visit schools" or any other 12 yo IG type post but a very specific "verbally committed to a full ride athletic scholarship at Boise St University" ....I don't think she took it upon herself to make this up but was given information by someone (Boise, her coach , her parents , the man in the moon" that she had a verbal and uttered those words.

 

[wandrewsjr]

Meaning someone put that out as an option to her , her coach & her family...not "I'm going to Westerns!" Or "I'm starting to visit schools" or any other 12 yo IG type post but a very specific "verbally committed to a full ride athletic scholarship at Boise St University" ....I don't think she took it upon herself to make this up but was given information by someone (Boise, her coach , her parents , the man in the moon" that she had a verbal and uttered those words.

Yes, I have no problem believing her club coach and/or parents gave her those words. You have been saying it indicates it was someone "official" at Boise.

 

[Flipmom1226]

Have you ever heard or seen a school remark on a verbal commitment from someone not a senior in high school? If you have it was a NCAA violation, so don't hold your breath waiting on a confirmation or denial from Boise. But i agree that so many kids are confused that it's possible the kid said something that was misunderstood. It's also possible the "recruiting website" misunderstood. It is in their financial interest to make it seem like those who use their websites are more likely to get scholarships. I personally think the websites are a waste of money, but some people seem to think they are useful.

It’s a legit verbal commitment. I have been told by a gymnastics recruiting consultant that it’s perfectly ok to recruit gymnasts before their junior year. The NCAA rule states that college coaches can’t call or initiate a conversation directly with a gymnast. Instead the talk to the coach who relays the info to the gymnast. A college can also attend practices and can speak with a gymnast if he/she happens to answer their phone. (A specified time is always set up between the using the coach as a go-between)

The rules have no interest in protecting the gymnasts or forcing them to wait until they are older before committing to a college. It just allows colleges to recruit the gymnast they want without being bothered by the gymnasts they aren’t interested in

 

[Seeker]

It’s a legit verbal commitment. I have been told by a gymnastics recruiting consultant that it’s perfectly ok to recruit gymnasts before their junior year. The NCAA rule states that college coaches can’t call or initiate a conversation directly with a gymnast. Instead the talk to the coach who relays the info to the gymnast. A college can also attend practices and can speak with a gymnast if he/she happens to answer their phone. (A specified time is always set up between the using the coach as a go-between)

The rules have no interest in protecting the gymnasts or forcing them to wait until they are older before committing to a college. It just allows colleges to recruit the gymnast they want without being bothered by the gymnasts they aren’t interested in

This is probably one of the most horrible statements I’ve read today - particularly the last bit. Pretty disgusting and disappointing IMO.

 

[bookworm]

This is probably one of the most horrible statements I’ve read today - particularly the last bit. Pretty disgusting and disappointing IMO.

Hortible but true..

 

[tomtnt]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

This girl has her beat...
oh and this guy:
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...inbow-warriors-offer-scholarship-fifth-grader

 

[duyetanh]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

This girl has her beat...
oh and this guy:
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...inbow-warriors-offer-scholarship-fifth-grader

WOW

 

[raenndrops]

I have said it before and I will say it again - this is not worth the paper its printed on.

Oh, there is no paper? Then, frankly, there is not committment. Until the offer of a scholarship is in writing, it is not "real". A 12-year old making a verbal committment is just dumb. So many things can happen, not the least of which is that the kid might not have the academics to get into the school. A 12-year old is years from taking ACT/SAT and there is nothing that guarantees that said 12-year old can score high enough to get into the school.

I took the SAT in 7th and 8th grade and scored high enough to participate in NCAA sports both times, lol.
It was kinda a joke to those that knew me because I had wanted to play Football (as a quarterback) for a Big 10 Team.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I took the SAT in 7th and 8th grade and scored high enough to participate in NCAA sports both times, lol.
It was kinda a joke to those that knew me because I had wanted to play Football (as a quarterback) for a Big 10 Team.

Yeah, they don’t set a very high bar with the scores really. My DD got the required ACT score in sixth grade cold. I find it hard to believe that any college bound twelfth grader couldn’t hit that mark.