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What Makes a Good Offer?
by: Bob Howdeshell
The answer to that question will be as many and wide ranging as there are college baseball players. Let's take a look at a few key items and help you make the best informed choice. For the purpose of this article we will deal with NCAA Division 1 recruiting only. It is important to keep in mind that a Division college baseball coach is only allowed 11.7 scholarships to work with. In some cases an individual college will choose not to fund all 11.7 scholarships. (I am aware of some D1 schools that have as few as 4 or 5 funded scholarships).A coach will try to get the "most bang for his buck", when recruiting your son. Don't take this personally -- it is the nature of the business.
Recruiting for a high school player is exciting, nerve-racking, peer pressure filled, tedious, sometime scary and usually the "roller coaster ride" of a player's (and families) emotional life. But it beats the alternative -- which is not being recruited at all. When coaches come calling, it is like a courtship. They call, they send you notes and possibly invite you for a visit. They want you to choose their school over all others and will try to impress you, sometimes promising things they are not able to deliver. They may also, at this time, attempt to impress your parents, seeking their blessings and support for the "marriage" between you and their school. Most school's scholarship money goes to players who fill the "up the middle" positions. Pitchers, catcher, shortstop, second base and center field.
It is generally acknowledged that a 50% offer is "a good offer." The important question becomes -- 50% of what? Is it 50% or 30% or 10% of full tuition, books, room & board, student fees, etc.? Or is it a percentage of tuition only? It is important to ask questions and understand fully what is being offered. In many cases a coach will offer a specific dollar amount of assistance. For example a school may offer $5,000. In either case it becomes a matter of weighing the offer from one school against another. For example if a student-athlete is offered 50% at a school where the total yearly costs are $18,000, that leaves a family $9,000 per year PLUS the usual incidental expenses. Now compare an offer from another school with a yearly cost of $9,000 and your son has been offered $5000 in aid. This leaves a cost of $4,000 to the family, plus incidentals.
Many times a coach will offer "books and board" or even just "books." Be honest and up front with the coaches. Tell them what you will need from them in order for your son to play at their school. This will take some planning and economic thought on the families part. Ask the question .... "How much can we afford, per year, for our son's college education?" This would be the same question that a family would ask if their child were not an athlete.
When it comes time to negotiate, listen to exactly what the coach
offers. Then either the player or the parent should restate the
proposal as you understand it, ask for any clarifications. When the
offer is not quite what you think it should be or enough to allow
the student-athlete to go to that school, discuss it with the coach.
Parent's Involvement in the Negotiation Process Parents are encouraged to assume a supporting role with their student-athlete up to this point in the recruiting process. Now, however, when it is time to deal directly with the coach or recruiter and decide which school is offering the best scholarship and/or other benefits, parents should assume a more visible role. The student-athlete often needs strong representation when negotiating with an experienced college coach.
I have heard many parents say "We are letting our son make his own choice, after all it is his college experience not ours." That may work well in football and basketball recruiting, where the scholarships are all "full rides", but in baseball the game is very different. A parents role should be to make sure that their son is not making a mistake or a poor decision based on the "reputation" of a school or coach. Keep in mind that after getting an education "playing time" will be the most important element of a players experience. This courtship is exciting, a boost to the ego, and even the most practical and mature student-athlete might be tempted to succumb to the first offer, asking only, "Where do I sign?" However the involvement of the parents should provide a clear-headedness necessary in the heat of the recruiting courtship.
The NCAA now allows "blending" of athletic and academic scholarship monies to qualified students. Read the "Scholarship Blending article in the recruiting section of this site (hsbaseballweb.com).
Things to Consider When Evaluating One Offer Versus Another
*Tuition
Affairs of the Heart Finally we can not ignore the "affairs of the heart." If a student-athlete has more than one offer and one of them is from his favorite school, you must give consideration to this fact. Naturally a family can not mortgage their future just so their son can go to his favorite baseball program. But if all things are equal or if the added costs are not a burden to the family the decision should be an easy one.
Get ALL Offers In Writing Most schools use the National Letter of Intent as an agreement between the student-athlete and the school. NLI's can only be signed during specific periods of the year. Once an offer has been made by a school and the player has verbally accepted the "deal." Ask the coach to put it in writing. This protects both the coach and the player, and should not be a problem for any honest recruiter. This is prior to the player signing a NLI. Once you make your choice never look back, enjoy the experience!
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