Advice needed on senior DD committing this fall, versus waiting a few months?

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Oct 23, 2014
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Hi, could you all help me understand the pros and cons of signing a NLI in the fall of DD's senior year? If the NLI is with a non-NCAA school, can either party change their mind prior to the fall semester starting? We're very excited and flattered that our DD has received NCAAJC-D1, NCAA D3 (academic), and non-NCAA offers to play college ball. We're not too surprised that the offers are coming her senior year as we knew from the get-go that she would probably not play for a big D1 school, so we've focused on these other types of schools.

I'm concerned about her making a decision too early, but we are getting some pressure from some coaches to make a final decision very soon. There are a couple of NAIA schools that she's interested in that want her to attend recruitment camps in Dec and Jan, they are out of state so would require some effort to make the campus visit. Two of the non-NCAA schools told us essentially that they may not have the athletic award money available, or her spot will be filled if she does not make a commitment within the next few weeks. She does have a favorite school in mind already, its one of the non-NCAA's asking for a fall commitment. I'm assuming that signing an NLI is binding across all athletic divisions? Like most parents, I have to wonder if we're rushing the decision, and other what-if scenarios. Thanks in advance!
 
Jun 11, 2012
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If she doesn’t commit in the fall she runs the risk of the school telling her in a few months that they filled the spot that they were holding for her.
 
Oct 3, 2011
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Right Here For Now
Pros for signing: If she wants to go to that college, then the money is there for her. She is locked into the roster.
Pros for not signing: By waiting, you may (or may not) drive up the offer if several colleges are after her and they all know they are in competition with each other to get her.
Cons: Is this a school she can see herself continuing to attend if she were to stop playing SB? What is the stability of the coaching staff? Would she want to continue playing for the school if the coach were to leave? If the coach were to leave, would they be willing to take her should she decide to transfer to where they went? Would you be able financially to continue to send her there should she choose to quit SB and she chooses to stay? There is a very real probability she will be replaced in the recruiting class by another willing to sign should she choose to wait. Just like TB, college coaches want to have their recruiting classes filled and as complete as possible as early as possible.

That said, the questions I asked under the cons need to be seriously considered and answered IMO before moving forward.

Beyond that, there are always schools that have recruits back out at the last minute for a multitude of reasons. I'm sure she could find a spot/college/team should you choose to wait. It just may not be her first or even 2nd choice.
 
Last edited:
Oct 23, 2014
30
18
Thank you for your input. While I had no reason to doubt what the coaches were stating about funding, It made me wonder if it was a scare tactic to get a commitment quickly. We talked again about the degree programs at each school (she's undecided), the coaches, the city, the campus, housing, etc. I feel she's already decided, I'm just not sure she's ready to say it out loud yet!! We've got one last tourney this weekend, then I think she'll be ready announce her decision.

@YOCOACH I completely agree with asking the question "Is this a school she can see herself continuing to attend if she were to stop playing SB? " I think too many parents never do ask that, and focus only on the softball team stats or coaching staff. Since we've never been certain she'd get an offer, attending school without playing softball has always been a very real possibility. A little help with scholarship $$ will be awesome, it will offset the cost of her attending out of state.
 

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