Just heard an SEC school rescinded an offer to a 2016 player after she had been verballed to them for 11 months. Not sure about all of the details surrounding the situation, but was just wondering if other people are hearing similar things. I guess it is bound to happen when players commit so early, but it really sucks for a family that gets blindsided by the news and essentially has to "start over" on the recruiting process after most spots in their DD's class have been filled.
Schools rescinding offers....
- Thread starter JAD
- Start date
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That really stinks!
If she didn’t do anything to cause it to be rescinded it would be nice to bash them on social media but it would hurt her chances of signing somewhere else. I am back to that really stinks!
If she didn’t do anything to cause it to be rescinded it would be nice to bash them on social media but it would hurt her chances of signing somewhere else. I am back to that really stinks!
- Jun 18, 2010
- 2,613
- 38
Florida did that this year on a 2015 on or around NLI early signing day.
I have zero sympathy for those in this situation.
Any chance we can get you to expand on your response? Have you "been there, done that"? Any advice for others on how to prevent it from happening to them, or how to be prepared in case it does happen?
If you're referring to AG, here is an explanation that was posted on FCS for why she signed with Coastal Carolina.
I talked with sources close to the Thunder and the Univ. of Florida and both said it had to do more with fit of the university than making a change because of the late signing of the No. 1 ranked pitcher in the senior class, Kelly Barnhill from East Cobb Bullets-Schnute.
I suspect AG prepared a plan B in case Kelly chose Florida.
I know Kelly Barnhill had her list narrowed down to Florida and Stanford for some time, so her signing with UF should have come as no surprise. Other pitchers committed to UF would have been wise to have a Plan B if they did not want to compete with her for playing time.
Playing college softball pursuant to an NLI is a BUSINESS TRANSACTION. Nothing more, nothing less. Oral agreements and best intentions mean nothing until the contract is signed. There is no place for emotion or misplaced trust. Neither party is obligated so you must plan accordingly. When you commit you should be committing to signing an NLI that includes specific terms. If they won't discuss specifics then you really have nothing. Keep them in mind and move along. Once you do get a commitment then like any business transaction you need to keep reaffirming the commitment of both parties until you have an executed contracting binding both parties. Too many players get starry eyed with the prospect of what might happen that they fail do what is required to make it happen.
That said you must always have a viable backup plan and keep pursuing other offers. If the deal with Dream U falls through you better have a plan that hopefully does not include a name tag and the phrase "You want fries with that?" Unfortunately many players have no backup plan to pay for college for a single year in the event their deal goes south for any reason. If you are Senior and tear your ACL in September screwing around playing HS Fall Ball, do you really expect to sign that NLI with Dream U in November? (Seen that one twice now.) If needed do you think for a minute that the Coaches at Dream U do not have someone else in mind to take your spot? You need to keep showcasing and working other offers. Try this - instead using verballed or committed substitute the words "hope to someday play at". You are not committed or verballed to Florida, rather you "hope to someday play at" Florida.
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As a player it seems like you are caught in a "catch-22". Once you verbal to a school do you attend other schools camps and clinics? Call other coaches? Continue your recruiting efforts as if you are not verballed? If the coach of the school knows their verballed players are still actively soliciting other opportunities, they are going to continue looking for other players to fill that spot.
Unlike football, most colleges do not continue to recruit a softball player after she is verballed unless she is a bonafied STUD. But college coaches are always recruiting and sometimes they sign multiple players for the same position. There are several teams on Goldfastpitch.com that have multiple pitchers in the same recruiting class. I wonder if they originally planned to take two or if they just found one another pitcher they liked "better" than the one they had committed, so they verballed two. I wish there was a way to view changes made on Goldfastpitch.com over time, to track players who do not sign with the school they were verballed to.
Unlike football, most colleges do not continue to recruit a softball player after she is verballed unless she is a bonafied STUD. But college coaches are always recruiting and sometimes they sign multiple players for the same position. There are several teams on Goldfastpitch.com that have multiple pitchers in the same recruiting class. I wonder if they originally planned to take two or if they just found one another pitcher they liked "better" than the one they had committed, so they verballed two. I wish there was a way to view changes made on Goldfastpitch.com over time, to track players who do not sign with the school they were verballed to.
