The Potential Pitfalls of Committing Early
November 3rd, 2008 - by It’s all the rage in college recruiting: The early commitment.
For several years now, we have been inundated with press coverage about big time recruits from all sports who verbally choose a school early in their junior year, late in their sophomore year, or even at some point during their freshman year!
Of course, these decisions are just “verbal” commitments. They are not binding, and they can be changed before an official Letter of Intent is signed at some point during an athlete’s senior year. More and more frequently, college coaches are finding out that today’s recruits aren’t afraid to change their minds and take back their coveted early verbal commitment.
Our recruiting experts on the NCSA Blog have been writing about this topic a lot recently. There is the story of linebacker Mark Herzlich, who is now at Boston College but originally had given an early verbal commitment to the University of Virginia. In addition, we highlighted a conversation with nationally renowned recruiting expert Tom Lemming. He thinks that athletes today are making decisions way too early, hurting their chances at having a positive college sports experience.
So, what are some keys to avoiding the potential pitfalls of committing to a college early? Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Ask yourself how an early decision benefits you? Are you thinking about committing early because you see everyone else doing it? Or, is there a real, tangible benefit for you giving a coach at a college an early verbal commitment? Unless there is something that you point to that gives you a real advantage in the recruiting process, you should take your time and make a thoughtful decision that weighs all the factors of all the possible programs that you are considering.
- Is there a college program you would regret not contacting once you gave your commitment? Is there any college that you wish you had the chance to talk to or consider, but haven’t yet? Don’t commit early until you know without a shadow of a doubt that all of your options have been explored. This is a once in a lifetime decision, and you need to make sure you approach it carefully.
- Are you basing your early decision on athletics, academics, or both? Is it strictly a decision based on potential playing time, the other players at your position, or some other team factor? That certainly has to play a part in deciding which college is best. However, you also need to make sure that you’re looking at what the college offers you academically before you commit early. For most of us, our athletic careers end after we graduate from college. Make sure that the institution you are thinking about committing to will prepare you for the real world after your sports career ends.
My message to you, whether you are a talented student-athlete or a devoted parent, is to approach the idea of committing early very carefully. Don’t get wrapped up in the buzz of players signing early…some are making the right decision, and others are making the wrong one (as we showed you earlier in this article). Your decision should be based on answers to the three questions I asked you above, as well as getting the advice of your parents, your coach and those around you who will help you take a realistic, honest view of this really big recruiting decision.
