919 , with all due respect terrible advice .. the only person that should be contact people as advocate for you is someone who has worked out or trained your son.. not a parent it will have the opposite effect , people root against players whos parents do that.. further the person speaking up for you needs to have some established cred otherwise dont bother.
he's asking the old man for advice,
My 2-cents.
to be clear== he will be playing vs top high school teams? High schools aren't tiered are they? The question is whether to play on his current team or move to a team with a greater reputation/better players?
my experience is with hockey , so none of this is specific to your situation...none the less. Don't panic and over think things. Your boy is already turning heads. D1 schools are looking at him. It looks like he has a high probability of getting a scholarship. The cost of education in North America is crazy high. That's like winning a mini-lottery.
some kids are prodigies. Doesn't matter where they play. They just need to play, they will gravitate to the highest level cause they are just too damn good. They don't need to be an area of high exposure. A great example is Austin Mathews-- an American hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The kid was from Arizona. There is NO established elite minor hockey competition there. Parents didn't move to a hockey bed like Michigan. Parents couldn't afford a travel team. He played local and dominated, ....he was found. Now, again, he isn't 'normal' ... you get the drift. In general I agree with Gas Man-- play VS top level competition-- NOT necessarily WITH elite players but rather VS elite players. So i'm assuming his high school team will play all the good teams, even that other high school team, correct? In hockey, there are various levels-- house league, A , AA, AAA. Player XYZ dominating in 'AA' hockey doesn't really mean anything. He's not playing elite, which is 'AAA'. And he ain't getting no scholarship playing "AA" level hockey
what does the other high school have that his current one doesn't? a better gym? at 15 how important is that? better 'coaching'?
I'd be concerned if they are saying he may not start......
I'd re-inforce education, it'll be an important back-up...VERY FEW make it to the pros. hopefully a full scholarship. GL to your boy
Enjoy his games
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wow..guys...thanks so much...I really appreciate the time you all spent corresponding.....I've read everything and must say some sound advice....I come from a long line of Navy frogmen and Seals...My son hit the genetic lottery and has even expressed more than a passing intrest in the teams...the two letters he received from the D1 schools seemed a little early but as Metro stated, and I now believe, it's timely as it can be...my wife and I stress education first and since this post my wife is starting to believe me when I tell her that the travel team he plays for should hold precedence over the high school team....the Super 25 PG touneys are packed with college scouts and offer much better competition.....Baseball is his favorite sport but he's so good at football is hard to let him give it up yet...I realize that soon he will have to choose....it's my understanding that most colleges have little athletic money for baseball...mostly academic....whereas football athletic scholarships are more readily available....true?... his grades are great now as a freshman so I always tell him add long as he keeps them there the academic $$ will be there but football offers a kind of parachute if you will....I watched him hit a few 375' bombs down the left field line a week or so ago on a pretty cold day with a crappy wooden bat
..I played BBall but could never do the things at 18 that he is doing at 15.....I just don't want to let him down with the advice I give him..I really appreciate all the help
..I played BBall but could never do the things at 18 that he is doing at 15.....I just don't want to let him down with the advice I give him..I really appreciate all the help
also..as far as baseball goes..coaches always want him to pitch..he has great command with his 2 and 4 seam and his breaking stuff regularly makes a fool out of me lol....he wants to play SS exclusively but has an absolute cannon ( 84mph fastball and a 91 mph crow hop ) most coaches tell him right field is where he belongs...I love watching him pitch but he is afraid they will make him a pitcher exclusively...should he be worried about that
and as for football...he played RB most of his life and played OLB for varsity this year....he came to me before football started and said he wanted to try QB....I laughed at him and reminded him he'd never played that position before....I told him if he was serious he should tell his coach...he did and the coach let him give it a try for the JV team...in short... he was Awesome...moved the team down the field at will...showed great footwork..poise in the pocket...quite frankly I couldn't believe my eyes.....and before you dismiss this ad just a proud dad with rose colored glasses...I'm one of his biggest critics...if he wants it there is obviously as much future there as there is in baseball....
one last question.....the two schools that showed interest in my son are NO JOKE...however...there is one SEC school that is kinda a dream for him....Do we have to wait and see if they show interest in him or is there a way that myself or someone else can bring him to their attention...? probably a stupid question but I've never dine this before
This hard for me to keep and not to be rude if the travel coach is referring recruiting agencies than its not an elite program..elite travel ball coaches are basically go betweens for thr acc sec and your son .. also at his age schools are only allowed to send a schedule and a queationaire for the record keeping until you are of age.. now here is the info u need to know and its a catch 22, if theyre not allowed to recruit you at that age then how are these freshman turning sophs all have major D1 commits already? There is only one way and that is you need to be on there campus physically and you sign a waiver saying that you were not recruited to attend.. the schools wrap these visits around a prospect camp.. example fsu talks to your travelcoach hey would love to see so a nd so at our prospect camp, travel coach tells you off the record that fsu wants you at their prospect camp, u show up , play ya ass off, sign a waiver saying no one recruited you to attend and then u negotiate a verbal commitment BUT as a northern kid is the only way , ido that at a major southern schoolif you wait until he is. A junior they wont need him because they are competing with their competition to lock up the best early
With all due respect, you are always your best advocate. Contacting recruiting experts doesn't mean saying "my kid is the shit give him 5 stars." It means saying "hey, my son is 16 years old and plays qb. What advice do you have for me to get a positive rating for my son?" Yes, you want your coaches and trainers to advocate for you, but your film and your elite camp performance are the biggest factors that go into a rating. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a parent contacting Rivals on behalf of their son. There is also nothing wrong with your son doing it. Most coaching staffs will handle this for you...but you can do it as well. Talk with his coaches.
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