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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Learning a lot about recruiting and college process.  Did anyone's child decide not to play based on where they were recruited?  My kid is extremely bright and not sure the stars will align, especially having to commit before all acceptances come through.[/quote]

Sure it happens all of the time. My kids went to a big time athletic HS which is also a feeder to top schools so I've seen most of the scenarios.

Some kids need to play, that is what motivates them to actually go to school. They will choose to go to a lesser school because without playing they won't stick to school. There is also the group that is very susceptible to peer pressure and FOMO. They have to play D1 because most of their social group is going D1 (this happens if you are at a school that is ranked top 20 in the country year after year and virtually all starters are D1 caliber of a lesser or greater level) and they will feel less if they don't. I have seen what I consider to be very bad choices but who an I to judge.

Other kids know what they want for a college experience and walk away from playing even if recruitable because they have an understanding of what they want in their college experience. I see kids doing that frequently as well. A completely recruitable kid from our school a couple of years ago went to Washington to study rather than continuing to play. Where she could play and the college experience weren't aligned and Washington was a better fit for her long term goal of getting a PhD.

Kids drop who find that their actual level isn't aligned to their dreams. There is literally a team for everyone out there, but some kids find out that going D1 might mean Abilene Christian when they dreamed of Notre Dame and Abilene Christian doesn't cut it academically for them or their family. For many of these kids stopping is better than accepting the limits on their abilities so they rationalize 'I was a D1 recruit' but chose not to play and move on. I think that this is a good move for them.

Others rather than completely dropping find their balance which is what mine did in the end. Mine started out D1 focused had very good interest turning into offers going into her junior year. Patriot League, A10, AAC (not ACC) level schools. Pretty burned out after her fall HS season she stopped the process saying that she didn't to move forward because she felt too much impact on what she wanted out of college. After giving herself a bit of space she changed her mind to 'maybe' if she could find the right balance. D3 was originally off of the table because the perceived level of play but when she started up again she started to talk to some D3 programs as well. She learned that the top D3 programs are more than competitive in many sports (there is a lot of overlap between the top D3 schools and the bottom half of D1 schools outside of sports like football and basketball) and that the top D3 schools tend to be in the NESCAC and UAA along with some others so the academics are very high as well. She ended taking a D3 offer, a couple of years later she has played in the NCAA tournament, is currently studying abroad, and is on track in her STEM studies without the types of pushback that she got when considering D1. She couldn't be happier with her choice especially as she has seen some of her former teammates struggle with their choices. She's also found that there are many kids like her both at her school and in competition who made the same choice to drop down. Let your kid work through the process and give them the support that they will need.

It's a journey, but it will all work out in the end.

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