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Here is an 8th grader!!!! being offered a scholarship to USC!!!! 4 years ahead of time, and he does not even know where he is going to High School this Fall.
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Interesting ... if the facts in the story are true ... then USC is looking at years of probation and the player will not be allowed to play in college. Players can commit to any school whenever they want ... however the NCAA limits when schools can offer scholarships and when players can sign formal NCAA documents commiting to schools ... and both of these occur way after 8th grade.</p>
<p>No. USC hasn't done anything wrong. While i think its ridiculously to early to offer a scholarship, it violates no rules. The scholarship offer is probably a verbal offer just like the committment is verbal. A verbal offer and committment can happen at anytime. A player can't receive a written scholarship offer until his junior year in high school and can't sign one until either the early signing period in november or early April unless your a basketball or football player. They have different dates for athletes in their senior year.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think verbal is allowed. Also, I think they can communicate if it's at a camp or whatever. I dont think they can continually send mail/text messages/phone calls/etc. I'm not entirely up to date tho.</p>
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While i think its ridiculously to early to offer a scholarship, it violates no rules.
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Serious question as I know kids who will be recruited in the near future .... would you please point me to documentation that verbal offers are OK "early". Anything I have ever found on <a href="http://www.ncaa.org%5B/url%5D">www.ncaa.org</a> seems pretty clear that coaches can only respond to communications and watch athletes before the summer before their senior year ... and that they can not initiate any communications or make any sort of offer. I would interested in seeing anything the contradicts my understanding.</p>
<p>To the last poster: you will probably be better served checking what is specifically disallowed per ncaa.org than finding out what is allowed. As far as coaches talking to recruits goes, coaches can say anything they want but are not allowed to directly call the recruit until they are a junior. Then, they are restricted to one call per week. However, they are allowed to talk to the recruit whenever the recruit calls them, which is why coaches make sure that every recruit they are interested in has the toll free number to their office. Also, although text messaging was just disallowed, they are still allowed to email recruits. This will take the place of the text messages that said things like, "Can you call me? Thanks, Coach". As usual, there are ways around all of these rules. At one tournament, as I was watching my son play, one of the college coaches who was recruiting him simply called the reporter who was standing near me and had him ask me to give him a call. So technically, I (or my son) could be having a conversation with a college coach at an event where no direct contact may be initiated by the coach and it would be legal. Colleges are also allowed to call the athletes' coaches any time they want. So it isn't unusual for messages and requests to be passed along that way. Camps are open season, athletes may be invited to a camp as long as they are paying for it. There can be unlimited contact at the camp, which is why they are so popular. Athletes can be offered a verbal scholarship at any age, but it isn't an officially binding scholarship offer, just as the verbal committment is non-binding. You are correct that the legal offer can only be made later. Of course, any coach knows that he better be serious with these verbal offers because he wouldn't want to get a reputation for not following through with his recruits. That would lead to recruits choosing a more reliable and loyal coach. What your friend needs to know is the legal contact periods and what type of contact is legal. That can be found on the ncaa website or in the annual "what every student athlete needs to know guide." (this may not be the exact title) Most high schools have these on hand. Also, in some sports, the athletes have to complete a training at each major ncaa sanctioned event prior to participating where they watch a video and have a speaker tell them what is legal and how to protect their eligibility. So, basically, for all of you recruits (and parents) out there: you can call a coach whenever you want and they can talk to you. They can only call you (and parents) at certain times depending on your year in school. They can verbally offer at any time, but the legal offer (in writing) comes during the official signing period(s) during the senior year. They cannot comment on any recruit until they are signed. Recruits can also verbal at any time. Nothing is legally binding until the papers are signed. The ncaa people are very helpful and can easily be reached by phone. I have had to call them because I have found their website to be a bit confusing at times and because it isn't always easy to sort through the legalalities to quickly find what I am looking for. Their number is on the website. BTW, Tiim floyd did nothing illegal in offerring this 8th grade kid.</p>
<p>Also, coaches can watch the kids as early as the first year of high school at ncaa sanctioned events. They are allowed to go to the kids games at their high school and also to hs practices as early as their sophomore year. May be earlier, but with my son, it was fall of sophomore year that the coaches started coming to the school to watch practices. There are different restrictions and time periods depending on the sport. check with the ncaa. They do have a recruiting calendar on their website that lists all of the dates but it used to be buried in a pdf file and was be hard to find.</p>
<p>I do think it's unfair. Case in point: my school's one student from the class of 2007 who's heading to Princeton. We haven't sent anyone to Princeton in many years, despite many applicants. And the student who is going this year is a star soccer goalie with a 1960 SAT and a 92.5 UW average. (Our school has an online thing that shows stats of accepted applicants). He has no outstanding community service or anything...just his soccer ability. And well, yeah, I think it's unfair that he got into Princeton while someone like me, with a 2400 SAT and a 99.6 UW, probably won't.</p>
<p>Why is that unfair? It's a business and it's life. Stop moaning and move on. What benefit do you give Princeton besides being another bookworm? Exactly. Obviously the goalie is a more well rounded candidate. Besides obviously being a good DI athlete, they did very well in school.</p>
<p>While I no doubt agree that it's life, life is unfair. And as for "what benefit besides being another bookworm", I'm a top debator, I love kids (as shown through years of camp counseling), and I'm accomplished in Italian. And while none of those things are extraordinary, I'll admit, I still don't think it's "fair" that an athlete will receive a better education than I will because of his sports skills. That's just my two cents.</p>
<p><em>shrugs</em> So what if it is jealousy? The Ivies top "pull" is supposed to be that they're about the best possible academics, and therefore the smartest possible students. So, in my opinion, I have every right to be jealous that someone with sub-par academics gets in before I will. </p>
<p>But w/e. It's a difference of opinion, and I can accept that. Besides, I have no idea how my acceptances will turn out at this point. I'm just saying, it doesn't seem right, to me.</p>
<p>they accept him because hes able to maintain pretty good grades while playing a sport, i think that if you played a sport you'd truly realize how difficult it is to get all of your work done, be a star sports player, maintain good grades, study, and do all sorts of other stuff without totally breaking down...jealousy isn't the answer....</p>
<p>Who say's that's 'sub-par'? I did worse than that person and I dont think I did 'sub-par'... You seriously need to get over it. Think about it at the next level--the kid at X University doesnt get the job but the kid at X State U. does. Maybe they liked the kid at X State U. more? Maybe they were more well rounded? Who knows? Who cares? There are many top schools in the country. Just because you dont get to be apart of the most elite sports conference doesnt mean you're a failure or will be a failure.</p>
<p>Ok, I respect your opinions and still reserve the right to hold my own. After all, the thread title was a matter of opinion, I was just giving mine. So let's drop it.</p>
<p>Do you 100% honestly believe you're more deserving than someone who juggled both academics and sports? Not to mention how much time, effort and dedication they put in.</p>
<p>loslobos71: I certainly feel that 'affle' is much more deserving candidate than a soccer goalie. Princeton is not in a buisness to produce the US soccer players but it is really in buisness to produce the bookwarm scholars. From the probability theory there is more probability that 'affle' will excel at Princeton environment than a 1960 SAT1 goalie.</p>
<p>Why are you against sports scholarships? Athletes comprise a small percentage of the university and they entertain us. I am from Chapel Hill, NC where Duke and UNC basketball games are taken very seriously for example.</p>