This is not atypical of how the process works, and it’s unfortunate when the recruit can’t visit the campus when classes are in session. But, the coach does not want to lose other recruits so needs an answer.
The logistics of timing really add to the complexity of the process, and not uncommonly may lead to a recruit having to turn down an offer without having another offer in hand.
My D did just this. Visited, met and liked the team (already knew the coach) during the first week of school (late August). Basically she said the fit of the school just wasn’t there, and declined the offer a week or so later. One of her top two schools came thru with an offer in late October. Those intervening 8 weeks were brutal. She had to have an ED app ready for three schools…her top two athletic schools, and her top school where she wouldn’t play her sport if recruiting went bust.
Wow, that must have been tough. It’s almost like they should standardize the recruiting offers/acceptances/declines to phases so that everyone is on a similar timeline, but that’s never going to happen. I guess it all works out, as long as you don’t settle on the school too much for the sport.
Recruiting doesn’t work out for a lot of student athletes….you can see it in the proportion of HS athletes who go on to play in college.
Recruiting was difficult last year, and the next couple of years will be even more so because many athletes still have an extra year of eligibility and/or took last year off.
Just another anecdote, my D would not have applied to her top two schools where she wanted to play her sport without being recruited….she felt strongly she did not want to be a non-athlete at either place (plus her chances of admission plummet at sub 10% acceptance schools without the athletic hook).
That is hard. It was easier for my D to turn down that first offer because she didn’t think the fit of the school was right to start with. She was not going to choose a school she otherwise did not love just for the offer. She turned it down and ended up with an offer and a walk-on spot. Visited both and took the offer. Has your D had a chance to talk to players on the team – even on Zoom? That might help.
I know of 2 NESCAC schools by email “say” they are finished with their '22 class and focusing my D23 class but I assume nothing. 2 more NESCAC are “wrapping things up” and 2-3 Non-NESCAC, but high level D3 are also “finishing up”.
You really have nothing to lose by asking for clarification and seeing where your DD stands.
If it’s a noteworthy athlete, I would think the admissions team would let the applicable coach know and get his or her assessment and then they might reach out for a call or meeting.
If you have an athlete applying RD that athlete should reach out to the coach and let them know. I absolutely would never, ever leave it to some random chance of admissions reaching out to a coach who then reaches out to you. Most D3 coaches simply don’t have the staff or bandwidth to reach out to kids who have not contacted them first.
I think it would be highly unlikely for a coach to know that an athlete had applied RD and never contacted the coach for consideration. Maybe, maybe if admissions noticed an application with a 4 year athlete with multiple awards the AO might ask the coach if he was offering a tip or slot, and then the coach might become aware of this athlete. But really, I doubt that happens often.
I agree with @twoinanddone – While it could happen, odds are strongly against it.
My kid approached some coaches during events for admitted students just to ask about how walk ons worked at those schools where he had not pursued recruitment (because he didn’t want to ED at them.) One, who had recruited 2 of the top kids from his league, where he was also on the all league team said “why didn’t I know about you before?”. Anecdote from one school (NESCAC), one sport, one kid - but it certainly suggests that admissions does not funnel info back to coaches.
I know that at another school in a weaker league, the coach reached out to him after he was admitted. This school was the most likely of the schools he applied to, so I am guessing he was admitted without contact with the coach.
When I hear “walk on”, that makes me think the coach is not using any of his mojo to help the athlete get admitted, and once admitted, the athlete will go to practices but will never get on the field during an actual game. At best, a benchwarmer. Is that a correct view of NESCAC walk ons?
I doubt most coaches will leave a better player on the bench, but I guess it could be true for team sports. As for timed sports, you earn your spot, recruited or not.
I would not agree with this for NESCAC, or many other schools.
A coach only get’s so many recruits that they can use their mojo on to get admitted, and this varies by sports with sports like football having the greatest # of slots.
As @TonyGrace said, for timed sports you earn your spot. Sports such as football have the largest roster and probably one of the widest range of types of recruits, such as an OT is typically nothing like a RB or DB, so the team could have particular needs that season so an OL may be welcome if they have a shortage of good players in that area.
The first part of your statement is correct, generally no coach help thru admissions for walk-ons (at the highly rejective schools we are talking about ). Might a coach tell admissions they will take the kid if they get in? Yes. We don’t know if that might have any bearing on the admissions decision.
The answer to the second question is variable by school and sport in any given year. There are plenty of walk ons in some sports at these schools who get a lot of participation time, Crew is one.
Can a kid walk on and play in soccer, or football, or lacrosse, etc? Sometimes…but that takes homework: how good is the team, how deep at the potential walk-on’s position, coach willingness and/or need to take walk-ons, etc. The potential walk-on should always contact the coach, build a relationship, and ask these types of questions.
True for crew, IF the kid is fast on the erg AND can figure out how to manage mechanically in a boat. If you’re slow, no go. If you’re fast but screw up the other 7 rowers in the boat with your mechanics, also a no go. At the serious rowing NESCACS, there is a 1V and 2V, and both need to be very competitive because qualifying and competing at NCAAs involves each boat’s results. And there is often (not always) a 3V, but that is really more a developmental boat. Getting from there to the 1V is a long journey and most don’t make it. Once in a while a kid who has the right body and is uber athletic but hasn’t quite figured out the erg can move on potential in the coach’s eyes, but in the main slow erg times tend to stay slow unless the kid really pays the price. But it’s true crew coaches are always looking for the kid who can make the boat go faster, even if they’re just passing by the boathouse.
My experience with soccer, at least, is that unless the kid shows obvious ability that would have made them a clear recruit had they been known to the coach playing time will be hard to get in the NESCAC. The conference is deep in the sport, with Williams being a regular national power. I would tend to abstract this with other team sports, but I’m sure it varies.
The NESCAC is the strongest league in the country in D3 men’s soccer, so basically, it’s almost impossible to walk on, and if one did it is almost impossible to get playing time. With the caveat that if you are better than the current players, yes, they would take you – coaches want to win, and will play the best players, however they make the team.
(Also with the caveat that Trinity has a very weak program, and walk on odds might be better there).
Understood. I was thinking team sports too.
I think “walk-on” is a general term as it may mean someone that was not recruited or was not on the coaches radar. So a true unknown in which they would have to be quite an athlete and a surprise that they were not on the radar.
Or it could mean they would be a good addition to the team but were edged out of one of the limited supported coach slots by another.
I am fairly sure that in some team sports, there are some unsupported athletes that may have gotten edged out by another, be it for pure athletics, or stronger academics, but the coach would welcome them. The coach may say something to the effect I hope that you apply and get accepted and come out for the team. In some cases they may be just being polite, or they may truly mean it.
