Recruited to stanford, but coach can't officially support my application. Chances?

Currently a rising senior and Stanford coach for my sport has been recruiting me since start of my junior year, and recently sent me an email that he’d really like me to apply early action this November. However, he said he’s hit his limit for the amount of athletes he can send early reads to and officially support their applications.

Does this happen often? Or is the coach basically just saying: yeah if you get in, you can be on the team and practice with us and stuff.

My grades/test scores / EC’s put me in a good spot and I have double legacy (father, grandfather), but will the fact that I could be on the team have any pull for my application without the coaches official support?

4.0 UW gpa, taken 5 aps thus far and gotten 5s on all of them, 2 more APs next year plus multivariable calculus and honors physics
34 ACT
1540 sat
750 math 2 subject test
800 chem subject test
740 Spanish subject test
Various MVP awards from my school and national/state club tournaments
run a compsci class for youth
started a scholarship program for my club team
couple other volunteering things related to coding/programming

Chances? Still being recruited by some other d1 schools, so it’s not the end of the world if this doesn’t work out

Chances are about 1 out of 20, like everyone else.

I would directly ask the coach if you are getting any benefit from applying this way or are just the same as every other applicant. If he says you still get a boost of some sort, I would ask him how many people that he has given that boost to actually are admitted.

My guess is that you aren’t getting much boost if any. I would be careful about ED, if it doesn’t work out (most likely scenario) then you are probably too late to get an athletic boost from any comparable schools either. It depends on your priorities.

Definitely ask the coach as you could be passing on an ED/EA opportunity at a school where you do have the coaches support - if it’s another D1, then they should be having you sign an NLI at time of ED/EA.

i agree with others here… if the coach is not going to “support” you through the application process, you will be considered just like every other applicant. are you willing to take that chance at stanford and give up ED/EA to another school of your choice? are coaches from other schools willing to “support” you?

Do you need athletic scholarship money in the mix to make the schools you are looking at affordable? Or would you be OK with a walk-on type position? There are a lot of factors at play. I think it’s kind of ballsy for the coach to ask you to apply ED when it doesn’t sound like he has given any definitive ideas on what your role on the team would be.

My S was told by 2 Ivy coaches that they would love to have him on the team if he can get in. Neither said he should apply early and I would have been upset if they did. A coach who isn’t supporting a student-athlete’s application should not encourage the student to give up opportunities elsewhere. That’s pretty nervy IMO.

To even get a “sniff” from a Stanford coach is truly impressive. They win the Director’s Cup each year for reason. Good luck, but “a bird in hand is worth two in the bush,” as the expression goes.