You are incorrect on this. Although there is no NLI - no contract binding an athlete to the school there certainly are "offers". I have had multiple athletes receive offers from D3 schools along with knowing their financial aide ahead of time. D3 is grant money from the school and the coach certainly can play a hand on how much an athlete can receive. D3 coaches will certainly hold roster spots for incoming freshmen - its why when a player decides they want D3 and they contact a coach about playing for a certain school the coach will say - "I am sorry I am done recruiting for the 2023 year now". D3 does not offer the same bells and whistles of an official NCAA visit but you certainly can be recruited and get help with financial from a D3 school.
There are no offers for athletics in Division 3 (if you feel the need to tell people your son got a D3 offer then you are doing him a disservice and are part of the problem as he's probably a great kid and doesn't need misinformation to prove that). As a D3 coach, I work closely with admissions, financial aid and scholarship groups. Admissions is fairly cut and dry scenario where I get slots for student athletes who fit a range of SAT, GPA and other qualifications. Financial aid is 100% out of my hands as that is very objective. Non-financial aid is where coaches have some influence as you are brining a kid into the school who has a skill that others do not. Our institution is mid tier academically within our conference so I can't get the 700 SAT kid who doesn't qualify for a D1 athletic scholarships, but I also don't need the 1300 kid as my reach/slotted athlete. Our staff tirelessly recruits within the confines of what is allowed. If anyone claims there is no recruiting in D3 you are not only wrong but offensive as we spend a ton of time recruiting. I am not sure what coach told you they were "done recruiting for 2023..." but that is untrue from whoever told you that. Some of my best players are kids who lost D1 offers late in the process or decided in spring of senior year, that they wanted a better balance in their life and preferred D3. It is true I may be out of admission slots, but I never stop recruiting. Also, there is no need to "hold a roster spot" as we do not have roster limits. I know this is all anonymous, but I apologize if this comes across as a personal attack to whoever posted above. The lax community is an incredible and growing world which I want to thrive especially at the D3 level. Unfortunately misperceptions and mischaracterizations of programs like mine can hinder the beautiful world of lax so I just want to set the record straight.
