Here's what I don't understand if you live in NC, VA or Md:

In the unlikely event a kid is good enough that, as a holdback, he could get an early commit and actually get on the field for a top 10 lax school, wouldn't he be good enough after his junior varsity season to get a thumb on the scale for admissions and walk-on at UVA, UNC or Md? You save a TON of money, not to mention your son has an extra year of career earnings. I'm new to this, so what am I missing?

I understand that, if you can get enough financial aid or afford it, holding back a year so you can preferential admissions and a partial scholarship to Duke or the top Ivies might make sense. It's makes your kid "pointy" (god I hate the demise of "well-rounded" meaning something good at those admissions departments) and can break the admissions logjam for even an academically qualified kid. If I thought my kid would have the best college experience at, say, Princeton (which I don't), and could get in due to lacrosse if I sent him to an elite boarding school as a holdback, I'd consider it if I could pay for it. But that's a pretty narrow set of circumstances.

Otherwise and regardless of where you live, if your kid is truly good enough to play D1, and your kid applies to a university where he's academically qualified enough to succeed, surely he can still get a little admissions help from the coach as a preferred walk-on. Wouldn't saving that extra year of private school tuition (much less 4 years) be worth more than a 25% scholarship?

Not being rhetorical. I have held-back relatives playing at an elite boarding school and some that played MIAA (on age), but they're DIII, not DI guys.