US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Girls 2024-10th Grade Fall 2021/Summer 2022

Yeah that’s a clear violation.There is some communication allowed before 9/1 (see link below) and there are ways coaches can show who they are very interested in within the rules. There can be surprises, but contact on Sept 1st is also predictable in many cases, at least for college programs on the earlier end of recruiting filling most spots soon after 9/1.

https://www.ncsasports.org/womens-lacrosse/recruiting-rules-calendar

Not lying. My 23 daughter had a similar experience. College coach communicated thru club coach/director in early August that we would receive a call on 9/1. They called (along with many others just for info) and my daughter committed in early Sept (ACC school, it was her top school).

Why do you say it is a violation? Also, do you not believe that college coaches are reaching out to club directors regarding 2024 players?

My daughter is a 2024 and sent an email to her top schools before the fall tournaments started. She received this email or something similar back from several of them:


“Thanks for expressing interest in Penn State Women's Lacrosse! Per NCAA rules, we are not permitted to correspond with you at this time. Please take a minute to complete our questionnaire by clicking the link below! We look forward to your response!

https://questionnaires.armssoftware.com/d2346b2f0cc5

Please join us at our Winter Clinic on January 15, 2022:
https://gopsusports.com/sports/2018/8/8/camps-w-lacros-camp-html.aspx?id=943

We Are!
Katrina


--
Katrina Geiger
Pennsylvania State University
Assistant Coach, Women’s Lacrosse
137 East Area Locker Room Building
University Park, PA 16802
C: (610)764-5370”

The recruiting director has been letting us know about the schools that have told her that they are “interested”. We’re not dense and we know that “interested” does mean that she’s been recruited. heck, they may change their minds before 9/1. It just means that they saw my kid play and they liked what they saw so far.

I’m sure others are getting the same emails as my daughter.

No one has texted her or us. She has filled out the questionnaires of her top school that are “interested” in her.

For the 2024s, is basically general interest at this point. Nothing serious.

Not sure about how the rules align with the poster speaking of texting but coaches are very much allowed to text coaches and clubs about players

Not lying. I actually thought it was strange at first. But then found out that they are allowed a one way message. Meaning there can’t be a back and forth dialogue. They can request information. Duke, Yale, UNC all did this.

Thank you for sharing but the email is standard for anyone sending an email to a coach. This is including the invite to the camp. It seems to be an automated response for all.
The questionaire is also standard.
Unless you are a top club and a top player, the director letting you know about schools(plural) raises a question?
What club and how much is being talked about?
We all read the rules, -basic yes or no questions.
And basic literature ect.

Seems kind of fishy that one or a few people won’t let the point go and are taking it very personal when not heard.
It this an exchange between parents or is something else going on here?

Coaches are allowed to send some things like questionnaires and camp brochures directly to players. Probably a program telling a club coach they will call a player on 9/1 is allowed. Coaches are not supposed to be telling players and club coaches exactly where someone falls on their list. There are are definitely ways for coaches to demonstrate very serious interest without breaking the rules, though. Whether some break the rules, I don't know, I'm sure it happens, but when's the last time you heard of a women's lax program being punished by the NCAA for recruiting violations? There is not big money involved like football and basketball so I doubt the NCAA cares a whole lot unless it's blatant.

Enjoying the exchange here but of course sifting through the good and the bad. I have a 2024 that is active and a good player. She plays for a good club that has well documented success in recruiting that you will never see on here looking for applause. We have found the colleges to be following the rules.
Surely one or a few posts appear less than genuine but hopeful that it’s not what it appears..

College coaches especially the coaches from the best programs (traditional top 20 type of program) are absolutely communicating their interest to clubs about the players that they want to recruit. The coaches have identified many players who they intend to recruit and they want to see if their is mutual interest. The top programs in particular want to be ready to go on September 1. They cast a very small net and they compete with the other top programs for a relatively small group of players (Under Armour Senior All-American / Top 50 type player). If the player doesn’t have any interest it is unlikely that the coach will waste their time on September 1 ( unless the player is really special).

I’m not sure why some do not believe this is happening.

Completely true. One thing I will add is that the net isn't that small at this point. A majority of the girls who they reach out to at this point won't get offers or even calls in September.

Most top programs are reaching out to 60-80 girls at this point. (Maybe even a bit more for the high academic schools who know many of their targets won't qualify.)

Thats why so many girls settle because they dont want to be left without a dance partner. Lesser schools know this and thats why they push so hard.

60 - 80 is a relatively small net considering several thousand athletes in the class of 2024 will go on to play college lacrosse. The post said Top 50 type players so not far off. And on September 1, those top schools will not be calling 80 players. The coaches will have their recruits ranked and they will know which of their highest ranked players have a high mutual interest.

As for the “high academics”, they cast an even smaller net come September 1. They can only recruit the athletes who they can get into school. Ivy coaches reach out to clubs on players that they like to get an idea of academic credentials.

Agreed but that is why the net is wider now. They need to assess which top quality players have the ability to qualify.

Coaches are currently looking at “prospects”, not all prospects will become “recruits”. The best programs (even if they are most selective academically) do not recruit many players.

Not a violation. Every girl in the camp (even middle school girls) were invited to buy a ticket to the basketball camp.

Exactly. When you upload your info on most schools prospect questionaire, they ask for a transcript and sometimes PSAT scores. This eliminates lots of girls at high academic schools.

This is what we are experiencing and the feedback we are getting from many of our friends. Nothing special about receiving an invite response in an email started by the player. It certainly doesn’t mean the school is interested. Anyone who is being told differently is being sold fake news. I’m sure the schools are compiling a list of players but please don’t panic if you aren’t receiving what is being stated here. There are so many schools and plenty of time. 2023s are still committing.

Nothing special about being on schools radar at this point. However, if you have sent notes to 25 target schools and have received interest from none of them so far, it is probably a sign that you are targeting a level of play too high.

For the life of me I can not understand why people have a difficult time understanding how the recruiting process works or why there is a debate about coaches reaching out to club directors regarding players that they are interested in.

Lol! Way too early to make a comment like that.
Getting on the radar is what many of these girls are working at. The new rules promote it. Most or all of the schools are playing by the rules. They may be building data on 2024 but still knee deep in 2023.
D1, D2, D3, NAIA and club, so much opportunity for these girls. Going through this process should be enjoyed.

If you play at a club that has existing relationship with your target schools, then it is a valid comment. Lots of girls will come onto the radar late, however, they tend to be from smaller clubs who don't have the recruiting relationships in place.

What kind of academics are ivies looking for GPA wise (weighted or unweighted)? Do they want to see APs or is a high GPA good enough? And what kind of test scores (assuming schools go back to test mandatory policies)? My kid is a top team but she’s not in top half. She’s not looking to play at top D1 lax school; focusing on top academic D1 or D3 even if lax program isn’t the best.

Y’all know that getting on the “radar” after a good fall is a nice first step, but there is a looong way to go before recruiting. Let’s see how your daughter does during the season, UA, AS, summer circuit. Coaches typically watch half games, so if you’re daughter is not consistent, that can hurt. Teammates start to get very selfish at this point, so be prepared for that to. So many variables can affect the coaches decision on how to rank the recruits. Best not to stress and keep a positive attitude. My daughter had many rough patches throughout the process, lots of tears because she didn’t think she played well, but it all worked out with several top 20 offers. Good luck to all!

What I can’t understand is, Why are you getting so frustrated? and what do you have to gain by convincing us?

Unfortunately, there seems to be a fair amount of confusion, misinformation and some odd agendas at play.

Nobody is being "recruited" right now. College coaches are however in the process of evaluating players and identifying who they believe to be the athletes that can help their program win games.

For the most part right now it will be the coaches from the best college programs that are reaching out to the Club Directors from the clubs that the players they like play for.

The recruiting process is not the same for all players nor is it the same for all coaches/programs. The North Carolina Coach and the players that UNC recruits will have a much different experience than the coaches at a mid-tier program and the players that they recruit.

Coaches want the best players but most coaches can not get them so when they realize that they can't get a player they move down their list.

College coaches recruit "players" they do not recruit "Clubs" that said, if your daughter is fortunate enough to play for one of the stronger clubs top team she will get more exposure than players on lower tier teams and less established clubs.

For those of you from Long Island the sooner that you realize lacrosse doesn't start and end on Long Island the better off you will be, there are good players from all over the country. There is always a lot of talk about the Top 20 or so programs and The Ivy's and Most selective schools (obviously some are one and the same).
Most years you will see less than 30 student athletes from Long Island commit to Top 20 lacrosse and Top 20 academic schools total (5 or 6 to Ivys and maybe 20 or so to Top 20 lacrosse schools a couple of which are Ivy's).

The Top players (20 - 30 from LI) will know where they stand long before September 1. Most players however will not know where they stand until after September 1st.

Don't get all worked up and stressed right now, it's a long process.

Someone commented that coaches were texting with their 2024. I posted that email response to show that these coaches know that they can not communicate directly with 2024 players beyond a general invite. Even if the college has told the club director that they are interested in a player, when the player reaches, out they all use the same wording as the email that I posted.

Like many other players, some of the schools that my daughter is interested in have expressed interest in her through her club. I truly believe that they cast a wide net, as someone put it. She may get no calls on 9/1 and girls who have not had any interest so far may end up a BC, UNC or Duke. It’s nothing serious right now.

Not to be an &$$ but Schools like BC, UNC and Duke which is in a different category do not cast a wide net. The reason they reach out to the club is to see if there is mutual interest. No shortage of players looking to go to these schools but they do not waste their time with a kid who is not interested.

Thank you for posting.
Just like most of us have been saying, don’t believe the agenda being pushed by one or a few,,
They are probably looking to profit from the hype.
Dont get all worked up or stressed, it’s a long process and nobody is being recruited at this point.
College coaches recruit “players” not “clubs”
Plenty of opportunities for all of the girls.

Recruiting isnt an agenda pushed by one or a few, nor do clubs profit from discussions about recruiting. This conversation started as who has had interest expressed through their club or coaches, and the answer is many have. It isn't a violation, breaking of rules, etc. It is just good old recruiting and hopefully the experiences of some can help many.

Clubs don’t profit from recruiting? Say what?
All the hype, the promises and lies generate hope.
You are selling a dream. Telling people on a public forum that D1 colleges are reaching out to you is an attempt to gain status. The hope is that parents that are hopeful will flock to you. It could be for lessons or a spot on the B/C team but it all feeds the machine.

Also, there were multiple conversations going on and you seem to be jumping in on all trying to prove your point..

“BACK OFF WARCHILD SERIOUSLY!?!”

Love the Point Break Reference!!!!!! A classic!!

This is the first time I’ve commented in this discussion

OK people, you should all chill on the recruiting conversation. It’s going to be a different journey for every single girl! Some will get interest quickly and others it will take time.

The important time will be this Spring/Summer as far as getting “seen” by the coaches. The girls should be pro active on their recruiting accounts. Make sure to get some highlights up and questionnaires filled out to the schools they are interested in. Then reach out to all the schools/ coaching staff that they are interested in, right before each Spring/Summer event with their game schedule. Ask club director/recruiting director/coach to reach out on your behalf as well. Especially, if you know one of your preferred colleges will be attending event.

Good luck to all! Be pro-active now and keep going. 9/1 date is not the be all , end all for offers. For most girls, it will not be 9/1 offers. Keep the dream alive and many doors will open. Hopefully, everyone ends up in a place where they can thrive on many levels. Lacrosse can help open doors that may have been closed! Good luck!

Joining in on this conversation late. Our daughter also has had expressed d1 interest through the club. This came both during and after tournaments as well as after camps where they reached out to coaches or the club directly about our daughter. I think some of the confusion may be coming from families who have kids who got recruited pre-covid. Things are different now than they were five years ago. Rules are still rules and d1 coaches aren’t calling our family, but they are asking about our daughter and telling our club they are interested. Timelines are different now because of covid and many coaches are being proactive to fill gaps they have from the covid recruiting classes(2021/2022)

I had a 2022 who went through fall tournaments pre-Covid and she received “general interest” after tournaments and camps. It was directed to her club coaches. Over the spring and summer during Covid she received more “general interest” from schools. It is permissible. There was no back and forth conversations with her and coaches. She did receive some questionnaires via text or Instagram DM. No conversations… just questionnaires. Once again… permissible.
However, not all interest pans out come 9/1. My daughter had some schools that had expressed interest prior to 9/1 not reach out and she had some schools who had not expressed interest reach out.
We used it as a gauge of where she fell and where to focus but understood that things are constantly changing as coaches continue to watch the girls.
Do not be alarmed if your daughter hasn’t gotten interest. It is very very early in the process for 2024s. My daughters team was a high level team and less than 50% of girls on team had interest after the fall tournaments. However they are all happily recruited today. It will work out! Good Luck to all the girls. It can be stressful but too much focusing on interest at this point makes it even more stressful than necessary! Wishing everyone in this class the best of luck!

WIth the new recruiting rules, the biggest difference is that it gives club coaches and directors much more influence on the recruiting process since only they can communicate. This is why it is more important than every to play on a well-connected club. (notice I didn't say a top-20 club). There are a couple of clubs outside the top-2 who are very well connected within the recruiting process.

At this point for most 24s, the biggest thing they need to ensure is that they are targeting schools at the right lacrosse level. I agree with a prior poster who said that if you arent receiving any feedback from any of the schools who you have reached out to, it is probably a red flag. Remember most girls from this aread who don't get any offers, the reason is that they targeted their lax ambitions too high.

If your daughter is going to any of the big xmas camps (UVA, Duke, Lacrosse Masters, XPO), they should take a hard look at where they stack up and potentially adjust their list accordingly.

Could someone explain the recruiting process for D3 academically strong schools (MIT, UChicago, Amherst, etc) and ivies? Do they typically wait to see where the top commits go first or do they go after a different pool (not top, but solid players with high GPAs) from the start? Thank you.

The process is different for everyone... and every school.

Be proactive, reach out to all of the coaches at the schools that your daughter is interested in not just the head coach. Ask your club coach/director, High School coach, any current players that you may know at the schools to contact the coaches about your daughter. Be persistent without being annoying.

The most important thing is to try and get on the coaches radar.... Coaches watch players and they know what and who they like but no coach gets all of their "top recruits" so they are constantly reassessing and prioritizing their recruiting lists.

Although the pool of players with the academic credentials to go to the type of schools that you mentioned is smaller than than the rest of the pool of players you are still talking about a large number of student athletes trying to get recruited.

Ivies go after the best day 1 and I believe they can have some early summer contact reference grades. The D3 high academics in general come later. At this point almost every year the vast majority are D1 recruits and the D2’s and D3’s start to pop as spring HS lacrosse season ends. There are some lacrosse website compilers that bare that out. You can however be way more aggressive with D3’s even before D1 9/1 date. If that’s best fit get there and get daughter to get coach to want her.