Blue chip athlete question

Jenb78

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Jan 30, 2022
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This process has been so confusing for us and looking for advice, insight, or anything that may help. My son is recruited athlete. He was Blue Chipped, passed medical, his application is 100% complete, and we received his nomination today. His grades are pretty decent having taken AP and Honor classes. His ACT is 29 (couldn’t get him to study). Is there anything that would keep him from getting accepted now? He stopped talking to other coaches and is 100 percent committed to AF. I guess I’m just worried something will go wrong and it will be hard for him to get recruited so late in the season. Thanks for any help you can give.
 
Has he talked to his coach? They should be able to give better guidance. But in my DD’s experience, the last piece for her last year after her application/nomination was complete (she was recruited but not blue chip) was a advocation note from the coach to the admissions board. She heard back about two weeks after that. Not sure how the admission’s process works this year with the new system but that’s how it worked for us.
 
Thank you. From his understanding, he was offered a spot on the team and was considered Blue Chip athlete. He told all the other coaches he was talking to that he had committed to the AF. The coach talks like he will be there, but today, he told him that he received his nomination and the coach said that’s awesome and they will push him through admissions. It’s one huge step closer. I guess the one step closer has me worried that something could still go wrong. I’m a mom that worries about everything,lol.
 
Has he talked to his coach? They should be able to give better guidance. But in my DD’s experience, the last piece for her last year after her application/nomination was complete (she was recruited but not blue chip) was a advocation note from the coach to the admissions board. She heard back about two weeks after that. Not sure how the admission’s process works this year with the new system but that’s how it worked for us.
Thank you. From his understanding, he was offered a spot on the team and was considered Blue Chip athlete. He told all the other coaches he was talking to that he had committed to the AF. The coach talks like he will be there, but today, he told him that he received his nomination and the coach said that’s awesome and they will push him through admissions. It’s one huge step closer. I guess the one step closer has me worried that something could still go wrong. I’m a mom that worries about everything.lol
 
Are
Thank you. From his understanding, he was offered a spot on the team and was considered Blue Chip athlete. He told all the other coaches he was talking to that he had committed to the AF. The coach talks like he will be there, but today, he told him that he received his nomination and the coach said that’s awesome and they will push him through admissions. It’s one huge step closer. I guess the one step closer has me worried that something could still go wrong. I’m a mom that worries about everything.lol
He should know for sure if he is blue chip. The coach would be clear.

I had 2 recruits. One a ‘high level’, had official visits, Coach spoke to all of us. Still not blue chip, bc obtained his appointment on his own (and also 1st round NROTC scholarship). 2nd? Low level. Interest, but not the visits. Still encouragement. Also obtained his appointment on his own (NROTC as well…and this is to point out that they were competitive nationally beyond their sport).

Both were “flagged” by their coach. Which, as I understand, means they are handled via a specific admissions team.

Here’s the thing: a true blue chip is different than recruiting interest. An appointment requires that they be deemed qualified medically, physically and academically. And admissions decides that. Not the coach.

If y’all need to know, I would suggest a conversation with the coach. A high level recruit would have convos with coach and the family. But even beyond that, a candidate has to be fully qualified.

One other thing to consider, is if your son would accept an offer to their prep program, if that’s offered. And check out the info at the tops of the forums for additional info about the appointment process. As well as USNA’s website (best, as it’s primary source).

Recruiting is a tricky thing. And at a SA? It’s even trickier bc of the 3Q requirement. Good luck to him!!
 
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Are

He should know for sure if he is blue chip. The coach would be clear.

I had 2 recruits. One a ‘high level’, had official visits, Coach spoke to all of us. Still not blue chip, bc obtained his appointment on his own (and also 1st round NROTC scholarship). 2nd? Low level. Interest, but not the visits. Still encouragement. Also obtained his appointment on his own (NROTC as well…and this is to point out that they were competitive nationally beyond their sport).

Both were “flagged” by their coach. Which, as I understand, means they are handled via a specific admissions team.

Here’s the thing: a true blue chip is different than recruiting interest. An appointment requires that they be deemed qualified medically, physically and academically. And admissions decides that. Not the coach.

If y’all need to know, I would suggest a conversation with the coach. A high level recruit would have convos with coach and the family. But even beyond that, a candidate has to be fully qualified.

One other thing to consider, is if your sone would accept an offer to their prep program, if that’s offered. And check out the info at the tops of the forums for additional info about the appointment process. As well as USNA’s website (best, as it’s primary source).

Recruiting is a tricky thing. And at a SA? It’s even trickier bc of the 3Q requirement. Good luck to him!!
Thank you. He is a Blue Chip athlete
(Have the email from the coach), but my son is taking a Gap year and playing in Spain…so communication is between him and the coach and no visitation. The coach mentioned having a certain number of blue chips but wanted him to go through the nomination process also. We have the green light and 100% of his admissions complete (having received the nomination today). Does Blue Chip mean a guarantee if nothing was mentioned about a prep school? My son doesn’t like to ask questions and his motto is “we will wait and see”. My nerves can’t handle that approach. I need guarantees.lol
 
Lol you will need to get used to ‘wait and see’.

I really cannot answer your question. No clue. But appointments come from now through May…

You son probably has a pretty good feel for where things stand. Don’t forget to add him to the list of appointments if/when he is offered one!!
 
Lol you will need to get used to ‘wait and see’.

I really cannot answer your question. No clue. But appointments come from now through May…

You son probably has a pretty good feel for where things stand. Don’t forget to add him to the list of appointments if/when he is offered one!!
Thank you and I will.

I love the ‘wait and see’. My husband is a Naval Officer in the Reserves and he always says….it’s hurry up….wait and see..hurry up…wait and see….
 
Relax

The varsity coaches at a (D1) SA recruit “pretty much” like any other D1 university. With a few extra hoops for the student to worry about Like a physical.

100 s are recruited to a SA like this every year. The process works

Normally assuming physical etc the absolute worst that happens if your S or D slips with grades or test score badly enough——prep school,for a year. I am a big fan of those red shirt prep schools .

You have that golden ticket .

You won’t relax——BTDT 2 x now——but you can relax way more than other parents.

Coaches of any SA that made these kind of offers where kids do in fact stop their other schools from recruiting them would soon be out of a job if they found they could not get their recruits admitted direct or prep school after making such offers as has been made to yours..

They would be fired because they would not be able to recruit in the future,

Don't trust these coaches would be known and used by the other SAs and other universities and all the other recruits.

Like any other university the coaches have to be able to recruit. And they have to be able to be trusted when they make an offer.



.
 
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Relax

The varsity coaches at a (D1) SA recruit “pretty much” like any other D1 university. With a few extra hoops for the student to worry about Like a physical.

100 s are recruited to a SA like this every year. The process works

Normally assuming physical etc the absolute worst that happens if your S or D slips with grades or test score badly enough——prep school,for a year. I am a big fan of those red shirt prep schools .

You have that golden ticket .

You won’t relax——BTDT 2 x now——but you can relax way more than other parents.

Coaches of any SA that made these kind of offers where kids do in fact stop their other schools from recruiting them would soon be out of a job if they found they could not get their recruits admitted direct or prep school after making such offers as has been made to yours..

They would be fired because they would not be able to recruit in the future,

Don't trust these coaches would be known and used by the other SAs and other universities and all the other recruits.

Like any other university the coaches have to be able to recruit. And they have to be able to be trusted when they make an offer.



.
Thank you so much. I do agree that I’m never going to stop worrying. It’s not easy being a parent,lol.

They scheduled his physical while he was here for the holidays and he passed that. He has everything completed and finished on his end. It’s just the waiting that is so hard…especially with nothing definite in writing. He’s turned down several other D1 schools and I know rosters are filling up.
 
I know when DD was going through the process and other schools were filling rosters and she hadn't received an appointment yet, it made her a bit nervous to turn down other schools. She was able to speak to the coach and let him known her stance, USAFA was first choice, but wanted to be sure she had a spot before she turned down other schools. DD finished her application and physical super early, beginning of September, and her application was able to be reviewed early in cycle to determine if she was getting an appointment.

I noticed in your messages, you didn't mention when your son finished his application, just that it was complete. At this point in the cycle, a ton of applications need to be reviewed and it's probably more of a waiting game, than if he turned it in earlier. Just a thought.
 
Thank you so much. I do agree that I’m never going to stop worrying. It’s not easy being a parent,lol.

They scheduled his physical while he was here for the holidays and he passed that. He has everything completed and finished on his end. It’s just the waiting that is so hard…especially with nothing definite in writing. He’s turned down several other D1 schools and I know rosters are filling up.
yep he is in the exact same position as so many others. At all the SAs. Trust the system. It’s painful, long, and full of stress but in the end it works.

And for a parent or GP it never gets easier. You just get a better feel for how it works.

And it’s unlikely the coach knows more. They are waiting for the good word just like you are. They do have academic folks who rep for the sports teams as part of admissions. They work hard to make sure the recruited kids get that offer.

Its going to be a long 4+ years for you :)
 
I know when DD was going through the process and other schools were filling rosters and she hadn't received an appointment yet, it made her a bit nervous to turn down other schools. She was able to speak to the coach and let him known her stance, USAFA was first choice, but wanted to be sure she had a spot before she turned down other schools. DD finished her application and physical super early, beginning of September, and her application was able to be reviewed early in cycle to determine if she was getting an appointment.

I noticed in your messages, you didn't mention when your son finished his application, just that it was complete. At this point in the cycle, a ton of applications need to be reviewed and it's probably more of a waiting game, than if he turned it in earlier. Just a thought.
Thank you. This helps. He just finished his application last week. He didn’t start on it until he had the offer. He’s playing in Spain and did his physical while here for the holidays. He got his nomination this past Saturday and everything is now 100%. The coach did tell him that he would get it pushed through once it came through on his end, and that was a huge step closer. I guess the step and closer (in my mind) still seems like something may go wrong.
 
Does Blue Chip mean a guarantee if nothing was mentioned about a prep school?
My understanding of the process related to Blue Chip athletes is that the student must be fully qualified for direct admission to receive an offer of appointment. IF the student is missing a non-fitness related requirement (Nomination, Medical clearance, or Academic), prep school would be an option as a vehicle to keep the recruit in the program while working through the other obstacles. In reality though, I only see academic readiness as the only real potential obstacle that would prevent direct admission because the school has medical waiver authority AND the Superintendent has nomination authority.

In a situation where an injury would preclude an athlete from competing in the upcoming season, a prep school slot may be offered to effectively give them a red shirt year and keep them in the program.

As for your specific situation @Jenb78:
DODMERB Clearance: PASS
CFT: assumed PASS and even if he didnt, the BC status would effectively negate this requirement
ACADEMIC: 29 ACT is not notable, but it will be higher than the true minimum requirement for admissions - this is likely a PASS, but the rest of the transcript would tell the whole story, but this does not sound like a concern of yours.
NOMINATION : PASS

Based on what you have shared, he has everything he needs to complete the requirements and the BC status eliminates any other form of competitive analysis or challenges he would face against others who are applying for a slot in the class.
 
yep he is in the exact same position as so many others. At all the SAs. Trust the system. It’s painful, long, and full of stress but in the end it works.

And for a parent or GP it never gets easier. You just get a better feel for how it works.

And it’s unlikely the coach knows more. They are waiting for the good word just like you are. They do have academic folks who rep for the sports teams as part of admissions. They work hard to make sure the recruited kids get that offer.

Its going to be a long 4+ years for you :)
I will say last year my DD's coach knew exactly when her application was going to be reviewed, because he added a letter of some sort to her application. It was reviewed within a few days and he gave her a call the day after it was reviewed to let her know she would be receiving an appointment in her portal shortly. It took about another week to show up in the portal.

Again, though, this was very early in the cycle and she was fully qualified. The coach pushed for her to finish the application early, so she would go before one of the first boards and receive the appointment early and know for sure she had a spot. Perhaps if it was later in the cycle, the wait for her application to be reviewed may have been longer with an unknown timeline.

It doesn't hurt to reach out to the coach and let them know the concern. I know DD had a good friend that is being recruited this year and was just told by the coach that some of her numbers weren't where they needed to be. Her coach has been around USAFA a long time, so perhaps he knows the admission process better than others, but seems to be well aware of where his recruits stand in the process.
 
The coaches are fully aware that parents are nervous and at times need reassurance or handholding.

They will have lots of experience with these sorts of calls from anxious nervous parents.

It can’t hurt to make the call and it might make the parent feel better. It’s not going to do one thing with admissions or change any outcome.

If admissions has a problem with grades or test scores the coach will call to discuss the wonderful,opportunities at the prep school.

Until then it’s a waiting game.
 
Oh gosh, at this point the parents should not be making phone calls, it should be up to the kids to follow-up with coaches.

Totally agree that it will not change an outcome with admissions. However, they may be aware of when admissions will be reviewing their record and when they would have a more certain response. This was DD's case and DD was able to hold off other coaches for a couple more weeks until she had a confirmed response from USAFA.
 
Thank you so much for your thorough response. I truly appreciate it. You have helped ease some of these mommy worries,lol.

His GPA is 3.5-3.6 unweighted. He had AP and Honor classes all during high school. He did have to drop AP Physics when everything went virtual.
 
The coaches are fully aware that parents are nervous and at times need reassurance or handholding.

They will have lots of experience with these sorts of calls from anxious nervous parents.

It can’t hurt to make the call and it might make the parent feel better. It’s not going to do one thing with admissions or change any outcome.

If admissions has a problem with grades or test scores the coach will call to discuss the wonderful,opportunities at the prep school.

Until then it’s a waiting game.
Thank you. My son (and husband) would kill me if I called the coach,lol. He has a Showcase this week and they have about 20 confirmed coaches attending. I don’t want to project my worries or fears on him because I don’t want to get in his head and him not play well…so I try not to say much about the process. I’m the type of person that has to have a plan b and c…just in case something goes wrong. The trusting the process is hard to do.lol
 
Oh gosh, at this point the parents should not be making phone calls, it should be up to the kids to follow-up with coaches.

Totally agree that it will not change an outcome with admissions. However, they may be aware of when admissions will be reviewing their record and when they would have a more certain response. This was DD's case and DD was able to hold off other coaches for a couple more weeks until she had a confirmed response from USAFA.
Thank you. My son has already told all the coaches he was talking to that he committed to AF and not followed up. He also hasn’t been reaching out to other schools…so that’s my worry. There is no back up plan.
 
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