Recruited Athletes
- Thread starter hambam
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I'm in a similar spot with USNA. I have some recruiting help but I'm not guaranteed admission. (I received full support from a Big-10 school for my sport but I wanted to pursue USNA... so... here I am
) I'm hopeful, based on what I've done in high school and how I believe my application looks, but you never know until that decision comes out! Good luck to you and please PM me when you hear!
usna1985
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One other thing to consider . . . some recruited athletes (and most in certain sports) are sent to NAPS/MAPS, etc. They do not need a nomination to be sent to a prep school. So, while they are seeking a nom (as they should), they may not need one.
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@usna1985
Would you kindly take a look at the link below, see if you read it the same way I do - USMA wants candidates to have a nom in hand to be eligible for USMAPS? I recently found this in a recent thread where it was mentioned that to get a USMAPS offer, a nom was required. So I looked for a primary source to educate myself.
I am pretty sure NAPS offerees don’t needs nom in hand for the current cycle, but of course must apply to all sources for which they are eligible, to the next cycle.
This would be a significant difference.
USMAPS Frequently Asked Questions | United States Military Academy West Point
West Point Military Academy
My youngest son came home from school yesterday and told me the talk all day was about a junior-year athlete who 'committed' to USMA. Everybody was like, "Did you hear 'Joe Smith' is going to West Point? My son, being the wise-@#$ that is is very capable of, said to these people, "Did he pass DODMERB? Did he get a nomination? At this point Joe Smith MIGHT be going to West Point."
Of course 'Joe Smith' tweeted that he was 'blessed' to get an 'offer' and that he will be attending and playing for USMA. I know self-promotion is a much bigger thing these days than when I was a kid, but I think a tweet like this is foolish. This kid just took himself off the radar with many college coaches. If he doesn't get any appointment, he very well may have shut the door on a great Plan B scholarship.
Of course 'Joe Smith' tweeted that he was 'blessed' to get an 'offer' and that he will be attending and playing for USMA. I know self-promotion is a much bigger thing these days than when I was a kid, but I think a tweet like this is foolish. This kid just took himself off the radar with many college coaches. If he doesn't get any appointment, he very well may have shut the door on a great Plan B scholarship.
No he didnt... college coaches 1) know the SA rules that might prevent him and 2) never stop recruiting kids they want, because verbals are meaningless. In some ways, it just starts the recruiting process.
But, I do agree that he would be better served with caveats.
You probably aren't aware of how hard that kid has worked and for how many years he has sacrificed to become a Div 1 recruit. You also probably have no idea how much indirect pressure there is on these elite athletes from their program, their fellow players within their own program and the friends they developed while participating in the recruiting circuit to commit to a strong program, and the earlier the better. It becomes its own competition. You also probably have no idea that the club program that kid plays for splashed that commitment all over their own social media for their own benefit, so the kid releasing it on his social media isn't breaking news by any stretch, as everyone in the game already knows about it.
I'm sure the kid knows he still has a couple hurdles to jump over, but if he is medically qualified the chances of him not getting in directly or not getting USMAPS is very slim.
Cut the kid some slack - he earned his commitment. And no, he didn't preclude himself from a scholarship at plan B - you are suggesting he engage in recruiting with another school without telling them he has already committed? That's a terrible idea! do you have any idea how small the coaching world is in any given sport? They would all know anyway. For many sports, D1 commitments are reported and tabulated on websites - it's no secret.
I get that there is jealousy of the different path a recruited athlete takes to a service academy. Rather than worrying about an athlete and their path, a candidate and his or her parents would be better served focusing on their own application and path.
I would bet that the kid is giving those caveats to his friends, and that his family is as well. Just because those caveats don't get heard through the grapevine doesn't mean they aren't being said.
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A1Janitor
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The only bad for him is if he doesn’t get in and has egg on his face.
Good for him. I hope he makes it and does well.
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I am LOL at the brothers comments [emoji23]
I'm very aware how hard this kid worked. My son was a recruited athlete for USNA.
I have no idea if this kid is an 'elite athlete'. Either way, publicly announcing a 'commitment' (you technically can't commit to a SA) can certainly affect any further recruiting, especially for a non-blue chip.
You can absolutely give an oral commitment to a service academy - they ask for them and kids give them all the time. Whether or not he publicly announces it, his club team will, and it will be reflected on websites who concern themselves with such things. Of course making an oral commitment slows down (but doesn't eliminate) recruiting by other schools, as though they frown on poaching other school's commits. Its the act of making the oral commitment and the publicizing by entities unrelated to the kid that slows down the recruiting, not the kid's twitter account with 65 followers.
Tell us what sport the kid plays and i might be able to provide more context.
‘26 Hopeful
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I’m currently on a sophomore but am hoping to get recruited for my sport at USNA. I’m not quite at the D1 level, however I do have 3 more seasons to change that. I was just wondering if the coaches take into account ECA such as leadership positions into account? I would assume they look more favorably on athletes that have the qualities needed to do well at a SA? Also by pure luck my coach is great friends with the coach of the sport I want to pursue at USNA, does having a connection like that help with recruitment, especially since I’m not a top recruit?
There are lots of threads on atheistic recruitment that you can review. Bottom line, you have to be 3Q regardless of recruiting. Where you fall on the recruiting list would depend on how much that helps or not. As you know D1 athletics is pretty crazy competitive, I can’t imagine a coach using a blue chip on someone who isn’t. They are extremely coveted. Recruitment can help, but it depends on how high on the list you are and it won’t overcome a poor application.
usna1985
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Apologize for the super-late response; don't check this forum too often. USNA NAPS/Foundation students do not need a nomination to be accepted to those programs, although many successful candidates do have noms. The policy appears to differ from that of USMA based on the FAQs you cite. However, I'm not at all familiar with the nuances of the USMA admissions process, so will defer any definitive statement.