What is the difference between blue chip recruit and being marked as a recruited athlete in application?

I always thought the phrase “blue chip” to be kind of a short hand unofficial way to sort of describe someone who was being seriously recruited rather than an actual box to check on an app. Any schools app.

This is my impression from the outside from watching the recruiting process over the decades

There are kids that get calls and text and emails, the first day recruiting opens , from USNA coaches.

Along with a request for a campus or home visit to sit and discuss with the coaches.

after that visit a statement from the coaches ——-we want you to commit to Navy——we want you. Please turn down the rest who are recruiting you.

If there was a blue chip box to check this would be who it was for.

Othets it appears to me , from the lists I have seen, play sports , the coaches may have never met them, never recruited them, but they play and have great grades and SATs so they may also be listed as recruited students.

Admissions knows from the coaches ,the difference between a highly recruited (blue chip) and a potential walk on with good grades and test scores.

That is how it looks to me , as a coach of recruits , and a parent of recruits, any way
 
A blue chip is a highly sought after, top recruit of a Coach. A non blue chip, recruited athlete is also a sought after athlete. Both are endorsed by the coach and their application is flagged and managed by a certain Athletics person.

Both have to be fully qualified. And Both have to apply for noms. Obviously, a BC that receives a nom and is fully Q, wouldn’t need one of the coaches allowed spots (chips), as they obtained an appointment on their own. But a BC that is unable to obtain an nom, would be one of the athletes that the Coach could use one of their spots on.

Not every sport has those for coaches to use. And the number the coaches have, varies.

All heavily recruited athletes are ‘flagged’. After a recruiting call with all of us for our oldest, Coach actually said ‘ok, great, you are saying YES, I will flag (maybe it was tag) your application’.

I also attended a training recently and the Athletics presentation discussed the athlete process. It was very interesting. But they have a certain person handle the applications that have been endorsed by a Coach (this is who presented this session). I didn’t know this. Doesn’t mean anything special for the athlete.

To your point, a blue chip isn’t an thing. It’s more a level of endorsement of the Coach. A very high level…that they can assure a spot (assuming medical and academics and a yes by admissions). All high level recruited (and if you aren’t sure you are recruited…then you aren’t recruited at a high level. I also had one of these) athletes are marked. Which puts them under the management of the athletics route.

My oldest had the fly out visits. Overnights with the team. Dinners. And convos with Coach and family. And was endorsed. Ultimately got all 3 noms on his own. BTW, USNA does NOT tell state nom sources that Johnny/julie is a recruit (I didn’t know this). Noms don’t know unless the applicant tells them (which my oldest didn’t…so for a minute I wondered if he got in only bc of the sports angle. But that was not the case. He received all noms, and also 2 early ROTC scholarships that he applied for, and no notice to them he was a recruit).

BTW, this blue chip is a thing (usually, sans Covid) used for ship selection, too. For SWO’s that impressed on their firstie cruise, the the CO wants to offer a spot to on their ship. It’s more of a designation, than a physical thing.
 
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The check box in the file marking a candidate as a recruited athlete means that the SA is following NCAA rules with respect to that candidate. It does not necessarily indicate the level of support of the coach for that candidate with admissions.

"Blue Chip" generally indicates strong support from the coach with admissions.
 
In the recent BGO training...Navy Sports representative said ...we don't like the term "Blue Chip"...then he went on to talk about it, as @justdoit19 described above.
 
justdoit19 said:
USNA does NOT tell state nom sources that Johnny/julie is a recruit (I didn’t know this). Noms don’t know unless the applicant tells them
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My experience with our MOC's nom panel is that you can figure that out pretty quickly even with no one specifically telling you. If the applicant say made all state in their sport and has an LOA in September/October when their nom package is sumbitted, pretty good chance that's the case.
 
8th Wing Refugee said:
My experience with our MOC's nom panel is that you can figure that out pretty quickly even with no one specifically telling you. If the applicant say made all state in their sport and has an LOA in September/October when their nom package is sumbitted, pretty good chance that's the case.
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Very true. Not hard. But my point was that USNA doesn’t officially notify, as part of their process with recruiting athletes, the applicants nomination sources. I actually thought they did. But the question was asked, and the answer was that they do not.
 
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