Entertaining blogs from Coach Randy on the road with the U-23s: http://www.und.com/blog/2012/06/coach-waldrum-arrives-in-norway.html
Randy Waldrum named one of Top 50 college sports coaches to follow on Twitter. By Missouri Sports Magazine. http://missourisportsmag.com/?p=67929
Top three inspirational ND media (a tongue-in-cheek ranking): #3 - Rudy: Future hobbit gains admission as ND student and triumphs after causing a player strike against hapless Coach Dan Devine. #2 - Knute Rockne, All American: Future president gains admission as ND student and inspires iconic locker room speech by Coach Knute Rockne. #1 - The Extra Mile: Actual ND students make unlikely run to 2010 College Cup - video could have used more game footage. I enjoyed all three, although #2 is my sentimental favorite.
Saw a twitter message that Morgan Andrews has now verbally committed to Notre Dame. She changed from boston college. Is this another example of players committing too early?
The change of commitment is true. I don't know the exact reason why (and would not say if I did), but having been through it with my kid, I do think the pressure to commit young is huge - just to get the college coaches (and maybe parents) off your back and have the decision behind you is a huge relief. She will be an asset to ND.
Timing is everything. On both sides. Sometimes it's not what either side would like it to be early on but things can change before NLI day and the timing can then be quite beneficial to both parties.
Then what does a verbal mean if kids change it and coaches accept it (the change)? Does it mean - "Don't bug me?" Its all kind of silly for a verbal anything then. We have a verbal on our team (club) change too.
For verbals, there's no such thing as coaches "accepting it." The verbals are non-binding and give the verbally committed to schools no rights whatsoever. In the past, a lot of the time it did mean "Don't bug me" to other coaches. And, supposedly, other coaches respected it and "Didn't bug me." If there's someone out there who knows (vs has a feeling not based on actual experience), is the situation changing?
I do see that verbal commitments change much more often over the last few years in football and basketball, to the point of "reopening the process" and taking official visits, even when verbally committed to another school. For many coaches, the process isn't closed until the signed letter of intent shows up.
This would be major for ND if true. She IS the best up and coming in the women's game. However.... I wouldn't put too much stock into a twitter or one line in a soccer blog until more info leaks and "official" news comes out.
Everyone treats verbals differently, schools and recruits alike. BC knew Andrews had second thoughts and was reconsidering her options.
I think coaches respect verbal commitments, and haven't heard of any that don't. By and large, I think changes are initiated by the players. Changes in verbals have a big impact on schools/coaches. The big programs are allocating scholarships and roster spots two years out based on verbals and it all trickles down from there.
These two from above post don't really go together: -If there's no such thing as coaches "accepting it." -coaches respect verbal commitments If players can change whenever they want on a verbal, and the top schools take then (as it seems is done) - what's the point of a verbal? If a school makes verbal’s I would expect it to honor verbal’s and it seems they do not. I know of switches at Portland, UCLA, UNC, ND and others. So I think these verbal’s don't mean much. I guess if player spoke to both coaches and coaches released player from verbal we never would hear about that, but just see player A was verbally committed to X and is now verbally committed to Y. So I am on the outside looking at what appears to be people breaking a commitment. As I'm seeing little girls get committed now. To me an oath/verbal is a commitment - but I'm an adult. Go try and get a verbal contract from a 13/14 year old and I guess you get what you get when they break it. The whole verbal thing - and the reporting of it are silly things done for parent's egos and some panic that coaches have also gotton into.
I don't believe the U23 WNT coach just happened to get a surprise call one day from the U17 WNT captain, especially with July 1 (yes, the day he could officially call her) just 8 days ago. Folks, most likely a lot more to this then an innocent change-of-mind. However, if this stuff starts happening then Women's Soccer will be very similar to Football and Men's Basketball, which really begins its heavy recruiting when a verbal is made.
So you are implying that Waldrum waited for July 1st, called her, and got her in a week? Couldn't he have just called the club coach? Pretty syndical I think! I know it's hard to believe a teenage girl who made a decision when she was 15 could change her mind when she becomes a senior. It would be pretty ballzy for Waldrum to "wait" until July 1 and begin recruiting her. To the best of my knowledge, he wasn't even at the ECNL event in Chicago.
No, I'm guessing he worked on, and got, her before July 1. But, the first legal call came then. Also, the National Team stuff, regardless of age groups, plays a part. We've seen it for years with various college coaches. Don't disregard it here.
Don't play the lottery any time soon with this type of guessing, you are way, way off base in this situation.
Notre Dame fan with an opinion? Or, someone on the inside of Notre Dame professing innocence? Either way, doesn't convince me at all, especially the latter. This National Team influence has happened way too much over the years to be laughed off as having no bearing. Come to think of it, I think I can still hear UCLA and Penn St posters, from a few years ago, yelling the same thing about WNT staff not effecting recruiting. But, since you said so, I'll keep my crazy and outlandish thoughts out of Vegas or away from PowerBall vendors.
A story on Morgan Andrews and a short explanation of why she left BCU for Notre Dame: http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club...-andrews:-gatorade-schools-world-cup_aid24596
Didn't realize till today that 2012 is the 25th anniversary season for the ND women's soccer program. Hope to celebrate with a deep run in the NCAAs.