Why do schools give non committable offers?

In its most innocent form, it just reflects the fact that you extend more offers than you have scholarships. So if you are looking for two running backs and extend four offers and two commit, the other offers become non commitable. You don't call the kid up and say "you offer is now rescinded." You just might stop actively recruiting him.

A more manipulative version is when a coach is just trying to get a kid's attention when he is still a fall back option. You give him a phoney offer so he thinks it is worth his time and money to make a visit on his own dime. Then you don't ask him to commit until your first option falls away. If he tries to commit then you slow play him. "Why don't you take your time and make sure you are ready."

That prevents your option B from commiting to a second tier option while you are still waiting to hear from option A.

How is this much diffeent than the hiring process for college graduates? The soon to be graduate submits a resume seeking an in campus interview. This is analogous to the high school player sending tapes to the college for their review hoping to get the coaches interested. The on campus interview for the soon to be graduate is like the high school player attending a camp to check for measureables and athleticism against other quality athletes. The office invite by the prospective employer to is the same as a noncommittable offer to come check us out while we make sure you are our guy. The commitable offer for the recruit is the job offer to the graduate.

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I like the analogy, but the difference is that an interview for a job doesn't suggest in any way that you already have the job like these offers

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Right. That's like them offering you the job but telling you to call back in three weeks just in case.


I've been paying attention to recruiting for a while now and it will always be sleezy and people will do whatever it takes, but I'd like to see the NCAA catch up to some of this. First thing I'd like to see is no offers before March of a kids junior year. Next, schools can only have thirty five outstanding offers at any time and all offers are commitable. That should curtail schools like bama who send out 120 "offers" and keep some of these kids from getting left out in the cold. Just my personal opinion though.

The EA Sports model of recruiting! Sounds like a good idea, but you know some would find ways around it. I'm all in favor of early signing period. Would help in some ways. Recruiting is the chess game of college football and both sides play it at times.

Potential ability of athlete...I liken it to fishing. Send out as many offers to kids that I like to see if they are interested...once he is hooked the coaching staff either keeps him or throws him back to try for a bigger fish

I don't believe that anyone has mentioned that some offers are non-commitable, only with the contingency that the recruit must show up to camp, so the staff can see him in person. It is more of a contingent offer.

It doesn't seem to be as big of a gray area between coaching staffs and recruits as it is to fans. I think the terms of these offers are communicated more clearly than we give them credit for. It is just when a kid gets "burned" we tend to focus on those instances, when we really have no way of knowing the full story.

Just my take on it.

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Right. That's like them offering you the job but telling you to call back in three weeks just in case

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Not really, the non-commitable offer is just that.I think his anolgy is a good one. The difference is, if a firm is looking to hire 25 new grads and they extend 50 offers and 40 accept, they can just hire fewer next year.

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Next, schools can only have thirty five outstanding offers at any time and all offers are commitable.

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I like this idea.