Non-shit post and actually sports related. @Mark Passwaters and @LandynR - specifically asking you guys.
So my oldest is in 8th grade playing football and baseball and recruiting is way, way different from when I was in HS and getting recruited back in the dark ages of the mid-90s and I'm being told all kinds of different things about the process and getting noticed these days. I've always been of the belief that if you can play the college programs will find you and there's no need to mess with all this bullshit but I'm also told by some people that when the kid is a rising freshman they need to start attending camps and set up social media accounts to post their athletic stuff along with connecting with programs you're interested in (being reasonable in those goals).
But then it comes down to, which camps are worthwhile and which are a pay-to-play thing? Meaning- which are legitimate and which are just money grabs like some of these recruiting sites or recruiting sherpas? Like the ones where delusional parents pay some site a thousand bucks and they'll build a recruiting profile and rank their kid as a top rising recruit- a pay-for-ranking situation if you will.
As for my kid and his potential, it sounds kind of douchey to say it, but he's got D1 talent in both sports. He won't be 14 until July, has barely hit puberty and is already a bit over 6'0" and weighing 180 and can really run. Long, rangy, and athletic and according to all predictions (including wide-open growth plates) he'll end up 6'4"-6'5" and at that height in HS, with the way he works and genetics (he has my frame like before I blew out my knees and got fat) he'll probably be in the 230-260 range by the time he finishes HS. He's a TE/DE and has great hands, good feel for running routes and using his frame to shield defenders.
In baseball he's already touching 80 on the bump and can consistently mix in a plus changeup and 2-seamer. Needs a better feel for the breaking stuff though. He can also really swing the lumber with a lot of pop, even with BBCOR or wood, and high BA/OBP too. He's a solid corner infielder but loves OF where he just needs to continue getting faster as he matures and gets more explosive (right now he's fast but not super quick). If he can get his velo up to where he's sitting 85 by next January he'll have a real shot to make varsity as a freshman at a very talented 6A program.
So my oldest is in 8th grade playing football and baseball and recruiting is way, way different from when I was in HS and getting recruited back in the dark ages of the mid-90s and I'm being told all kinds of different things about the process and getting noticed these days. I've always been of the belief that if you can play the college programs will find you and there's no need to mess with all this bullshit but I'm also told by some people that when the kid is a rising freshman they need to start attending camps and set up social media accounts to post their athletic stuff along with connecting with programs you're interested in (being reasonable in those goals).
But then it comes down to, which camps are worthwhile and which are a pay-to-play thing? Meaning- which are legitimate and which are just money grabs like some of these recruiting sites or recruiting sherpas? Like the ones where delusional parents pay some site a thousand bucks and they'll build a recruiting profile and rank their kid as a top rising recruit- a pay-for-ranking situation if you will.
As for my kid and his potential, it sounds kind of douchey to say it, but he's got D1 talent in both sports. He won't be 14 until July, has barely hit puberty and is already a bit over 6'0" and weighing 180 and can really run. Long, rangy, and athletic and according to all predictions (including wide-open growth plates) he'll end up 6'4"-6'5" and at that height in HS, with the way he works and genetics (he has my frame like before I blew out my knees and got fat) he'll probably be in the 230-260 range by the time he finishes HS. He's a TE/DE and has great hands, good feel for running routes and using his frame to shield defenders.
In baseball he's already touching 80 on the bump and can consistently mix in a plus changeup and 2-seamer. Needs a better feel for the breaking stuff though. He can also really swing the lumber with a lot of pop, even with BBCOR or wood, and high BA/OBP too. He's a solid corner infielder but loves OF where he just needs to continue getting faster as he matures and gets more explosive (right now he's fast but not super quick). If he can get his velo up to where he's sitting 85 by next January he'll have a real shot to make varsity as a freshman at a very talented 6A program.
