Girls' prospects making decision too early

[soccershins]

I get that because females mature faster - both physically and emotionally - coaches get an earlier idea of the players they'll be down the line, but it has gotten out of control with girls in their freshman year making a commitment to a college. Like the college coaches said in this article, it is what it is. "If I don't (recruit early) then I'm going to be playing against the top players that we could have signed." -Duke coach Robbie Church.

I think it is only get worse and I wouldn't be surprised to see middle school commitments in the not so distant future.

[adidas76]

Every year NFL teams spend countless hours trying to deterimine who can make it in their league. These are fully developed athletes that have played top competition under intense pressure and exposure. Still there are many draft day busts. Its hard to imagine that a women's college soccer coach with a small recruiting budget could feel good about using one of his limited spots on a current high school freshman or sophomore. He will get his well deserved share of busts.

I realize its an arms race among coaches, but there is also a huge opportunity for the college coach who can pull from the group of players that do not have a lot of exposure as 14 or 15 year olds. This can be because they do not go to the big name showcase tournaments or because they are on a different developement curve.