By Brandon Hall
North Carolina Director of Scouting

There are many factors that can influence how a school recruits and how a recruit may select a school.  Roster limitations, roster needs, the availability of players at a position, and the tools that a player may have can all factor into why a player and school may, or may not, fit with one another.  In the quest to manage a roster or manage a recruitment period, there has been a rise in the number of players reclassifying their graduation year.  The reasons can vary as to why a player may reclass, but there are rules that must be followed.

Players can reclassify up a year, graduating early, and enrolling into a school prior to their scheduled date.  Players can also reclassify down a year, delaying their enrollment and allowing for more time in their recruitment period.  In my time as a recruiting coordinator, players that reclassed down a year, taking a fifth year of high school, came with a red flag.  Staff meetings, meetings with academic coordinators, and even speaking with our athletic directors came with the question “why”, or “what is wrong”.  Flash forward just a few years and coaches are seeing more and more good students, and good baseball players, take the extra year.  The questions are still asked and explored, but more often than not, coaches do not balk when they hear a player has reclassed.

Academic Rules