⬇️What you should do if you committed to a school & a coach leaves or is dismissed⬇️
Unfortunately, We have dealt with this many times. College athletics is a very fluid thing. Whether it be players moving in & out of the transfer portal or coaches moving on- the one constant in college sports might be that there are no constants anymore.
So you find out your coach is leaving... What do you do?
1. Understand Your Commitment Status
A Verbal commitment (most common for high school recruits before signing day) are not binding for you or the school. You can decommit and explore other options freely. The new staff may honor it, renegotiate, or move on. Unfortunately, sometimes coaches wanna bring in their own players and won’t even contact you about your status with them- because there won’t be one.
Signed agreement (Athletic Grant-in-Aid or signed NLI): You’re generally bound for at least the first year. However, coaching changes often qualify for a release request (especially head coach turnover), with no penalty in many cases under updated rules. Releases aren’t automatic but are frequently granted.
Immediate Steps
You’re signed: (Recent Graduate)
immediately do all of the below plus find out what it will take (time-wise) to get released from your NLI. Consider that you’re probably OK for the first year because you are ✍️ which gives you more security than the unsigned commit
Verbal commit: (rising senior)
Contact the travel coach or recruiting coordinator who helped facilitate your commitment. Many times the outgoing Coach will contact you about next steps if they want you to go with them to their new school/ program. But if the coach was removed or fired- that usually doesn’t happen. It is up to you to Reach out to the compliance office or athletic director within 24-48 hours. Ask if your spot/offer is secure and request a meeting with the new/interim coach(if there is one).
Timing- if you’re a rising senior- there is a lot of risk involved. You may not have time to wait for the school to hire a new staff that you can coordinate with. With national travel tourneys starting the first week of June- you may elect to just announce that you are de-committing due to the situation and that your recruitment is now open. This takes advantage of the exposure your travel team can provide for you at early summer tournaments. If the coaches removal was expected- there may be time to meet with the new staff. They may want to retain you. You will have to Evaluate and Decide. Give the new coach a fair look: Schedule a call or visit. Ask key questions like:
• How do you see me fitting into the system?
• What are your plans for inherited recruits/scholarships?
• What’s the vision for the program?
• Assess the full picture: Consider how aggressive the new staff is about securing you. If they are not over the top pursuing your commitment to remain, you should consider leaving. At the end of the day you’re not their recruit - you’re somebody else’s who isn’t there anymore. Most coaches favor recruits that they bring in personally and are invested in.
If You Decommit….Be respectful: Notify the school& staff (if applicable) first before announcing publicly. Burning bridges can hurt future opportunities.
Focus on what you control: performance, academics, and professionalism.
If you played all your cards right in the recruitment process, you should have contacts/ experiences at other schools you can begin to reach out to. Somebody who has recruited you previously is the most likely candidate to take you now provided that you handled the situation respectfully.
(2028s,29s take note!!)
PVS has successfully resettled 100% of our athletes that found themselves in this position. Relationships matter
@VAUnitySB@UnityMchale@UnityAttard@OhioTbolts2027@BHMBoltsOrg@teampahall@teampafastpitch@Ohiohawks09King@OutlawsNat2027@TE_Steiner@RITG_Leclair@RITG_Wilson@StarzGold_Bunn@CoachBeede
As we enter June, we are just a few weeks away from the final stretch of tournaments together. One last ride. One last summer of travel softball. One more chance to compete, travel, laugh, reflect, and make memories with a group that has meant so much to each other.
Kaitlyn Hare had two home runs, Abby Donofrio doubled twice and drove in five runs, as @Softball_Mohawk defeated Avonworth 12-6. The Warriors blasted 18 hits in the game, with Add Moskal and Gianna Pezzuolo registering four each.
Mohawk defeats Ellwood City 7-1. @Softball_Mohawk moves to (4-0,6-1) with the win. @MyliePistorius went 3-for-4 with two triples and an RBI for MVP of the Game. @KaitlynHare00 had a solo HR. @ReaganMagno fanned 10 batters in the 2-hitter and became Mohawk’s career wins record holder!
#WPIAL Softball - Sec. 2-3A
Ellwood City 0
Mohawk 4
End 4th
Kaitlyn Hare and Addy Moskal with back-to-back RBI doubles to double the @Softball_Mohawk advantage.
🎥 WATCH LIVE! 👇
Nine-hitter Kaitlyn Hare @KaitlynHare00 went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored to earn MVP of the Game today. Abby Donofrio (@abbydonofrio29) game-ending double play earned our Play of the Game for @Softball_Mohawk
And ANOTHER 2026 off the board!
Congratulations to our OF/2B 2026 @makenna19_2026 for her commitment to continue her academic and athletic career at @WLU_Softball to be a Hilltopper!
We are so proud of you and excited to watch you girls leave it all on the field your Senior year
Catching up on our 2026 COMMITMENTS!
Special congratulations to our 1B/Power @Lydia_Cole2026 who has committed to @Gannon_Softball to continue her academic and athletic career!!
We are so proud of you!! ❤️🥎
@LCSportsNet
Congratulations to our 2026 RHP Reagan Magno!!! We are so proud of you for your hard work and dedication to achieving your goal! Sooooo happy for you!!! ❤️ It’s going to be such a fun Senior year ahead!
Our Mohawk Softball girls represented well in Lawrence County All-Stars!
Congratulations:
Lydia Cole (2026 1B)
Alivia Hare (2025 CF)
Reagan Magno (2026 RHP)
Addison Moskal (2026 3B)
Gianna Pezzuolo (2027 SS)
Mylie Pistorius (2026 Catcher)
Lawrence County continues to impress!!
Lots of talent in these pictures! These girls have competed against each other since 8u and IRON SHARPENS IRON! Congratulations girls, coaches, families and Lawrence County communities that have supported these girls!!
WPIAL Class 3A softball championship: Mohawk slams South Park in final for second straight year, putting an end to Eagles’ perfect season https://t.co/XeCIbwAy2Y
But we back up our bragging with a Thursday strike paper with stories on the Armstrong Tunnel opening and Herron Avenue Bridge closing plus the @wpial7 baseball/softball championships we'll be covering all day. For us, paid or not, the reward is the work: https://t.co/8vMXx2IxZJ
Mohawk belts out 15 hits to repeat as #WPIAL 3A softball champions! Warriors will host either Northwestern or Saint Mary in the first round of the state playoffs.
📰 @TribLiveHSSN@TheDonRebel
🥎 @Softball_Mohawk@AthleticsMohawk
💻 https://t.co/9VlMm4DTd8 .
One step closer to another goal as we prepare to play for our second straight WPIAL Championship. Such a great season with my team. Third straight section title as our starting pitcher and now a chance to repeat in district VII. I was trusted to start all 21 games this season. We allowed 5 hits or less in 15 of those starts. Complete team effort. Let’s keep it rolling Warriors!! @teampahall@Softball_Mohawk