Recruiting challenge

We have a 2026 middie that received Sep 1 interest from over 20 D1's, many of which were top tier. She received 1 offer immediately from a low level D1, had follow-up calls with nearly all within the first 10 days, The HC from her dream school reached out to me several times before Sep 1, she went to 2 of their camps, their assistant contacted her regularly and told her how bad they want her and then ghosted for over a month. They finally connected and told her with new NCAA roster limit, they only have 2 scholarships left and she's one of 3 girls they're considering.

We hear nothing until 5 days before President's Cup and assistant calls my player and tells her congratulations, we'd like to offer you a roster spot...as a walk-on. Ok, it's her dream school, so she should be happy, but this girl is so talented and works harder than anyone and we literally run 80% of our offense through her so we don't get destroyed by the top teams on the coast. She's not a walk-on caliber player, she's a kid that will contribute her 1st year and on top of everything else, she's a great leader and an excellent student.

So, I've convinced she and her parents to hold off on committing to walk-on to this school because I've never had coaches who've showed so much interest and then lead them on offer a walk-on spot. She has more interest after President's Cup, but now, most of the competitive perennial powers 4s have moved on and we're getting ghosted by everyone. Has anyone else had a similar experience and could you share your suggestions?

Just looking for advice and would love to help this kid find a home where she can elevate a program and compete nationally.

Thanks