Why can players back out and go to JUCO after the recruiting cycle has ended?

They were labeled as academic ineligibles, which it states at the top of the individuals player page.  At D3, all inels report to campus.  At D1 and D2, it's a risk/reward play as some don't report and go JUCO.  There's a slight correlation  where more effort put into these kids during recruiting helps them come to campus, but it's very slight.  If they report, you need to put all of their practice minutes the first season into study hall since they are ineligible to play.  As long as you keep their GPA  above 2.7 (I think) while they're on your team, they'll stay 4 additional years.  

If they don't report and go JUCO, they can land anywhere in the country.  Roughly 25% of the recruiting effort you put into them will carryover to next season. 

I think they need to be tight with the school to report. I have had no success on ineligible until Trenton told me to be more agressive while recruiting them. I did that and so far, I went 2 out 2 reporting. And I always throw a guaranteed starter + guaranteed minutes to go along since it costs nothing and it does help your effort. If they pass... well, you start them. If not, it sure helps them reporting.

I have no problem with them not reporting. My issue is that they made the choice after the recruiting cycle ended

Posted by iccoachb on 7/19/2015 3:36:00 PM (view original):
I have no problem with them not reporting. My issue is that they made the choice after the recruiting cycle ended

From the player's guide:

One more thing to cover before moving on is recruits that are listed as ineligible.

• In DIII, this means nothing, as DIII recruits need only to have a 2.0 GPA to be eligible.
• In DII, this means that the player will sit out his first year as a non-qualifier. He will be listed on your roster, and take up a scholarship, but he will not be allowed to practice with the team. After this season, the recruit will have 4 years of eligibility remaining.
• The situation is the same in DI, with one exception. The player will receive his 4th year of eligibility only if he has achieved a 2.7 cumulative GPA going into his 4th eligible year.

Also, it's important to remember that you are taking another risk when recruiting non-qualifiers at DI and DII. These players may choose to attend a Junior College as opposed to sitting out a season. In this case, you would still be able to recruit this player again the following season, with a head-start due to your prior relationship, but you will be forced to take a walk-on.

Posted by iccoachb on 7/19/2015 3:36:00 PM (view original):
I have no problem with them not reporting. My issue is that they made the choice after the recruiting cycle ended

thats the nature of the beast. ineligibles present a unique risk-reward. you have the downsides - not getting them until a season later - maybe they don't even show - they leave earlier into their career in d1 than true freshman... but on the other hand, these downsides push many coaches away from ineligibles, so sometimes you can get a top end player (with the aforementioned caveats) that you otherwise couldn't get, or cheaper than you could have gotten them for.

spending more on a player will increase the odds they show, but its never guaranteed. also there seems to be some diminishing returns, like once you are 10k in, theres probably very little value to getting to 50k in.

Posted by zorzii on 7/19/2015 2:34:00 PM (view original):
I think they need to be tight with the school to report. I have had no success on ineligible until Trenton told me to be more agressive while recruiting them. I did that and so far, I went 2 out 2 reporting. And I always throw a guaranteed starter + guaranteed minutes to go along since it costs nothing and it does help your effort. If they pass... well, you start them. If not, it sure helps them reporting.

They don't need to be tight to report. I'm under the impression it would help, but it's not necessary.

Or the other scenario is that they become eligible and can play right away. It's rare but just happened to me. I didn't even want the guy to play this season anyway.