@cinnamon1212 I honestly can’t speak to the timeline of an Ivy vs. a typical D1 school.
To your point, with the change in the recruiting rules I feel like the benefit to contact, early and often, with D1 coaches far outweighs the effort it takes. The way I look at it, we only have one shot to get this right and I’d hate to reflect back on the process in three years and be left with the impression we started too late. I liken it to retirement savings. If you start saving in your 40’s it’s difficult, if not impossible to catch up to someone that started in their 20’s.
Cutting through the clutter and noise is difficult if you aren’t a top recruit. My son, in particular, will need to expend considerable effort off the field to get on the radars of schools that fit his financial/academic/athletic/social criteria. Once they show up to evaluate he’ll need to deliver between the lines. It’s a daunting process and we’re early in the journey. Hopefully the time he puts into the current outgoing communication will pay off when the incoming communication from coaches is allowed.