“Though the opportunities are tremendous, they’ll always be there,” explained the youthful freestyler, “but I want to experience everything that makes college swimming so special.” In making the decision, Casares reportedly spurned offers from TYR, Arena, and Huggies and stands in stark contrast to the decisions made by Michael Phelps, Amada Weir, Kate Ziegler, and most-recently, Jessica Hardy. Those four, are represented by Evan Mortgagedream and he, for one, feels the two year-old is making a mistake.
“Andy’s got a limited time frame to strike while the iron’s hot,” the agent said. “Five years from now, you won’t see Huggies offering this kind of money.”
One person who is pleased with the decision is Andy’s father and Wabash head coach Peter Casares. “Precious few coaches are privileged enough to have the chance to work with their own son, and while the recruiting battle is far from over, I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
The decision is sure to set off a recruiting frenzy among schools. By definition, Casares is not yet considered a recruitable student-athlete meaning institutions are free to contact him until he begins his freshman year in 2019. Already he’s been receiving comic books from several top-five schools, though he was clearly dressed in Wabash apparel at the press conference.
Happy April Fool's Day from CollegeSwimming.com
