Inside Scoop on College Recruiting?

[Anonymous]

Have you gone through the College recruiting process? Any insight and guidance regarding the behind-the-scenes/inside scoop would be greatly appreciated!

Our DS is a junior and hoping to play in college. We're trying to do the things that are recommended - highlight tape, emailing coaches - especially before a showcase/tournament etc. - and DS seems to be getting some interest but we keep having this feeling that we are in the dark about what is really going on.... We have a friend who is a lacrosse coach who says that club and high school lacrosse coaches act almost like "agents" for the players with frequent contact with players about which schools they are interested in and frequent contact with college coaches initiated by the high school coach. This doesn't seem to be the way it works for soccer, but maybe it is and our DS just isn't in that loop? Also we know Division I generally recruits earlier than Division III, but we have no sense of what the true timing is leading up to announced commitments (which we have seen as early as Spring of junior year). Do coaches generally play their cards somewhat close to the chest at this stage? Or to have a real chance should a player be hearing "you are [high] on our recruiting list" and being actively "courted" by now (or pretty soon)?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you gone through the College recruiting process? Any insight and guidance regarding the behind-the-scenes/inside scoop would be greatly appreciated!

Our DS is a junior and hoping to play in college. We're trying to do the things that are recommended - highlight tape, emailing coaches - especially before a showcase/tournament etc. - and DS seems to be getting some interest but we keep having this feeling that we are in the dark about what is really going on.... We have a friend who is a lacrosse coach who says that club and high school lacrosse coaches act almost like "agents" for the players with frequent contact with players about which schools they are interested in and frequent contact with college coaches initiated by the high school coach. This doesn't seem to be the way it works for soccer, but maybe it is and our DS just isn't in that loop? Also we know Division I generally recruits earlier than Division III, but we have no sense of what the true timing is leading up to announced commitments (which we have seen as early as Spring of junior year). Do coaches generally play their cards somewhat close to the chest at this stage? Or to have a real chance should a player be hearing "you are [high] on our recruiting list" and being actively "courted" by now (or pretty soon)?

Thanks!

Advice would depend a lot on the level your son is at. Can you give some more detail?
DA?
Top club team?
High school star?

[Anonymous]

In our experience with our son, the highly sought-after prospects (USYNT pool, top DA or national league kids mostly) were generally in negotiations with the D1 schools of their choice sophomore year, and made their tentative decisions by early junior year. As college coaches lock down kids, they go down their prospect list. Generally D1 coaches will be done with a boys' recruiting class by the end of kids' junior year, but there are always a few late adds and drops. D3 will happen throughout junior year and into senior year.

Some club coaches are helpful during this process and others don't do much, but it's good for kids to ask both their HS and club coaches if they have thoughts about a good fit or can help with contacting coaches. If your son has friends who are already being recruited, and you know the parents, ask them for tips too. It is really important at this stage for your son to narrow down a list of schools he's interested in and make it very clear the coach knows he's interested. It's also helpful to have test scores in hand so the coaches can figure out if he'd be able to get the kid through admissions. It's always good to attend a camp at the school or schools of choice too, if that's feasible.

In general, below the top level, it's mostly the kids who do the courting rather than the coaches, so stay organized and persistent.

[Anonymous]

College confidential also has a section for athletes. Google collegeconfidential.com,athletic recruits. Not soccer specific, but lots of information over there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you gone through the College recruiting process? Any insight and guidance regarding the behind-the-scenes/inside scoop would be greatly appreciated!

Our DS is a junior and hoping to play in college. We're trying to do the things that are recommended - highlight tape, emailing coaches - especially before a showcase/tournament etc. - and DS seems to be getting some interest but we keep having this feeling that we are in the dark about what is really going on.... We have a friend who is a lacrosse coach who says that club and high school lacrosse coaches act almost like "agents" for the players with frequent contact with players about which schools they are interested in and frequent contact with college coaches initiated by the high school coach. This doesn't seem to be the way it works for soccer, but maybe it is and our DS just isn't in that loop? Also we know Division I generally recruits earlier than Division III, but we have no sense of what the true timing is leading up to announced commitments (which we have seen as early as Spring of junior year). Do coaches generally play their cards somewhat close to the chest at this stage? Or to have a real chance should a player be hearing "you are [high] on our recruiting list" and being actively "courted" by now (or pretty soon)?

Thanks!

Advice would depend a lot on the level your son is at. Can you give some more detail?
DA?
Top club team?
High school star?

DS is a fairly consistent starter on a DA team. Thanks for the advice, PPs.

[Anonymous]

If he's a regular starter on a DA team, now is the time to try to spark some serious conversations with college coaches if he wants to play D1. Is he down in Florida now? Does he have programs he'd like to play for? If so, it would be good for him to introduce himself to the coaches of the schools he's interested in--almost all schools will have at least an assistant there. His DA coach or the TD should be able to help him figure out who's who on the sidelines if he doesn't know. If you are down there too, I'd also suggest you talk to the parents of the kids who are already committed and see if they have thoughts or coaches they can introduce him to.

I'll add that a lot of my son's DA-playing friends got really hung up on the idea of D1 being the best/only option. There is a strong perceived status element at work. We know several kids who turned down outstanding D3 options to chase the elusive D1 ones. Some ended up committing to D1 progams for no money where they'll have little chance of playing.
Others "settled" for D3, and I think most will end up very happy with that choice in the end.