If your kid got recruited at a top school for sports, how did the process go?

[Anonymous]

I think step 1 is to figure out how serious he is about the soccer part of the equation. Does he love the sport and dream of going pro, or is it just a fun activity for him? Something in between? Is he playing in a top league for a club with a strong history of college commitments? Have you talked to his coach about what level he sees your son playing at? When my son was 14 it was already clear to us that he was most likely going to be playing DI and for the best soccer school he could (his priority—the academics were ours). We also figured if he could succeed academically in middle school, there was no reason to think he couldn’t do the same in HS, and that proved correct.

You need to understand his hopes and goals and have a sense of what is realistic before you start making lists and reaching out to coaches.

[Anonymous]

OP here,

My kid is 11, and lives eats and breathes soccer. But he’s also 11 and 11 year olds have a lot change ahead of them. I am really just asking.

But I also have a 14 year old, who has other interests. He is nowhere near ready to be making any kind of list, and of course no one is expecting him too since he doesn’t plan to play a sport in college. It’s hard for me to imagine his little brother being ready in three years.

[Anonymous]

At 11, I would honestly just put this away for a while. When my son was 12, he was on the junior national team for gymnastics and was training 30 hours a week. It was his whole life and everything he wanted. At 14, he had surgery that ultimately ended his career and his life is very different now than the path it was on. He’s great, but it’s different. A lot can change in a few years, so don’t think too far ahead.

[Anonymous]

Op here,

I’m not really doing anything with this information, it occurred to me that I should know when to start paying attention, if that makes sense. I am not talking about it with my kids or asking the coach what level or anything like that.

[Anonymous]

Long shot here, but has anyone done equestrian recruiting?

If your kid is a jumper rather than and eq competitor, is it game over? My daughter has stayed out of the eq craziness, partially because of costs and also had weak eq for a while (which is now fixed).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Long shot here, but has anyone done equestrian recruiting?

If your kid is a jumper rather than and eq competitor, is it game over? My daughter has stayed out of the eq craziness, partially because of costs and also had weak eq for a while (which is now fixed).

You should start a new thread and provide a lot more information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long shot here, but has anyone done equestrian recruiting?

If your kid is a jumper rather than and eq competitor, is it game over? My daughter has stayed out of the eq craziness, partially because of costs and also had weak eq for a while (which is now fixed).

You should start a new thread and provide a lot more information.

Too small of a world. I already gave a lot of info that could out her in this small world. Any experiences in equestrian recruiting would be helpful. I realize there is very little D1, so also curious to hear any other.

[Anonymous]

OP, my experience is for D1 football, but likely similar.

Most schools have a "recruit me" option on their website where you can enter info and videos. There are recruiting events nationwide, most D1 schools have camps. Those are a good way to get on a coach's radar but your kid has to really stand out from the crowd. OTOH, if they don't stand out from the crowd, they're not getting recruited anyway. Most of these 'camps' are showcases and the kids play 7x7 so the coaches can see how quickly they learn the playbook and how well they compete against other kids that are looking to play D1. Go to the camps at the schools you have targeted.

My son was ranked as one on the top defensive players in the state so coaches came to his games specifically to watch him. There's strict NCAA rules about who can talk to whom and when - it's all online so familiarize yourself with those.

Register with the NCAA clearinghouse so your son's profile is there. You can send film to coaches but they do get a lot of film so you may or may not hear back. A Hudl account with excellent video is important. Circle your kid so the coaches who view Hudl know who they are looking at.

DO NOT pay money to companies that say they will get you visibility, can get you recruited, etc. Most are scams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, my experience is for D1 football, but likely similar.

Most schools have a "recruit me" option on their website where you can enter info and videos. There are recruiting events nationwide, most D1 schools have camps. Those are a good way to get on a coach's radar but your kid has to really stand out from the crowd. OTOH, if they don't stand out from the crowd, they're not getting recruited anyway. Most of these 'camps' are showcases and the kids play 7x7 so the coaches can see how quickly they learn the playbook and how well they compete against other kids that are looking to play D1. Go to the camps at the schools you have targeted.

My son was ranked as one on the top defensive players in the state so coaches came to his games specifically to watch him. There's strict NCAA rules about who can talk to whom and when - it's all online so familiarize yourself with those.

Register with the NCAA clearinghouse so your son's profile is there. You can send film to coaches but they do get a lot of film so you may or may not hear back. A Hudl account with excellent video is important. Circle your kid so the coaches who view Hudl know who they are looking at.

DO NOT pay money to companies that say they will get you visibility, can get you recruited, etc. Most are scams.

OP here,

Thank you! This is super helpful.