College Pathway

What steps can I take if I am interested in playing collegiate soccer?

HIGH SCHOOL TO DO LIST

Freshman Year

Focus on good grades.
Create an NCAA Eligibility Center profile.
Build a list of schools you are interested in.
Create a Youtube channel and start gathering film for a highlight tape.

Sophomore Year

Continue to focus on good grades.
Build your highlight tape from creating clips off Veo/Hudl
Begin attending ID camps and visiting campuses you are interested in.
Begin emailing coaches.
Create a NCSA recruiting profile (This costs money)

Junior Year

Continue to focus on good grades.
Continue to update your highlight tape.
Keep in contact with prospective schools.
Attend prospective school ID camps.

Senior Year

Continue to focus on good grades.
Continue to update your highlight tape.
Maintain communication with your main prospective schools.
Prepare & understand your commitment level to the school.

HOW to SELECT A SCHOOL.

Consider what you want from a school.

LOCATION

Distance? Suburban or city?
What is the campus environment?
Weather and climate?
Local transportation and airports?
Family and friends in the area?
Travel costs to and from?
Things to do in the community.

TYPE OF SCHOOL

Number of students?
Academic strengths and programs?
How many students live on/off campus?
Average class size?
Faculty to student ratio?
Diversity of race, ethnicity, economics, etc.
Religious affiliation?
Sororities/Fraternities

ACADEMICS

College standards: GPA, ACT & SAT
What majors are offered?
Academic difficulty?
Prestige and type of college?
Job placement and alumni support?

tuition

Costs: Tuition, room and board, books, living expenses, and course related fees.
Academic scholarships?
Athletic scholarships?
Other scholarships and funding opportunities?

College soccer

Level of the program?
Style of play?
What division/conference does the program play in?
Scholarships available?
Roster size? How many international players?
What is the coaching style?
How many graduating seniors in your prefered positions?

PREPaRATION & CONNECTION

The player should be driving the recruiting process, not the parent or the coach.

EMAILING

Should be professionally written.
Include all coaches on staff until a coach replies directly to you.
It is normal if you don’t receive a response on your first email.
Good way to provide updates on your season.

TEXTING

Should be completed between 8am and 8pm.
Refrain from using ‘texting language’, even if the coach is using it.
Good way to provide last minute changes to game times, location, etc.

PHONE CALL

All calls with coaches should be scheduled calls.
Do not be distracted or doing other things while on the call.

VIDEO CALL

Wear appropriate clothing and be presentable.
Be on time.
Use a quiet room without distractions.

College Id Camp

Attending a camp will help give you the experience of a College ID Camp.

Good idea to attend an ID camp early in high school (9th Grade) to get a feel for how they work.
Your first college soccer ID camp should not be at your dream school!
Attending a camp at a school with realistic interest in you.
Local Schools offer a much more affordable option.
Could include a “Dream” school, but should definitely include a “Realistic” school.
ID Camp Etiquette.
Send an email prior to the camp introducing yourself to the staff with a copy of your highlight tape.
Introduce yourself with a handshake before the camp.
Stay for a ‘thank you conversation’ following the camp.
Complete proper follow-up communication (depending on the status of the relationship, this could be an email, a text, a phone call, etc.)
Prepare well and take care of your bodies – usually a lot of soccer in a short period of time.

OVERVIEW

The recruiting timeline differs for each player due to various factors: Desire to play collegiate soccer, exposure to coaches, recruiting philosophy of schools, time of development, etc.

The prospective student-athlete (PSA) can reach out to schools at any time, but the earliest that a NCAA coach can have direct contact with a PSA is June 15th after their sophomore year – very few players will receive this immediate contact.

Relationships with coaches develop on differing timelines. The college’s recruiting philosophy will determine how many times they want to see a PSA play, how many times they would like the PSA to visit campus, etc.

After the relationship develops, the process can lead to a verbal offer, a verbal commitment, a written offer, and then an official commitment via a National Letter of Intent.