College Pathway
What steps can I take if I am interested in playing collegiate soccer?
HIGH SCHOOL TO DO LIST
Freshman Year
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Focus on good grades.
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Create an NCAA Eligibility Center profile.
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Build a list of schools you are interested in.
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Create a Youtube channel and start gathering film for a highlight tape.
Sophomore Year
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Continue to focus on good grades.
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Build your highlight tape from creating clips off Veo/Hudl
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Begin attending ID camps and visiting campuses you are interested in.
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Begin emailing coaches.
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Create a NCSA recruiting profile (This costs money)
Junior Year
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Continue to focus on good grades.
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Continue to update your highlight tape.
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Keep in contact with prospective schools.
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Attend prospective school ID camps.
Senior Year
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Continue to focus on good grades.
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Continue to update your highlight tape.
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Maintain communication with your main prospective schools.
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Prepare & understand your commitment level to the school.
HOW TO SELECT A SCHOOL.
Consider what you want from a school.
LOCATION
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Distance? Suburban or city?
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What is the campus environment?
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Weather and climate?
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Local transportation and airports?
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Family and friends in the area?
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Travel costs to and from?
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Things to do in the community.
TYPE OF SCHOOL
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Number of students?
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Academic strengths and programs?
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How many students live on/off campus?
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Average class size?
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Faculty to student ratio?
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Diversity of race, ethnicity, economics, etc.
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Religious affiliation?
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Sororities/Fraternities
ACADEMICS
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College standards: GPA, ACT & SAT
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What majors are offered?
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Academic difficulty?
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Prestige and type of college?
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Job placement and alumni support?
TUITION
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Costs: Tuition, room and board, books, living expenses, and course related fees.
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Academic scholarships?
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Athletic scholarships?
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Other scholarships and funding opportunities?
COLLEGE SOCCER
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Level of the program?
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Style of play?
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What division/conference does the program play in?
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Scholarships available?
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Roster size? How many international players?
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What is the coaching style?
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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
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Should be professionally written.
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Include all coaches on staff until a coach replies directly to you.
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It is normal if you don’t receive a response on your first email.
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Good way to provide updates on your season.
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TEXTING
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Should be completed between 8am and 8pm.
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Refrain from using ‘texting language’, even if the coach is using it.
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Good way to provide last minute changes to game times, location, etc.
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PHONE CALL
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All calls with coaches should be scheduled calls.
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Do not be distracted or doing other things while on the call.
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VIDEO CALL​
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Wear appropriate clothing and be presentable.
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Be on time.
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Use a quiet room without distractions.
College ID Camp
​Attending a camp will help give you the experience of a College ID Camp.
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Good idea to attend an ID camp early in high school (9th Grade) to get a feel for how they work.
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Your first college soccer ID camp should not be at your dream school!
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Attending a camp at a school with realistic interest in you.
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Local Schools offer a much more affordable option.
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Could include a “Dream” school, but should definitely include a “Realistic” school.
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ID Camp Etiquette.
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Send an email prior to the camp introducing yourself to the staff with a copy of your highlight tape.
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Introduce yourself with a handshake before the camp.
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Stay for a ‘thank you conversation’ following the camp.
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Complete proper follow-up communication (depending on the status of the relationship, this could be an email, a text, a phone call, etc.)
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Prepare well and take care of your bodies – usually a lot of soccer in a short period of time.
OVERVIEW
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.