I firmly believe there is a place in college soccer for anyone who wants it badly enough. There are over 1,000 college soccer programs. But the key is to find the right one for you. Luckily even if you are not the next Messi, there are all levels of soccer out there. Division I, II, III, NAIA & Junior College. I get asked often about the different divisions in the NCAA and what that means to a soccer player. First, it is important to know that the different Divisions only tell you about the size of the Athletic Department. Div. I gives more scholarships than Div. II  and Div. III give ..read more

The best way to learn about a college or university is to visit. While on campus you can get a feel for the school. Try to visit while school is in session. Most colleges will have limited classes and much smaller volume of students during the summer. While on campus, why not schedule a little time to visit with the soccer coach? Meeting with a coach is a great opportunity to ask questions about the school and the soccer program. It may also help you decide if you like the coach. It is also a great time to market yourself to the coach. You should plan to take a copy of your transcript so the ..read more

There have been changes to the NCAA rules concerning contact between Coaches and potential recruits over the past few years. Here are the basic differences. Juniors and Seniors are allowed to contact coaches by email, text, Facebook, phone or almost any other format and coaches can reply or respond in any private format. They cannot make public posts to social media.  There is no limit to how often a college coach can write, post, text, or call you.  In the past, coaches were restricted to phone calls, emails and letters, and were only allowed to call once a week. As before, coaches ..read more

College coaches are eager to see you in action and a highlight video is an essential tool. Coaches cannot always get to events or sessions and rely on referrals and video to prioritize who they go evaluate. Video can help showcase your skills, talents, game play and determination on the field and in training. – No longer than 6 minutes – An optimal time would be 3 minutes. – Post online so you can easily send the link to College Coaches – Highlight clips using game film when possible Find clips that show the skills you want the college coach to see.  50 clips of passing, is not as good as ..read more

EMAILING COLLEGE COACHES Sending an email to a college coach is one of the very best ways to start your recruitment process. Don’t wait for coaches to reach out to you. Send an email to any school you might have an interest in. Your emails should contain some or all of the information below: Introduction, where you are from, High school graduation year. Academic info – GPA, PSAT, ACT/SAT if taken. Top 2-3 soccer and academic accomplishments. Club team full name and the positions you play. Jersey # along with a link to your highlight video, upcoming schedule, club coach and college liaison cont ..read more

WHEN AND HOW A COLLEGE COACH CAN TALK TO A PROSPECT Division 1 Division 2 Division 3/NAIA Phone June 15 before your Jr. Year June 15th before Jr. Year No Restriction Email/Text June 15 before your Jr. Year June 15th before Jr. Year No Restriction Off Campus August 1 before your Jr. Year June 15th before Jr. Year June 15th before Jr. Year Tryout None allowed 1 on Campus (Sr. Year) None (D3) Yes (NAIA) Official Visit 1 visit per school (Total of 5) August 1 before Jr. Year No Limit Anytime ..read more

WHAT IS THE RECRUITING TIMELINE? Many players commit in their junior year of high school. However, we urge players to focus on doing their due diligence rather than worrying about what year in school they commit. Everyone’s recruiting process is different. Make the recruiting process a priority; focus on completing the above items, and everything else will fall into place! All divisions are on a slightly different recruiting timetable. The majority of Division I colleges and universities will fill their recruiting class needs by spring of that class’s Junior year. This means that if you are a ..read more

Now that you know that you need to be thinking about college in your Sophomore and Junior year (in an earlier Issue of “Get Soccer”), and you have created your list of colleges to contact, and you know what to put in your resume, here is another step. This should be one of the first steps you should take. Ask your High School and Club Coaches whether or not they think you are College material and what level team they think you could make. There is a level for almost every High School player that wants to play in College. There are levels by Division and levels by how seriously the College purs ..read more