College Recruiting Pathway

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

Freshman Year

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

Sophomore Year

  • Build your highlight tape
  • Begin attending ID camps and visiting campuses
  • Begin emailing coaches


Junior Year

  • Continue to update your highlight tape
  • Keep in contact with prospective schools
  • Attend prospective school ID camps

Senior Year

  • Continue to update your highlight tape
  • Maintain communication with your main prospective schools
  • Prepare & understand your commitment level to the school

Recruiting Process Overview

The player should be driving the recruiting process

Not a parent and not a coach


  • 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. 

UW Madison

Division 1

Enrollment: 49,886

UW Parkside

Division 2

Enrollment: 4,829

Carthage College

Division 3

Enrollment: 2,559

What Schools Should I Look At?

3 Main Areas To Consider

  • School Experience
  • Field of study, academic support, reputation, class size, faculty, post-grad statistics, etc.



  • Soccer Experience
  • Coaching staff, program philosophy, style of play, facilities, conference, W/L success, performance staff, team culture, etc.




  • Campus Experience
  • Location, size of school, urban vs rural, campus culture, climate, role of athletics on campus, etc..

Collegiate Coach Communication

Emails


  • 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

Texts


  • 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.

Calls


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


Video Calls



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


Preparing For ID Camps

2 Main Reasons to Attend a College ID Camp


Attending a camp to get the experience of a College ID Camp 


  • Good idea to attend an ID camp early in high school 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


  • Usually won’t happen until 2nd half of high school. 


  • 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