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 a much smaller volume of students during the summer.

Make sure to meet with the Head 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 coach can see what kind of student you are. Also bring your athletic resume if the coach does not have it on file. Bring a parent — they may ask questions you won’t.

WHAT IS AN OFFICIAL VISIT?

Although you are always welcome to visit college campuses at your own expense (an unofficial visit), there are rules you must meet for an Official Visit (the college pays for some or all of your expenses).  You may only go on an official visit after August 1 before your junior year in high school. Usually an official visit consists of an overnight stay where you will have a member of the soccer team as your host. You will meet the coach and the team, learn more about the program, attend a class and possibly attend a sporting event. You may also meet other recruited athletes there for a visit. While there, talk to people and learn as much as you can.

Here are some things you should do in advance of a visit:

• Ask where to meet the coach.
• Get their cell phone number to avoid a mix-up.
• Get the time schedule for your visit.
• Find out who is paying for any tickets or meals.
• Ask what to bring.
• Ask to meet with an academic advisor who can help you learn about requirements and support.
• Try to see the campus on a regular school day while class is in session.
• Visit with players. Talk with the freshmen and sophomores to get their perspective on first-year experiences.
• Always write a thank-you email to the coach after your visit.

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, so they 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.

– 3-6 minutes. No longer than 6 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 5 clips passing, 5 clips finishing, 5 clips receiving the ball, 5 clips tackling or defending.

If you don’t have any video from games, a skills tape for field players, may consist of:

– Passing and receiving, both in the air and on the ground – Shooting, both power and finesse (Include Goals)
– Dribbling, moves, 1v1 defending and attacking
– Speed and agility with and without the ball

For a goalkeeper it should consist of:

– Agility and footwork
– Crosses and shot stopping
– Verbal communication in a game situation – Participation in different goalie exercise

You should email the coach at any school you think you might be interested in.

1.   DO include personalization so it doesn’t look like a mass email to 20 schools
2.   DO keep it concise, organized, and easy to read quickly on any device
3.   DO send your email to all the coaches, not just the head coach; it is common for an assistant coach to lead recruiting
4.   DO address the email to the head coach, all the coaches, or the school’s soccer coaches.  i.e. “Dear Coach Burleigh”, “Dear Coach Burleigh, Coach Campbell, and Coach Kirkup” or Dear UF Soccer Coaches”

Emailing College Coaches “DON’Ts”

1. DON’T write a long and wordy email
2. DON’T address the email with, “Dear Coach” use their name, “Dear Coach Getman”

Include your player bio or resume.  Include a link to your Highlight Video if you have one.  Include any upcoming games or events.

A college coach can only call you after June 15 before your junior year in high school. That means a coach cannot place an outbound call to you specifically to talk to you about playing a sport at their college, until June 15 before your Jr. year. You can call a coach at any point in your high school career. The key here is that you are the one initiating contact with the coach and not the other way around. If you want to call a coach, you may do so as often as you wish.

Most prospective student-athletes will receive some contact from colleges, in the form of general admissions information, questionnaires, and emails from college coaches. Many student-athletes make the mistake of disregarding correspondence from colleges and coaches they are not initially interested in. The following is a list of reasons why you should respond to EVERYONE:

You never know if your interests will change. Don’t close any doors that you might later regret. If you do not respond to a coach, or return their questionnaire, they will stop recruiting you. The more coaches you communicate with, the more familiar you will become with the types of questions college coaches ask. This practice will prepare you for email exchanges and conversation with coaches at your favorite colleges and universities. College coaches change jobs! You might ignore a coach because you are not interested in their program, only to have them get hired at one of your top choices.

Draft a tentative list of colleges that interest you. Your list may include schools in your area, schools that have a particular major of interest to you, or schools you know very little about. Your list may be long but in the early stages you don’t want to eliminate any school you are curious about. It is very important that you look at the school for its academic programs as well as its athletic programs. Your academic experience in college is what will provide an important foundation for your chosen career path after college. Here are some questions that may aid you in your college selection:

●  Would I choose this college even if I am not playing on the team?

●  Would I be happy sitting on the bench and not playing much?

●  Would I still select this college if there is a different coach?

●  Would I be comfortable there both academically and athletically?

●  Does staff and team seem to get along and care about each other?

●  How does the coach motivate the team?

●  Are the coaching staff and team friendly? Enthusiastic? Honest? Supportive? Sincere?

Educate yourself about the Colleges on your List and after you have created your list of schools, research the schools. Read everything you can find about each school. Look at their school web page, athletics page, specifically the team page as well as their social media.

All divisions are on a slightly different recruiting timetable. In Division 1 more and more schools are recruiting college transfer students first. Then moving on to fill open spots with incoming Freshmen. Because the transfer portal opens in November, this slows the process down for most High School Seniors. It used to be that many players were committed in their Junior year. Now it is not uncommon for top level players to make their commitment in the spring of the Senior year.

Division 2 colleges and universities are typically the next to finish up their recruiting classes. Some Division 2 colleges and universities will have prospects verbally commit during the summer, but most will finish during the fall or spring of their senior year. Division 3, NAIA and Junior Colleges recruiting typically continues into the winter and spring of a student-athlete’s senior year of high school. If you are not on track with this timeline, do not panic, these are general guidelines and every college and university has a different situation.