Building a Plan of Attack

The recruiting process has long been unique and challenging for each player, and Covid has created new challenges. Now more than ever it is important that each player has a game plan for how they will manage their recruiting journey. Below we will outline how a family can build a plan of attack for the new age of recruiting! 

Determine Your Starting Point: depending on whether you are a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior your process will require different tasks. 

1. Update Your Profile: each player should have a SportsRecruits profile that is fully completed (Photo, GPA, Contact Info, High School, Position, Jersey Number, Test Scores, etc)
2. Create & Upload Film: a 4-6 minute highlight reel can be built for FREE on SportsRecruits. For those later in the process (Junior/Seniors) you can have SR build (1) professional highlight reel for you from clips you have posted on your profile.
3. Identify Schools & Why: create your list of schools and understand why you have selected that school; location, cost, degree, size, soccer program, etc.

Once you have prepared yourself to be recruited it is now time for the leg-work! As we move into the upcoming summer it is crucial that players have a plan for how they are going to be seen and evaluated by college coaches.

• Determine Level of Interest: The earlier we are in our process the more time we will have, however, it is important to know where we fall in the different levels of the soccer landscape.
  • Freshman & Sophomores- college coaches cannot speak to you outside of generic information, so it may be difficult to know where you stand until you get further down the path.
  • Juniors- a great way to know how interested a program is in you is to review your communication. Have they been responsive to emails/calls? Have you spoken to the head coach? Have you had a Facetime/Zoom meeting? Have they personally invited you to visit campus or attend camp? If you aren’t having regular communication or setting up opportunities to visit when available this is a good time to put that in motion with schools. If coaches are unresponsive and/or haven’t extended offers for camp or visits this is a sign they are not interested. 
  • Seniors- if you are not having weekly conversations and making final plans with a program it is time that you start or you will not have an opportunity in the Fall.

• Attend Summer Camps: this year more than any Camps will be crucial to the recruiting process. They will also be more challenging as they may be small in size and there may be less “multi-school” camps, requiring players to be strategic and flexible. Prioritize camps with schools that you are actively communicating with or are high on your list.
  • Freshman- identify 2-3 camps to attend this summer. I recommend (1) Local camp, (1) Camp in a different region and (1) Club ID Event.
  • Sophomores- identify 3-4 camps to attend this summer. I recommend (1) Local camp, (2) Camps in a different region and (1) Club ID Event.
  • Juniors- identify 4-5 camps to attend this summer. I recommend attending camps at schools you are already talking with. It is important to get on their campus, work with their coaches and show them how much you value their program. These camps can also serve as opportunities to visit the campus.

• Get Feedback: families should be sure to ask questions and collect feedback from coaches during phone calls, zoom calls, visits, and camps.
  • What are the coaches thoughts of you as a player, what areas do you need to improve in, are you viewed as able to play at their level?
  • What are your next steps for recruitment with each school?
  • Where do you fall in their depth chart for your recruiting class? (Top tier, on their radar, still need to be evaluated, not being recruited)

Update & Re-Evaluate: you should be constantly updating your profile with new video and information while also updating your list of schools based on new information. As you get feedback from coaches and experiences be sure to re-evaluate your list of potential colleges and adjust as needed.

Supporting CRYSC CPP Facts

Using information from the last (3) CRSYC College Commitment Classes here are some helpful pieces of information to reference while you manage your recruiting process.

1. Total Commitments (2019-2021)
   1. Division 1- 61
   2. Division 2- 35
   3. Division 3- 23
   4. NAIA- 20
   5. NJCAA- 22
2. Commitments by Level
   1. ECNL- 70
   2. Select- 76
   3. Burgundy- 8
3. Players Receiving Athletic Dollars as Freshman
   1. Girls- 70%
   2. Boys- 65%
4. Players Receiving Academic Dollars as Freshman
   1. Girls- 82%
   2. Boys- 80%
5. When Did Players Begin Search Process
   1. Freshman- 48%
   2. Sophomore- 22%
   3. Junior- 24%
   4. Senior- 6%
6. What Method was Most Helpful During Process
   1. Highlight Video- 2nd
   2. Showcases- 4th
   3. ID Camps- 3rd
   4. Email- 1st

The College Soccer page on the CRYSC website offers a great starting point for parents and players interested in college soccer. For more information, visit our webpage here. For any questions or concerns, please contact CRYSC’s College Placement Director at [email protected].