D3 Recruiting Hub

One of the big differences in recruiting at the NCAA D1, D2 and D3 level is the amount of contact that is permitted between coach and student-athlete.  For NCAA D3 soccer coaches, there are very few restrictions with regard to phone calls, emails and regular mail. While their counterparts have greater restrictions as far as contacting players before the end of their junior year in high school.  Most recently, the NCAA changed the rules to permit NCAA D3 coaches to text prospective student-athletes.

In our “Communication With D3 Coaches” post from July 2011, the rules about telephone calls, emails and faxes were discussed between coaches and student-athlete.  At that time, text messaging was not permissible for D3 coaches, while their counterparts at D1 and D2 were permitted to do so.  This rule stemmed way back from 2006 when the NCAA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committees “shouted down a proposal” about coaches texting student-athletes (see “NCAA to evaluate text regulations“).  Back then, texting typically was not free, and one had to pay for each text that was either sent or received.  So if a student-athlete was receiving unsolicited text messages from a coach, chances are they were paying for them.  And if you were a good student-athlete, chances are you were receiving a lot of text messages.

Why the change now?  The costs are reduced “since most phone plans come with unlimited texting”. Also from the article- “Research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project in fact shows more than three-fourths of (American) teens own cell phones and that one in three send more than 100 texts daily. Almost 90 percent of teens text now, compared with about 50 percent five years ago.”

Furthermore, “costs and technology trends weren’t the only concerns… a primary pause then — and now — is simply whether texting is appropriate in the recruiting process.”  From the article quotes from Ivy League deputy executive director Carolyn Campbell-McGovern included “back then that students thought ‘it was kind of creepy’ that their parents were using text messaging” and “likened it to our days as high school students when we left notes in each other’s lockers as a way to communicate among friends, but we certainly would have thought it was creepy for a teacher or a coach to do that. And that’s the same way student-athletes are talking about texting. It’s an informal way for them to chat with their friends, but it’s not intended to be a first exchange with someone you’re going to have a mentoring relationship with.”

The bottom line is this—the technology of texting is firmly entrenched in the mindset of high school student-athletes and is not going away any time soon.  Furthermore, receiving a text message from parents, coaches or other adult is not viewed as “creepy” anymore and happens all the time.  The landscape has changed since 2006 and allowing coaches to text student-athletes just makes sense.  However, like all forms of communication, moderation is the key and it should not be taken to the extreme by either coach or student-athlete.

Thanks for reading!

Add your comments below or drop us a line at d3recruitinghub@gmail.com with specific questions.

In the last post, we started to examine ways that parents could help their student athletes throughout the NCAA college soccer recruiting process.  This process can be confusing and challenging at times to student-athletes and their families as they try to find the right fit.  In today’s post, we will continue with the discussion on other ways that parents can help.

Don’t Do All the Work

College should be a time where young men and women really start to mature into young adults.  Their childhood days are over and it is time for them to start taking on more responsibility and accountability.  Have your son or daughter complete all of the college applications, have them set up appointments to take tours, and have them keep track of deadlines for when paperwork is due.  They are not going to be able to do it all themselves (i.e. when filling out FASFA forms, they will need parents’ tax info and if you want to take a college tour with them, they need to work in conjunction with your schedule), however the bulk of the work, needs to fall on their shoulders and not the parents!  Hold them accountable.

Don’t Lecture, Guide in Good Directions

Nobody likes to be lectured—–”I told you if you did not do that, then this would happen.”  If you want a student-athlete to tune you out, then lecturing them is a sure fire way to make that happen.  As a parent, presumably you have more experience in life then your son or daughter.  Use that experience to your advantage; draw on it to help guide them to success.  For example, if your son or daughter is being recruited heavily by a D3 school that does NOT have his/her major, but they really want you to come play soccer, then you as a parent may want to steer them to a school that does have what he/she wants to study.  Don’t just lecture them!

Use Your Network

Parents all like to talk about their kids and it should be no different during to college recruiting process.  Chances are you have had friends, family, co-workers or other acquaintances go through the process as well.  Draw on their experience; learn from their successes and mistakes.  It is also likely that you have had someone in your network that either went to one of the schools on your son’s or daughter’s list or has a family member there.  Tap into their specific knowledge of the school.

Seek Out Help

If you or your student-athlete needs help that you cannot provide, then seek it out.  There are lots of resources available— high school counselors, college admissions counselors, college financial aid counselors to name a few. Friends, neighbors and families that have gone through the process can help too.  The Internet has a wealth of resources that you can search as well— websites like the Princeton Review or the College Board are full of information.  All of these resources are free!  You can also get professional help, but of course that is going to cost you.

The  bottom line is this—there are many ways that parents can help out their student-athletes as they go through recruiting process and make the transition from high school to college.  It can be difficult and confusing at times, but there are many things that parents can do to make that transition go a little bit more smoothly.

Thanks for reading!

Add your comments below or drop us a line at d3recruitinghub@gmail.com with specific questions.

It is time to start planning for the summer and at this time of year, most high school soccer players will be receiving invites to soccer camps at various colleges and universities.  Which camp should you attend?  What is the value in attending?  Will it hurt me if I don’t attend?  We will look at those questions from a D3 perspective in this week’s post.

To start, let’s understand about camps from the college coach’s perspective.  First, coaches use these camps to make money for themselves and/or their programs.  Soccer is not a big money sport (like NCAA Division I football or basketball with big TV contracts and highly paid head coaches) and most college soccer coaches (especially at D3) do not get paid a lot of money.  To supplement their income, coaches run camps.  Second, these camps are used as recruiting tools for coaches.  So it is an opportunity for the player.

Which camp should you attend?

When looking at soccer camps, you want to go to camps where the coaches of the colleges you are interested in attending will be working.  So if you are interested in D3 State University, you should look into attending the soccer camp at D3 State University.  If they don’t host a camp, contact the coach at D3 State University and ask him/her what camps he/she will be working over the summer and go to those.

Cost for camps can also affect which camp you should attend.  Camps can range from one day affairs to week long overnight adventures.  Costs can range from less than one hundred dollars up to several hundred dollars.  If you have to travel far to get to the camp, then throw in travel expenses as well.  Go to the ones that make financial sense.

What is the value in attending? 

Camps are great recruiting tools for college coaches.  The coach gets to see you as a player up close and for extended periods of time, so they can really evaluate your abilities as a player.  They get to actually coach you.  They also have the opportunity to speak with you one-on-one to learn about your personality as well.

For the player, you get to play in front of one or more college coaches with other players looking to play college soccer; some may be looking to attend the same school.  Most of the time you will get to be coached by the college coaches, so you get to experience what they are like as coaches and how they treat their players.  Many times coaches will have some of the existing college team members work at the camp, so you can get to know those players and if you have a good chemistry with them.  Also, as above, you will have the opportunity to speak with the coach one-on-one to learn about them and if you think their school is a good match for you.

One of the big benefits is for the player that does not play club soccer.  If you play soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and softball/lacrosse in the spring, going to a camp is a good way to get exposure for yourself to D3 coaches.  Many D3 coaches do their recruiting at club tournaments and college showcases, so the players that only play high school soccer often get overlooked or under-recruited.  By going to camps where there will be coaches from the D3 schools that interest you, it gives you a chance to get on their recruiting radar.

Will it hurt me if I don’t attend?

If a coach is already recruiting you, then not attending a camp should not affect your recruiting status.  If a coach is already recruiting you and you attend a camp and perform poorly however, it may adversely affect your status.  The coach may change his/her mind about you as a player and take you off their radar.

Generally speaking though, not going to a camp should not affect your recruiting status.  Coaches do most of their recruiting while at games (club and high school) and camps are only one other tool that they have available.  In fact, many colleges do not even have camps.

The bottom line is this— college camps are used as recruiting tools by college coaches, but they do serve more than one purpose.  If you do decide to attend a camp, be selective in the ones you choose.  Choose the ones that fit with your goals for the future and make sure you are choosing the camp for the right reasons.

Thanks for reading!

Add your comments below or drop us a line d3recruitinghub@gmail.com with specific questions.