GK College Recruiting
- Thread starter SccrDad
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Lots of film. Record every game, get a good highlight video, have kid keep updating their Instagram. Find a list of 20-30 schools, all levels. Send emails to those schools(send to head coach and cc all assistant coaches) and always include a link to your keepers YouTube page (where highlight video's will be) as well and Instagram. For film, honestly anything before age 14 didn't' get included as my kid was still growing and developing.
Never stop emailing unless they come back to you and say we aren't looking for a GK for a 2024, 2025, 2026, etc. A college's needs change all the time. One year ago was the first email to a college that was in her top 10. Nothing for 8 months. They had changes to the position, daughter kept emailing, now she is committed to that college.
ID camps. Work best if you had some response to an email. Individual school camps work best. If a camp is offered and there are 4-5 coaches there that you kid is interested in, then by all means go to that one. Make sure you email all those coaches before camp, talk to the coaches at camp, then email them after camp. Camps are great in that they give you an idea what your kids play level is.
Also look at the roster. With 10-14 scholarships max (many schools only use 8-10) you don't want to try for a school with three rostered keepers that are all freshman and sophomores when your kid would be starting out. Look out for transfers as well, plus the incoming class.
Check out some of the keeper threads, as well as the college recruiting thread. Good luck.
My kiddo just made her verbal commitment.
She hustled the entire last 4 years to ensure she landed where she wanted to study. The first step of her process was to try to narrow down what colleges she wanted to attend. My husband and I were huge into pick the school first and hope the soccer follows. Although she had a lot of conversations and an offer from a school that wasn't exactly what she wanted to study but was a higher level soccer she chose to accept a D3 that was her dream college.
We took tours of colleges on the west coast (doesn't hurt that her siblings are 3 years older so she tagged along when they were touring) and we toured schools where soccer took us. She also did a lot of research. She knew her general interest of study but it has evolved in the last 4 years and so has her list of schools. I am lucky that she is hard worker and her GPA opened up almost any school she wanted.
The hustle included my husband filming at all the games (our team uses trace but doesn't capture the keeper well...too far from the camera and not zoomed enough). She then edited the clips each week and sent emails to the programs she had researched. I think in a given week she was emailing 15 schools. The email went to the head coach as well as the keeper coach. She made sure to personalize the email to the program (keeping an eye on the twitter and instagram feeds) and to ask the coaches questions in each email to start conversations. Important to note that if your team plays primarily out of the back make sure your coach lets you take some long balls at showcases...multiple phone calls with different programs mentioned that this was missing from the game film my kiddo would send out.
For her top programs where there had been interest (the coach replying to emails or asking for tournament schedules or showing up at showcases) we then went to the id camps. This gave her a chance to work with the keeper coach.
Questions we found important:
1. How are the keepers incorporated with practice? Are they off warming up, running drills and only with the whole team for scrimmages and shooting or do they participate in most of the drills with the whole team?
2. How does the team incorporate the keepers during games? Do they play out of the back or do they play mostly direct?
3. How many keepers does the program hold at any given time?
Phone calls came from both the keeper coaches (usually the first call) and the head coach. The verbal offer was made by the keeper coach on a phone call and the head coach followed up in a text after she accepted.
She hustled the entire last 4 years to ensure she landed where she wanted to study. The first step of her process was to try to narrow down what colleges she wanted to attend. My husband and I were huge into pick the school first and hope the soccer follows. Although she had a lot of conversations and an offer from a school that wasn't exactly what she wanted to study but was a higher level soccer she chose to accept a D3 that was her dream college.
We took tours of colleges on the west coast (doesn't hurt that her siblings are 3 years older so she tagged along when they were touring) and we toured schools where soccer took us. She also did a lot of research. She knew her general interest of study but it has evolved in the last 4 years and so has her list of schools. I am lucky that she is hard worker and her GPA opened up almost any school she wanted.
The hustle included my husband filming at all the games (our team uses trace but doesn't capture the keeper well...too far from the camera and not zoomed enough). She then edited the clips each week and sent emails to the programs she had researched. I think in a given week she was emailing 15 schools. The email went to the head coach as well as the keeper coach. She made sure to personalize the email to the program (keeping an eye on the twitter and instagram feeds) and to ask the coaches questions in each email to start conversations. Important to note that if your team plays primarily out of the back make sure your coach lets you take some long balls at showcases...multiple phone calls with different programs mentioned that this was missing from the game film my kiddo would send out.
For her top programs where there had been interest (the coach replying to emails or asking for tournament schedules or showing up at showcases) we then went to the id camps. This gave her a chance to work with the keeper coach.
Questions we found important:
1. How are the keepers incorporated with practice? Are they off warming up, running drills and only with the whole team for scrimmages and shooting or do they participate in most of the drills with the whole team?
2. How does the team incorporate the keepers during games? Do they play out of the back or do they play mostly direct?
3. How many keepers does the program hold at any given time?
Phone calls came from both the keeper coaches (usually the first call) and the head coach. The verbal offer was made by the keeper coach on a phone call and the head coach followed up in a text after she accepted.
I second this. One of the school my kiddo was considering was radio silence for 2 years. We kept sending emails with no response. Then last year all of a sudden the coach emails back, the keeper coach calls and they started showing up to all the games. She didn't end up going to this school because she got an offer at her dream academic school but the persistence pays off.
Mystery Train
GOLD
Solid advice from @MamaBear5 and @socalkdg. I would add that there are some primary differences between the process for GK's vs field players:
1. GK recruiting often happens much later than field players. Not unusual at all for things not to fall into place until late in HS, even last semester of senior year. Partly, this is because the physical maturation necessary to really gauge a keeper takes time (see socalkdg's dd). And partly because the keeper situation from school to school can be so fluid and unpredictable that coaches often don't know what their keeper depth will look like for a given fall season until spring of that year or even later. Because playing time is so scarce, back-up and bench keepers will quit or transfer rather than go through the grind without faith that they will play, making a coach suddenly very interested in your kid at the last moment. Given the fact that field players are expected to play multiple positions, this isn't such a dramatic problem when one of them leaves.
2. Often, the HC is less involved in recruiting your keeper than they would be field players (unless the HC is a former keeper). At programs with dedicated keeper coaches, the keeper coach may be the primary recruiter. However, don't get too attached to a particular coach, especially an assistant or keeper coach as those jobs are HIGH turnover. The coach who primarily recruited my DD at her college was gone before she even started freshman year, and I've tracked the tenure of the coaches at 4 of the other schools that recruited my kid, and only one of them has retained both their HC and keeper coach from that recruitment cycle.
3. Video will be important because often, especially if your kid plays on a very good team, the coaches that come to see them play won't get to see a lot of action. The 2 schools that my DD narrowed down to at the end and gave her good offers watched her in person a few times, but I don't think she had one decent save opportunity in any of them. Still, they will want to see your kid in game to understand their presence, leadership, & communication ability.
4. Although ball handling/foot skills are becoming more important even in the college game, most colleges still play very direct, so punt & kick distance will still be a priority for most. And because most of their opponents play that way as well, a HUGE item for them is seeing a keeper being able to dominate in the air when crosses come into the 18 & 6 yard boxes. Crucial in the college game.
My last piece of advice for a keeper parent gearing up for the recruitment process is to be patient. If you kid sticks with it, there WILL be opportunities.
My DD's advice to all HS players looking to play in college is: "WORK YOUR ASS OFF. You have no idea how hard this is going to be."
1. GK recruiting often happens much later than field players. Not unusual at all for things not to fall into place until late in HS, even last semester of senior year. Partly, this is because the physical maturation necessary to really gauge a keeper takes time (see socalkdg's dd). And partly because the keeper situation from school to school can be so fluid and unpredictable that coaches often don't know what their keeper depth will look like for a given fall season until spring of that year or even later. Because playing time is so scarce, back-up and bench keepers will quit or transfer rather than go through the grind without faith that they will play, making a coach suddenly very interested in your kid at the last moment. Given the fact that field players are expected to play multiple positions, this isn't such a dramatic problem when one of them leaves.
2. Often, the HC is less involved in recruiting your keeper than they would be field players (unless the HC is a former keeper). At programs with dedicated keeper coaches, the keeper coach may be the primary recruiter. However, don't get too attached to a particular coach, especially an assistant or keeper coach as those jobs are HIGH turnover. The coach who primarily recruited my DD at her college was gone before she even started freshman year, and I've tracked the tenure of the coaches at 4 of the other schools that recruited my kid, and only one of them has retained both their HC and keeper coach from that recruitment cycle.
3. Video will be important because often, especially if your kid plays on a very good team, the coaches that come to see them play won't get to see a lot of action. The 2 schools that my DD narrowed down to at the end and gave her good offers watched her in person a few times, but I don't think she had one decent save opportunity in any of them. Still, they will want to see your kid in game to understand their presence, leadership, & communication ability.
4. Although ball handling/foot skills are becoming more important even in the college game, most colleges still play very direct, so punt & kick distance will still be a priority for most. And because most of their opponents play that way as well, a HUGE item for them is seeing a keeper being able to dominate in the air when crosses come into the 18 & 6 yard boxes. Crucial in the college game.
My last piece of advice for a keeper parent gearing up for the recruitment process is to be patient. If you kid sticks with it, there WILL be opportunities.
My DD's advice to all HS players looking to play in college is: "WORK YOUR ASS OFF. You have no idea how hard this is going to be."
A very big THANK YOU for all of this great advice and info. You've really given me a "road map" to follow. We are just at the infant stages of this but I'm always trying to be ahead of the game. I have been told many times that an above average and better will usually have some type of option if they stay with it. I can see why the GKs will be a little later in the recruiting process based on everything you've shared. Thanks again.
So my daughter finished training last night. Gets home about 9:30 PM. Says hi, Iask how training was (so nice she can drive) and she says "good". Yep, teens. I see her come back downstairs and head out through the garage. About 20 minutes later I see her come in and she is all sweaty. She had been running. Doing wind sprints, then jogging, then sprints again. I was impressed. She is taking her jump to the next level very seriously.
Do keepers have same requirements for endurance, either through beep tests or other means?
dk_b
GOLD
@socalkdg: Every program is different. My kid's does not do beep as a "pass/fail" test. They do assessments that put players in training groups (and determine what training packets a player gets when on their own). Being a GK who assesses into one of the top 2 field player groups was a source of pride for my kid and an indicator of the hard work she was (and is) doing. If a GK can distinguish herself by arriving fit - more fit than a pre-college player really realizes - she will be taken really seriously.
As you look at potential schools, keeping a close watch on the roster is way more important than with field players - only 1 gk can play at a time after all and, in some cases (perhaps most), it will be the same GK for 2 or 3 or 4 years so choosing a school with another incoming top level keeper may be fine but it may mean little opps to play (I can point to specific examples of this but b/c I know the players involved, I won't). It's not just the number of GKs on the roster - there may be (should be, really) several - but the quality of those GKs (if your kid is looking for a place to play). Keep in mind that a coach may want a high level player as a perennial back-up so your kid needs to be honest with herself about just how hard it will be to break in. Confidence is enormous w/a GK and open competition may be welcome but going to a place w/the incoming starter a year ahead gives an enormous advantage to the returning player. College soccer is a GIANT step up from club, even if playing for a top team, since a top club team's opponents are not 22 year old adults, so even just one year of being exposed to the pace and strength and relatively skill in the college game is enormous. The # of D1 GKs who can step on the field as frosh and look comfortable is quite small.
As for coaches - GK coaches turn over a lot. In many cases, it is intentionally a stopping point before promotion to associate HC somewhere else and, ultimately, HC. That change can happen quickly, w/o notice (I had another college coach tell me at a showcase, "did you hear about K leaving?" while my daughter was under a verbal and K was heavily involved in her recruitment - THAT's how I heard and then my kid heard from me). So while having rapport w/the GK coach can be really important, make sure she spends time talking w/the HC because, even w/much HC turnover, there is a greater chance the HC will still be around. (my kid was recruited and committed under the old rules so there was more time between offers/acceptances and actually signing the NLI so there was more chance of change. As it was, the HC coach who recruited her was gone about 5 days before signing the NLI) so she was making a decision w/one assistant left acting as interim HC. Not an uncommon experience even if the timing was a bit unique)
As you look at potential schools, keeping a close watch on the roster is way more important than with field players - only 1 gk can play at a time after all and, in some cases (perhaps most), it will be the same GK for 2 or 3 or 4 years so choosing a school with another incoming top level keeper may be fine but it may mean little opps to play (I can point to specific examples of this but b/c I know the players involved, I won't). It's not just the number of GKs on the roster - there may be (should be, really) several - but the quality of those GKs (if your kid is looking for a place to play). Keep in mind that a coach may want a high level player as a perennial back-up so your kid needs to be honest with herself about just how hard it will be to break in. Confidence is enormous w/a GK and open competition may be welcome but going to a place w/the incoming starter a year ahead gives an enormous advantage to the returning player. College soccer is a GIANT step up from club, even if playing for a top team, since a top club team's opponents are not 22 year old adults, so even just one year of being exposed to the pace and strength and relatively skill in the college game is enormous. The # of D1 GKs who can step on the field as frosh and look comfortable is quite small.
As for coaches - GK coaches turn over a lot. In many cases, it is intentionally a stopping point before promotion to associate HC somewhere else and, ultimately, HC. That change can happen quickly, w/o notice (I had another college coach tell me at a showcase, "did you hear about K leaving?" while my daughter was under a verbal and K was heavily involved in her recruitment - THAT's how I heard and then my kid heard from me). So while having rapport w/the GK coach can be really important, make sure she spends time talking w/the HC because, even w/much HC turnover, there is a greater chance the HC will still be around. (my kid was recruited and committed under the old rules so there was more time between offers/acceptances and actually signing the NLI so there was more chance of change. As it was, the HC coach who recruited her was gone about 5 days before signing the NLI) so she was making a decision w/one assistant left acting as interim HC. Not an uncommon experience even if the timing was a bit unique)
Good to hear. I have been telling kiddo that she needs to organize a group of the girls who are already committed and arrive at practice 1X a week early enough to practice the fitness drills before practice begins. Her coach is already getting the girls running at practice to up the fitness. Kiddo is expected to meet the same fitness requirements as the field players.
Mystery Train
GOLD
It used to be that yes, they were always held to the same standard, but I am now seeing more programs taking a more progressive (and better, IMHO) approach to the fitness standards for GK's. My kid's school just implemented this year a separate GK fitness test. All the keepers had to at least participate in the standard field player fitness test on day one, and if they passed it they were exempt for the rest of the tests, but if not, they had to pass the GK test. It was brutal, but at least it was appropriate for their skill set and position... as opposed to running and running and running forever.
What was the keeper test if you don't mind me asking?
Mystery Train
GOLD
@MamaBear5 I'll ask her to give me some more details, but essentially it involved doing a million shorter sprints of 40 yards or less, X number of explosive exercises like broad jumps, vertical jump, burpees, box jumps, and repeated sets of obstacle course type circuits all in a diminishing time constraint, and then in between each circuit, having to catch a certain number of shots consecutively, and if you dropped one, you had to start all over. She said that was the hardest part because the shots were hard/fast and your body is exhausted and it's so hard to focus on the catch. She was just about 15 seconds shy of passing the regular field player fitness test, but passed the GK test on the first try. Their #2 keeper passed on the 3rd try, #3 never did pass (still on the team, but not allowed to play for one month per team rules), and the fourth GK quit after the first fitness day.
Mystery Train
GOLD
lol, it's just different. They wanted to make sure the field players didn't think the keepers were getting off easy. Check!
Keeper a very tough position to get playing time, usually 3-5x per team and normally only 1 plays the majority of the minutes.
Sons team had all conference 2nd team keeper who's a junior that lost his starting job to a senior transfer who is just a bit more seasoned so tough gig to hold on to even when your that good. Previous starter left for MLS club as a junior.
Sons team had all conference 2nd team keeper who's a junior that lost his starting job to a senior transfer who is just a bit more seasoned so tough gig to hold on to even when your that good. Previous starter left for MLS club as a junior.
Well the waters got a little muddied. My keeper loves the school they signed a verbal commitment with and then bam - one of the top schools in the country for the major just offered a full academic scholarship. So pay and play or get a free education. Right now pay and play is in the lead but damn. Big choices for an 18 year old.
Go for the education and don't forget about the "broken xxx" scenario.
Would your player still be happy and successful at a choosen university if they where injured or didn't play soccer?
One of my son's keepers left the University as a junior to sign with MLS club and hasn't even seen the field in 2 years now even with the USl 2nd team. He salary is less than what in and out fastfood workers make
The school that she is verbally committed to is a dream school and is a school that even without soccer she would have applied to. Unfortunately it is a D3 school in a state that doesn't typically offer money to middle class parents for merit. The school with the full ride is one that wasn't on the radar until we did a google search for the top schools with the major. The thing that makes it really appealing is the money.
So sad that a state school outside of CA will offer a full ride merit scholarship and I doubt that my kiddo will see a cent offered here. So sad that other states are luring away our top 5% academic kiddos (I use this percentage because she is in the top 5% at her high school) and our state isn't willing to care because so many kids want a spot at our schools.
So sad that a state school outside of CA will offer a full ride merit scholarship and I doubt that my kiddo will see a cent offered here. So sad that other states are luring away our top 5% academic kiddos (I use this percentage because she is in the top 5% at her high school) and our state isn't willing to care because so many kids want a spot at our schools.
Tough decisions. My buddy dd from old club team had GK in similar situation. She had offers from top D2 and some lower level D1 schools but very little $$$. Pops made too much money. Out of nowhere, a top P5 school offered a full ride for her academics because of her 4.7 and very nice SAT. She chose school and gave up the grind of GK in college life. Last I heard she is super stoked, happy and having fun and even plays GK for her Frat/Sor co-ed Combo team in adult league
A couple of quick things to keep in mind:
On the money, you might want to check to make sure the conditions for retaining the full academic scholarship, what they define as "full," and the costs of being out of state in a place where you have to fly, your own health insurance won't provide coverage, etc. UCSC (I'm assuming) is not cheap, but it can still be cheaper than some out-of-state schools if the merit money goes away or if some of those other costs are higher than expected.
On the quality of the school, you may want to think closely about the qualifier you inserted: "for the major." Just as kids quit sports for a variety of reasons, they can and do switch intended majors and schools within a college all the time (probably more frequently, especially when you include kids who intended to major in something and switched before declaring). They may be positive they are going into engineering or nursing or computer science etc when they enrolled and end up in something entirely different after a semester or two. Suddenly, the best school for the major can be just an average school for everything else. Plus, if the academic scholarship depends upon staying in the major, that's quite the golden handcuffs to place on a kid, not unlike the golden handcuffs many kids feel with D1 scholarships in a sport they no longer love. Moreover, if they get homesick and want to return to Cali, they obviously lose the scholarship too.
Just something to think about as you go through your decisionmaking process. Good luck!
Make sure you visit this out of state school if she is thinking of going there. After my daughters first trip out of State to a school that was making a nice offer, she knew it wouldn't work. She wanted to be able to visit friends and family on a weekend if she needed. She wanted more diversity. The vibe wasn't there. The trip had us reassess what schools she was looking for.
As mentioned, make sure you have in writing everything that is covered. Good luck with your decision. Keep us updated.