Recruiting Tips for Parents Just Starting the Process
- Thread starter MakeAPlay
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rainbow_unicorn
PREMIER
Any tips on college camps? How early should players start to attend (9th, 10th grade)? Assuming top schools like UCLA/Stanford don't recruit from their own camps but other colleges actually do look for players at their camps?
Don't go to a camp where your player will not be a standout player. In the camps and similar tryouts I have observed it was pretty easy to sort out the players worth looking at in the first 30 minutes or so.
Edit, after further thought -- it might be a good idea to go to a camp early in high school to get some idea of what level of play, speed, fitness, etc that is expected at those camps.
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Every School recruits from their own camp if they see the right players.
I agree here. Every camp my kid attended, we emailed the coach and said, "are you hosting any standout players?" and used that information to filter our selections. On one occasion, at the 31 minute mark, my kid noticed a standout player and we just left.
UCLA and Stanford recruit from the National Program because some Euro identified those players when they were 12.
True story from the Legend himself, lol! I had two top Docs that said, "if your kid wants to play at UCLA, you better make that list in 7th or 8th grade and they both had accents. That was 7 years ago so maybe anyone can walk on to make the team.
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The oppression is a bit off topic. That college is not merit based was/is my point.
I posted a pic a few pages back, not about Indians.
If you don't have merit and a girl - row. Lots of seats available.
There are angles all around.
The Dartmouth situation is kind of unique since it was originally founded as an institution to educate Native Americans. Its motto "Vox clamantis in deserto" translates as "A voice crying in the wilderness", since at the time of its founding Hanover NH was frontier territory. Service to Native Americans is still part of its tradition, despite the fact that there are few such students enrolled there.
There are some other strange ways to get into Dartmouth -- for example, if you are a resident of Wheelock, Vermont and graduate from high school, you can attend Dartmouth tuition-free because the entire township of Wheelock (named after Dartmouth's founder Eleazar Wheelock) was granted to the College so they could sell the land to help fund the college, and the college agreed to the free tuition deal in return.
On the other hand, memories of experience as a Dartmouth student are partially the inspiration for National Lampoon's Animal House.
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Agree on using a camp to figure out where your kid belongs. If your kid wants to play with the best, competing vs them is a good start.
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I think the big issue that we learned and didn't think about during the recruitment period is that the head coach can change at any time. You may do your due diligence in your research on the school and the program and make the best-educated decision possible. Then a monkey wrench can be thrown in with a coaching change at any time - either just before your start or after you are already at the school. The change in coach can change everything for your player's experience. The style of play can change, new recruits and transfers can take away the playtime of existing players and just the general culture of the team and program can change in a negative way.
Thanks for sharing. My buddies dd just went through this change and now is looking for a change as well. Last I heard she found a great place but now that coach might be on the way out. Wind of Change is real.
"Primetime" is not messing around at CO. They just cut a OL whose dad was on their Natty team in the 90s. How do new girls soccer coach handle stuff like this? I have a buddy who told me basically it was way worse for his sweet dd when new coach took over.
"He’s walking with me and said, ‘Hey buddy, you’re going to get cut today. I’m sorry to tell you this. I didn’t want you to hear it from Coach Prime. I wanted you to hear it from my mouth. I didn’t want to cut you, but we had to cut five offensive linemen, and you were the last one,’" Gray told The Athletic on Tuesday evening.
18 players entered the transfer portal after Coach Prime told the players he's bringing his guys from Jackson State on Monday
"He’s walking with me and said, ‘Hey buddy, you’re going to get cut today. I’m sorry to tell you this. I didn’t want you to hear it from Coach Prime. I wanted you to hear it from my mouth. I didn’t want to cut you, but we had to cut five offensive linemen, and you were the last one,’" Gray told The Athletic on Tuesday evening.
18 players entered the transfer portal after Coach Prime told the players he's bringing his guys from Jackson State on Monday
Speaking of the transfer portal, keep an eye out on what players transfer out of schools your kid is interested in. At my daughters school player just transferred to a top 20 program, so her school just brought in another 2023 recruit. It happens. I'll also mention I've been told there are still a number of open goalkeeper spots at all levels of colleges for 2023's.
That's awesome. Do you or anyone on here know if you can just "walk on" and have a try out for the team at these schools? Let's say for Pete sakes my dd or someone else dd enrolls at Cal State Fullerton or UCI, is there a tryout day or do you have to be recruited the old fashion way? I loved the movie Rudy. School first is what I think most folks are saying to me. I 100% will be rooting for your dd. Go class of 2023
dk_b
GOLD
That's awesome. Do you or anyone on here know if you can just "walk on" and have a try out for the team at these schools? Let's say for Pete sakes my dd or someone else dd enrolls at Cal State Fullerton or UCI, is there a tryout day or do you have to be recruited the old fashion way? I loved the movie Rudy. School first is what I think most folks are saying to me. I 100% will be rooting for your dd. Go class of 2023
You gotta be in some communication with the coach. In my yrs paying attention to this sort of stuff, I am aware of exactly one person who knocked on a coach’s door and convinced him to take a look (she had had a D3 but when she got into the school, it was her #1 academic choice). She played for 2 yrs but injury and school took over for her (she was a tremendous U-little coach in her time immediately after college graduation). Everyone else who were late recruits/walk-ons/etc. had some contact/understanding with the coach before there being an open tryout. There is one categorical exception: if a team has an unanticipated thin roster due to injury (also, presumably, transfers), they might have open tryouts (I do know if that happening recently) but that would be for students on campus and, often, the players who would actually make it are at least known to some on the staff (the Cal softball player who played in goal for a game and then as backup was kinda that situation)
The transfer portal was an experience (as a parent watching my kid, that is). Very compressed situation but the kid is so much more mature than when she went through recruiting the first time so her ability/desire to manage the process (and the appropriateness of it being much LESS parent-involved) was a standout variable.
My 2023 DD is an admitted student at a D3. Missed all Jr and part of senior year recovering from injury. School not initially on the recruiting radar but had her throw a Hail Mary to the coach. They have had conversations the past three months and arranged a tour of the facilities with a coach during an admitted student tour. Lots of movement that opened a spot. Tough situation as the season is over and only have vids from last month and Coach wants to see her play. Tourney next week but her team is not playing. Offered to workout in person though. Coach seems interested and DD Still hopeful.That's awesome. Do you or anyone on here know if you can just "walk on" and have a try out for the team at these schools? Let's say for Pete sakes my dd or someone else dd enrolls at Cal State Fullerton or UCI, is there a tryout day or do you have to be recruited the old fashion way? I loved the movie Rudy. School first is what I think most folks are saying to me. I 100% will be rooting for your dd. Go class of 2023