Tough road for 2022 class

lafalafa said:
Yeah need individual NCCA approval & clearance for real official practices.

If no coach is present and the captain sessions are run by students that's a possibility. That's basically like intramural or club sports at some schools. Not sure about the liability issues or use of campus facilities but why not explore the possibilities.

Creative solution but I'm not getting the help getting recruited part?
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I think there are some 2022’s that coaches want but can’t afford and/or don’t have space for on their roster because several players are using the additional year of eligibility. Those players, can grayshirt and give the coach time to free up money and/or roster space while simultaneously moving ahead in their academic endeavors.

I could be wrong but I think grayshirting is primarily used by football coaches. Maybe the soccer coach at some players dream school has never heard of the grayshirt process and is looking for a creative solution to commit the player.
 
MacDre said:
I think there are some 2022’s that coaches want but can’t afford and/or don’t have space for on their roster because several players are using the additional year of eligibility. Those players, can grayshirt and give the coach time to free up money and/or roster space while simultaneously moving ahead in their academic endeavors.
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Did I catch it right that the grayshirt students could not register for full time units?
 
Roadrunner said:
Did I catch it right that the grayshirt students could not register for full time units?
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That’s correct. However, if students take 11.5 units per semester plus summer school they can accumulate 24-30 units per year just like most students.
 
MacDre said:
My kid and I just had a meeting with her college athletic counselor to explore options. Her counselor mentioned an option that I’d never heard of before that I think could help some kids get recruited.

If I had a 2022 kid, I would instruct her to talk to all coaches about the feasibility of being a “grey shirt” recruit which will allow a players to take up to 11.5 units, practice with the team, and not start the NCAA clock.

Hope this helps someone!
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If a coach does not want to recruit a 2022 this year, they are not going to want a delayed, overage 2022 in a year or two either. Go where you are needed and wanted now. Paying to be a part time student is the worst deal.
 
Soccerfan2 said:
If a coach does not want to recruit a 2022 this year, they are not going to want a delayed, overage 2022 in a year or two either. Go where you are needed and wanted now. Paying to be a part time student is the worst deal.
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I can’t call it. But, in the football context grayshirts get substantial scholarship money. I was also under the impression that most soccer players don’t receive scholarship money so it’s really not a big deal to pay tuition because they have to pay anyway.

I also think your logic is flawed. If top P5 schools are welcoming players back for their 5th year, why wouldn’t a coach want a player that’s proven themselves in captains practice and has been hitting the weights for a year?
 
MacDre said:
I can’t call it. But, in the football context grayshirts get substantial scholarship money. I was also under the impression that most soccer players don’t receive scholarship money so it’s really not a big deal to pay tuition because they have to pay anyway.

I also think your logic is flawed. If top P5 schools are welcoming players back for their 5th year, why wouldn’t a coach want a player that’s proven themselves in captains practice and has been hitting the weights for a year?
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Because there are 10+ recruited unpaid players on the women’s soccer roster already. They have a roster size for a reason. A top P5 coach does not take time out to talk to players he or she is not recruiting.
 
Kicker4Life said:
That’s why they call it the Hunger Games!
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When they "let the games begin" and official training starts things get real really quick.

Players hobbling off, in crutches, cramping up from the 2-a-days, hurting after. Conditioning and fitness in a short time span becomes more important. That and good trainers, frequently of conference games during leagues can be tough to adjust to with the speed and physicality of the college games, see how the larger roster's play out.
 
Own Goal said:
Another thing to consider is that even though these players have the potential extra year of eligibility that doesn't necessarily mean that it is an option for them, or an option on their current team. I've talked to coaches who have said that they have had to have difficult conversations with players with extra eligibility and their future on their current team. I don't think that means that those players can't go play elsewhere with their eligibility, but my point is that there may be teams who do not offer a returning spot for some of those players to make way for other players who may be more beneficial to the team. Obviously, this extra year of eligibility will make it more difficult for high school players wanting to play in college, but it may not be as dire as it appears. Also, for west coast players I think it's beneficial to them to cast a wider net. There are so many college programs out there - players will have to get more creative in finding the right fit for them academically and athletically.
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heard close to the same. coaches saying hard conversations were being had, and that coaches' thought older players' pov might change after they were left off the travel/game day squad a couple of times in a row.
 
Giesbock said:
Are we alone in this unfortunate scenario?

Daughter is a solid player, fast, athletic and durable. As the top programs wrap up their 2022 recruiting and are already working on 2023s, the prospects are dimming..

But she’s dead set on playing D1 soccer.

She has a legitimate chance to get into top notch schools around the country (including Ivy’s) but because the soccer pathway isn’t there for her, she takes them off the list…and considering low tier schools that give her a chance to play.

When I came on this forum just before Covid, it was all bullish, hopeful and positive she’d land on her feet at a great program. Now it’s a bleak reality and this father’s lament.
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Reply to self…

my daughter got an unexpected out of the blue call from a top D1 Coach a few days ago. He asked for video updates and game schedule!! But at the same time said could be a tough pathway.
Even if it doesn’t work out, she came away with a new confidence and spring in her step!
Awesome kudos to coach!!
 
Giesbock said:
Reply to self…

my daughter got an unexpected out of the blue call from a top D1 Coach a few days ago. He asked for video updates and game schedule!! But at the same time said could be a tough pathway.
Even if it doesn’t work out, she came away with a new confidence and spring in her step!
Awesome kudos to coach!!
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Thanks for sharing. The recruiting process has been a wild rollercoaster for my daughter and family. We have had a few of these surprises like your daughter had which kinda renews our optimism with the journey. We have a 23 so have a little time but it is still nerve racking.
 
Have not been on the site much but my kid just committed to a really good college that she was very interested in academically. Somehow it worked out and I'm very proud of her. I still think it is a very tough road for 2022 class due to limited roster openings from the 5th year players. To those with kids still looking, I wish you all the good luck I can give. It is a difficult process and make sure you focus on the kids academic interests first and then athletics. That's what my kid did. She found a school that fit her best academically and size and location. Then she focused on the athletic side and found that to be exactly what she was hoping for.
 
The 2022s on my DD’s team have mostly committed at this point, except the players who haven’t done the cold, realistic assessment of where they are in the pack in terms of soccer skills or in terms of their academic competitiveness. Better than average soccer skills do plus better than average academics do not equal recruiting or admission at the schools these kids are targeting. They’d need to be absolutely top notch in one or the other for it to make an admissions difference. The parents have got to be part of the problem in that kind of situation.
 
Nli dates are November 10, 2021 and the final is august 1, 2022 for those Enrolling 2022-23 school year.

Lots of time and opportunities remain and this could be one of those times that the spring or beyond see a increase in activity like this year. Coaches may or are playing things conservative in recruiting to see how their squads do in the fall season or who and how many might return with the extra years of possible eglibility play out..

Rosters are always large for college but have they be become even bigger due to the extra COVID-19 years? Not sure but the players are definitely older, there can be a 3 year spread on incoming freshman and older 5th or even 6th year players that are grad students that may have redshirted a previous season before covid. Does this make things more difficult for playing time or new players to get into the mix? At some places yes that seems to be the case, others may go by the best players in training & games Regardless. This is a very important thing for your player to discuss with coaches before they commit.

Getting into a power, D1, or university of choice for the education is a good thing normally, if your student can be happy just with that alone that makes the decision much easer. When you thrown in Athletics into the equation that's when things can get tricky.

My son has two good friends at major D1 universities with high profile sports programs and they live on campus, train 4x a week but going on their 2nd season neither has any really good prospects of getting meaningful minutes in the games and after preseason they haven't even made the travel squads. Some can keep a good attitude when this happens and continue to work hard and others get set back at bit from all that. Sitting on the bench or not playing for a couple season can be rough to deal with when your used to playing all the time and getting the results.

Setting and discussing the expectations before hand with the coaching staff is another key. Do they have a history of playing freshman or 2nd year players or do they tend to have a lot of junior transfer, foreign imports, or olders player getting more of the minutes. Most every one tends to think once there in the program, there golden. Not really it's just a start and all the hard work is just starting, there are battles to be won and performances needed on a consistent basis to get on the field. Good luck
 
lafalafa said:
Nli dates are November 10, 2021 and the final is august 1, 2022 for those Enrolling 2022-23 school year.

Lots of time and opportunities remain and this could be one of those times that the spring or beyond see a increase in activity like this year. Coaches may or are playing things conservative in recruiting to see how their squads do in the fall season or who and how many might return with the extra years of possible eglibility play out..

Rosters are always large for college but have they be become even bigger due to the extra COVID-19 years? Not sure but the players are definitely older, there can be a 3 year spread on incoming freshman and older 5th or even 6th year players that are grad students that may have redshirted a previous season before covid. Does this make things more difficult for playing time or new players to get into the mix? At some places yes that seems to be the case, others may go by the best players in training & games Regardless. This is a very important thing for your player to discuss with coaches before they commit.

Getting into a power, D1, or university of choice for the education is a good thing normally, if your student can be happy just with that alone that makes the decision much easer. When you thrown in Athletics into the equation that's when things can get tricky.

My son has two good friends at major D1 universities with high profile sports programs and they live on campus, train 4x a week but going on their 2nd season neither has any really good prospects of getting meaningful minutes in the games and after preseason they haven't even made the travel squads. Some can keep a good attitude when this happens and continue to work hard and others get set back at bit from all that. Sitting on the bench or not playing for a couple season can be rough to deal with when your used to playing all the time and getting the results.

Setting and discussing the expectations before hand with the coaching staff is another key. Do they have a history of playing freshman or 2nd year players or do they tend to have a lot of junior transfer, foreign imports, or olders player getting more of the minutes. Most every one tends to think once there in the program, there golden. Not really it's just a start and all the hard work is just starting, there are battles to be won and performances needed on a consistent basis to get on the field. Good luck
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Spot on summary.

My oldest is at a P5, is freshman, high profile school, blah blah...Large roster, unusually high number of older players. Plenty of uncertainty right now amongst players and coaching staff. They don't know who's coming and who's going. We were prepped very well during the recruiting process but seeing it VS hearing it is much harder. The realities of not playing meaningful minutes, not travling, etc has been hard. Every practice means something, every workout means something. Anything that spotlights a player as value added is elevated. I suspect this level of anxiety cannot be maintained for very long. It's unfortuante for the class of 21 and is going to be similar for the 22s. It's a great time to adjust priorities and really think about what you want to get out of your collegiate athletic experience. Mine is starting to re-order her priorities. We will see what happens.

The team psychologist is earning her pay this year.
 
what-happened said:
Spot on summary.

My oldest is at a P5, is freshman, high profile school, blah blah...Large roster, unusually high number of older players. Plenty of uncertainty right now amongst players and coaching staff. They don't know who's coming and who's going. We were prepped very well during the recruiting process but seeing it VS hearing it is much harder. The realities of not playing meaningful minutes, not travling, etc has been hard. Every practice means something, every workout means something. Anything that spotlights a player as value added is elevated. I suspect this level of anxiety cannot be maintained for very long. It's unfortuante for the class of 21 and is going to be similar for the 22s. It's a great time to adjust priorities and really think about what you want to get out of your collegiate athletic experience. Mine is starting to re-order her priorities. We will see what happens.

The team psychologist is earning her pay this year.
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Yeah good read.

The mental aspects of basically starting off on your own for the 1st time can be a lot to handle in a short time frame.

This is when the campus visits can become key,. Does the University offer good support programs, tutors, mentors, advisers and how is life really like living in the dorms on campus?

Many dorms are pretty spartan, small and it's like going back to middle school or something sharing a bedroom and space with a sibling with generic Ikea like furniture. Can really help to see and here that all up front and get paried up with other athletes or friends who have similar schedules or interests.

Same for soccer, basically starting at the bottom and working your way up is something not a lot of players are used to doing. Every one has some sort of pedigree or prior accolades but that doesn't necessarily transfer over or amount too much.

New players need to come in fit and ready to play @ college level from the start basically if you want to get minutes. There is not that much time or preseason to show out, if a new player doesn't they can get moved down in the rotation making things harder to climb up again.

The physicality and officiating of the college games take some time to get used to. Things that players are used to being whistled or carded previous don't necessarily happen nearly at the same level as maybe what they have been used it

Be prepared as much as possible is good thing but like you say reality is often tougher than perception until you have lived it.
 
lafalafa said:
Yeah good read.

The mental aspects of basically starting off on your own for the 1st time can be a lot to handle in a short time frame.

This is when the campus visits can become key,. Does the University offer good support programs, tutors, mentors, advisers and how is life really like living in the dorms on campus?

Many dorms are pretty spartan, small and it's like going back to middle school or something sharing a bedroom and space with a sibling with generic Ikea like furniture. Can really help to see and here that all up front and get paried up with other athletes or friends who have similar schedules or interests.

Same for soccer, basically starting at the bottom and working your way up is something not a lot of players are used to doing. Every one has some sort of pedigree or prior accolades but that doesn't necessarily transfer over or amount too much.

New players need to come in fit and ready to play @ college level from the start basically if you want to get minutes. There is not that much time or preseason to show out, if a new player doesn't they can get moved down in the rotation making things harder to climb up again.

The physicality and officiating of the college games take some time to get used to. Things that players are used to being whistled or carded previous don't necessarily happen nearly at the same level as maybe what they have been used it

Be prepared as much as possible is good thing but like you say reality is often tougher than perception until you have lived it.
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We just had the conversation last week about dorms, pretty funny actually. "remember how nice the dorms at U of x were?" It's a great lesson to be learned. My youngest is taking notes and has adjusted her list accordingly. She went on many of the campus visits
 
gkrent said:
The best dorms west of the Mississippi are the Seaside dorms at Pepperdine university. Hands Down.
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Beautiful campus also, one of my son's former coaches was a alumni player and they visited and stayed there before covid.

Christian values is not for everyone in college, also checked out CSU Santa Barbara which he considered more but the beach and party scene was/is tempting. In the end he thought those might just be too distracting and he would want to surf all the time or hang out and play beach volleyball more.
 
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