<p>I understand your message however, I respectfully disagree with that you that your daughter doesn’t have choices. She has many choices. At this point in her life, she and you choose to put your time, money and efforts into early recruiting at a young age because playing college soccer at a top soccer college is important to you and her. You may not be able to control the early recruiting, but you can control your participation in it. **If your daughter has the athletic skills to be considered by a top tier soccer program she probably has more leverage than you know. **</p>
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<p>Seriously, do you think Harvard, Yale and Naval Academy will seriously continue to recruit these verbal pledges if they don’t meet the schools academic requirements? They will not.</p>
<p>I’ve seen this early recruiting before in baseball and some other sports, but I understand it is most pervasive in womens soccer. I totally understand the escalation, peer pressure and competition for roster spots…been there and done that. My son said “no” to at least a half dozen D1 schools that were not a good fit for him while his travel teammates said “yes” to just about any school that offered them early. In almost all cases, it did not work out well for them. </p>
<p>Remember college coaches are rewarded for winning and getting the best players. They don’t get extra points in the soccer game score for recruiting someone earlier. Having choices may give you additional leverage if she can prove she has the talent on the field and in the classroom. My point is…you have choices.</p>
<p>The other sport where very early recruiting occurs is softball. Girls do mature earlier, but there are already 8th graders who are verbally committed to certain softball powerhouse schools. Granted most of those schools accepting 8th grade verbal commitments are not Tier 1 schools, but still. Early female commits could/should be a thread all its own.</p>
<p>fenway, we did have a choice and in fact my decided she didn’t want to play in college when she was a sophomore. She was on a club team that started in the fall of her junior year and THEN she decided to step it up and not only did she want to play in college, she wanted to play D-1. We really didn’t visit any schools until the summer between jr and sr year, and since she plays a spring sport (lacrosse) we were very very far behind. Many of the schools (D-1) she contacted had full rosters.She’s good, but not good enough to displace another recruit. She did talk to a few of the D-1 schools at the low end of the rankings, but those schools just weren’t right for her. She also was recruited in the fall of sr year by a lot of D-3 schools, but again those LACs weren’t what she was looking for.</p>
<p>She found what we think is the perfect fit for her, but I really think a lot of it was luck. It is a new program. The coach is new and willing to take a chance on some players she has never seen play in person (there is film available). My daughter also has very good grades so this engineering school will work, but for a lot of kids with lower academics, it just wouldn’t work.</p>
<p>I know Harvard and Brown won’t admit someone who doesn’t make the grades over the next two years, but I think they will stick with a recruit that might be borderline, and with one they committed to in 2014 but who would not be considered in 2016 because her game has fallen a little. I think they will also stick with one who has been out for an injury as a junior because they ‘know’ she’s a good player. I also think having the Naval Academy coach steering your application through helps. The Cadet from our school this year is playing Tennis. I know 4-6 boys who will be at the AFA and Army in the next two years who aren’t concerned with appointments or applications.
Yes, they have to make the grades, but they have a hook.</p>
<p>One of the girls on our team just committed as a sophomore. Frankly, I don’t think she’ll be admitted to the school because of grades, but if it weren’t for lax, she wouldn’t have a chance at getting into the school in two years.</p>
<p>For those USAFA and USMA recruits who aren’t concerned about appointments…hope they play football. The non-revenue coaches have some pull, but nothing like football. Having a hook is great, but you really do still have to hit the minimums. Which, btw, is not the average for incoming cadets. That pool is much more competitive than the hooked, athlete pool.</p>
<p>A word of warning to the super early “commitments”… These verbals are non-binding. Just because you say yes, doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. While most coaches will not go back on their word (gotta protect his/her reputation so that future recruits won’t shy away from making the commitment early), it has happened. On both sides of the equation, actually. Things can change in the blink of an eye, and committing to a program at age 14, with nebulous scholarship terms, is really a crap shoot at best.</p>
<p>And perhaps mist importantly, your child is always one injury away from never playing again. Look at the school through the non-athletic filter. Make sure it’s the right fit all around.</p>