walk-on athletes

<p>I might have to try to walk on for soccer at college. How hard is that to do? Do some colleges not accept walk-ons. I'm looking at schools like Lehigh, University of Cincinnati, Xavier, etc. Mainly Division I. I'm guessing Div. III schools will accept good walk-ons, right? Anybody with insights on walk-on soccer players, please let me know! thanks!</p>

<p>Hmm…might there be a better place to ask this than the financial aid/scholarship section? At most places walk ons do not get scholarships.</p>

<p>You might try here.</p>

<p>[Athletic</a> Recruits - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/]Athletic”>Athletic Recruits - College Confidential Forums)</p>

<p>For the schools my son is looking at, even Div III and NAIA take some pro-active planning. Why do you think that’s your best approach?</p>

<p>It might be impossible to walk on for soccer at D1 schools unless your credentails are impeccable, like state or regional ODP, nationally ranked club team, etc. All of these schools will have talented HS athletes playing club soccer at a respectable level. There are websites that post soccer commitments and some schools sign 5-7 players per year for a 22+ player roster.</p>

<p>For DIII soccer, you should contact the coach, fill out the online recruiting profile, notify the coach about what tournaments your club team will be playing at, attend any college 1 day clinics, attend any camps where the coach you are interested in will be recruiting. My daughter’s team played at tournaments between MA and FL and contacted DIII coaches attending these tournaments. She also attended 1 clinic and 2 camps. A recruiting film might work for an introduction to a low level DIII program or for a keeper.
Soccer is one of the hardest sports to be recruited for since there are so many players. I’m sure it was much easier 5-10 years ago.</p>

<p>My daughter will apply to one DIII school where the coach hasn’t seen her play, because of geographic distances. However, two other coaches in the same conference have seen her play. She talked to the coach of another college when she visited, but I don’t think the coach saw her play.</p>

<p>Even prominent DIII coaches recruit at Surf Cup (CA), LV Showcase (NV), Jefferson Cup (VA) and Disney (FL). If you are interested in schools that are traveling to these tournaments, and your club team isn’t at that level, your chances are extremely low. If you don’t play club soccer, you have minimal chance of playing in college.</p>

<p>Pick a college base on academic fit first.</p>