should we target D1, D2, or D3 scholls?

[Unregistered]

My first child (boy) is approaching what most consider a critical year. He is currently a sophmore. Don't want to be that dad that tells him "you're not good enough for x". But I don't want to be like most Dads and overestimate my kids abilities or ceiling. I'm sure it's easy to identify that top 1% player that played DA , was a starter , and an impact player. but then there is that top 5% group. I would "think" (correctly or incorrectly) that this is where my son would fit.
He has played NPL most of his time (on top NPL teams) or Premier Div 1 in the regional league. many of his teammates (who I think he is on par with) have played DA at points here and there. at younger ages they played against Oakwood and Seacoast United and I don't recall them ever losing. He was selected for Id2 training and was always invited back but we moved before they formed a team, don't know if he would've made it or not.
He was in 2 state cup championships. When his team went to jefferson cup they played the number 1 team in the country at the time STA-MUSC and his team won 3-0.


He goes to a school with 2300 students and made varsity as a freshman (was the only freshman on the team) he started and played every game. his team does well 13-1-1.
@ 15 years old he played in the ENPL nationals and played against 2019 NEFC U19 team that won the championship. I heard they had 6 players on that team that were going D1 and had 3 NE Revs players that were guest players. Although his team lost to NEFC he played well and looked like he could "keep up" He didn't look like a liability but didn't look dominant as he often does when he plays NPL when playing age appropriate.
His club is going ECNL next season and he currently is the best overall player on his team. His club also has a showcase team that takes the best players from U16-U19 and scrimmages against local D3 and D2 colleges and the games are competitive. win some lose some tie some.
We have yet to contact any schools to come see him play as we assumed any time before sophomore year was worthless. plus he was still growing (currently 6', but hasn't filled out yet so he is only 160lbs). NEFC had giants with muscle like THOR. So we are just starting our college visits.
During the last Disney showcase he was sent emails from two D3 colleges that they were very interested in him and wanted him to visit their campus and they were "officially recruiting him to play". So I know he has some level of talent but not sure if he is just a good D3 player, an average D2 player, or low level D1 player. So where do we go from here?

[Unregistered]

yes I realized too late I spelled schools wrong

[Unregistered]

What does your kid's club coach and high school coach say about where he might be able to play? Why guess?

[Unregistered]

My first child (boy) is approaching what most consider a critical year. He is currently a sophmore. Don't want to be that dad that tells him "you're not good enough for x". But I don't want to be like most Dads and overestimate my kids abilities or ceiling. I'm sure it's easy to identify that top 1% player that played DA , was a starter , and an impact player. but then there is that top 5% group. I would "think" (correctly or incorrectly) that this is where my son would fit.
He has played NPL most of his time (on top NPL teams) or Premier Div 1 in the regional league. many of his teammates (who I think he is on par with) have played DA at points here and there. at younger ages they played against Oakwood and Seacoast United and I don't recall them ever losing. He was selected for Id2 training and was always invited back but we moved before they formed a team, don't know if he would've made it or not.
He was in 2 state cup championships. When his team went to jefferson cup they played the number 1 team in the country at the time STA-MUSC and his team won 3-0.


He goes to a school with 2300 students and made varsity as a freshman (was the only freshman on the team) he started and played every game. his team does well 13-1-1.
@ 15 years old he played in the ENPL nationals and played against 2019 NEFC U19 team that won the championship. I heard they had 6 players on that team that were going D1 and had 3 NE Revs players that were guest players. Although his team lost to NEFC he played well and looked like he could "keep up" He didn't look like a liability but didn't look dominant as he often does when he plays NPL when playing age appropriate.
His club is going ECNL next season and he currently is the best overall player on his team. His club also has a showcase team that takes the best players from U16-U19 and scrimmages against local D3 and D2 colleges and the games are competitive. win some lose some tie some.
We have yet to contact any schools to come see him play as we assumed any time before sophomore year was worthless. plus he was still growing (currently 6', but hasn't filled out yet so he is only 160lbs). NEFC had giants with muscle like THOR. So we are just starting our college visits.
During the last Disney showcase he was sent emails from two D3 colleges that they were very interested in him and wanted him to visit their campus and they were "officially recruiting him to play". So I know he has some level of talent but not sure if he is just a good D3 player, an average D2 player, or low level D1 player. So where do we go from here?

Imagine asking a bunch of people that you don't know if your son should look at D1, D2, D3 "scholls", then writing all of this that nobody is going to read. With my Rec-Division Championship (2x) team, we insist that they live in a 280 character world.


Let that marinate, pal.

[Unregistered]

You should have your son attend some ID camps. That should give him a good idea of where he falls. He may find that his speed of play and athleticism is right on target, or he may see that he nowhere close.

If you choose ID camps at D3 schools, your son can get direct feedback from the coaches. If you attend D1 camps, your son's club coach will need to contact the school to get feedback.

[Unregistered]

You should have your son attend some ID camps. That should give him a good idea of where he falls. He may find that his speed of play and athleticism is right on target, or he may see that he nowhere close.

If you choose ID camps at D3 schools, your son can get direct feedback from the coaches. If you attend D1 camps, your son's club coach will need to contact the school to get feedback.

thank you for that , I didn't know that D1 camps don't give feedback.

[Unregistered]

Imagine asking a bunch of people that you don't know if your son should look at D1, D2, D3 "scholls", then writing all of this that nobody is going to read. With my Rec-Division Championship (2x) team, we insist that they live in a 280 character world.


Let that marinate, pal.

you are right I am asking a bunch of people I don't know... but a bunch of people that may have gone down a road that I have yet to travel. On a soccer forum. but thanks for taking your time to respond with such helpful information. God bless.

[Unregistered]

What does your kid's club coach and high school coach say about where he might be able to play? Why guess?

I am not sure they would actually know. they just say things like "he's got a very high ceiling" but what does a club coach really know about what D1 vs D2 vs D3 talent looks like. It seems each coach he has gives us totally different info on Colleges and what it takes.

[Unregistered]

"scholls"? - Maybe you should start with your GED.

[Unregistered]

Assuming you aren't trolling (likely), it sounds like you know you have a good player and you are excited about that. You sure made him sound great in your resume review. You're in a good place. And if he's a good to very good student, you have a bunch of options. The D1 vs D3 will sort itself out, and yes, TS, is not the place to attempt to do that (which adds to the trolling likelihood).

[Unregistered]

"scholls"? - Maybe you should start with your GED.

yes I saw that as I addressed in my 2nd post. thanks for taking the time with such helpful info. I guess i'm not a great person to guide my son through college selection. although I did graduate from high school I did not attend College. But you know what , I try to be a good person. God Bless.

[Unregistered]

Assuming you aren't trolling (likely), it sounds like you know you have a good player and you are excited about that. You sure made him sound great in your resume review. You're in a good place. And if he's a good to very good student, you have a bunch of options. The D1 vs D3 will sort itself out, and yes, TS, is not the place to attempt to do that (which adds to the trolling likelihood).

Thanks for responding (not trolling) I think he is a good player. I wasn't purposely trying to make him sound great I was trying to give what was a realistic view of where he is, most of the time people say they need more info. He's not a DA player, Star ECNL player, he was never Gatorade player of the year, or all American, ODP regional team. I have no thought of him going pro, semi pro, going/ playing at a top D1 school, or getting a scholarship.
I'm just a Dad that didn't go to College, don't really feel like I have answers for my kid when it comes to colleges. Seems to be a lot of people that are on here that know a lot. Don't quite understand the trolling when people ask questions. Why can't people just be kind?

[Unregistered]

thank you for that , I didn't know that D1 camps don't give feedback.

D1 can't really unless he's past the age where coaches can speak directly with players. D3 can. Also, if you go to some of the group ID events (multiple schools at one event) you can get feedback from the organizers and/or coaches. You might want to start doing one of those as a measuring stick before starting to target specific schools or even level of play

[Unregistered]

D1 can't really unless he's past the age where coaches can speak directly with players. D3 can. Also, if you go to some of the group ID events (multiple schools at one event) you can get feedback from the organizers and/or coaches. You might want to start doing one of those as a measuring stick before starting to target specific schools or even level of play

good advice. Never thought about a group ID event.

[Unregistered]

My first child (boy) is approaching what most consider a critical year. He is currently a sophmore. Don't want to be that dad that tells him "you're not good enough for x". But I don't want to be like most Dads and overestimate my kids abilities or ceiling. I'm sure it's easy to identify that top 1% player that played DA , was a starter , and an impact player. but then there is that top 5% group. I would "think" (correctly or incorrectly) that this is where my son would fit.
He has played NPL most of his time (on top NPL teams) or Premier Div 1 in the regional league. many of his teammates (who I think he is on par with) have played DA at points here and there. at younger ages they played against Oakwood and Seacoast United and I don't recall them ever losing. He was selected for Id2 training and was always invited back but we moved before they formed a team, don't know if he would've made it or not.
He was in 2 state cup championships. When his team went to jefferson cup they played the number 1 team in the country at the time STA-MUSC and his team won 3-0.


He goes to a school with 2300 students and made varsity as a freshman (was the only freshman on the team) he started and played every game. his team does well 13-1-1.
@ 15 years old he played in the ENPL nationals and played against 2019 NEFC U19 team that won the championship. I heard they had 6 players on that team that were going D1 and had 3 NE Revs players that were guest players. Although his team lost to NEFC he played well and looked like he could "keep up" He didn't look like a liability but didn't look dominant as he often does when he plays NPL when playing age appropriate.
His club is going ECNL next season and he currently is the best overall player on his team. His club also has a showcase team that takes the best players from U16-U19 and scrimmages against local D3 and D2 colleges and the games are competitive. win some lose some tie some.
We have yet to contact any schools to come see him play as we assumed any time before sophomore year was worthless. plus he was still growing (currently 6', but hasn't filled out yet so he is only 160lbs). NEFC had giants with muscle like THOR. So we are just starting our college visits.
During the last Disney showcase he was sent emails from two D3 colleges that they were very interested in him and wanted him to visit their campus and they were "officially recruiting him to play". So I know he has some level of talent but not sure if he is just a good D3 player, an average D2 player, or low level D1 player. So where do we go from here?

The most important question he needs to answer is does he want D1/D2 or D3? The level of commitment is different. D3 offers more balance with academics and a social life, as well as more time to do internships and study abroad. However, some D3 schools are much smaller so there's also the whole school question he needs to evaluate. Take him to some different schools to get a sense of what he wants - big, small, urban, rural etc. Start with a large list of good academic fit schools then look at the soccer programs they have. Look at the resumes of the top players - is his resume like theirs? Or nowhere near it?

Mine was originally 100% set on D1 and was being recruited by midlevel programs - until he started talking to coaches and players and he realized he didn't want that. He wanted a more balanced college experience. He and switched to mostly D3 schools (suck it D3 haters, yes good players do make such choices). Ended up at a larger D3 in a major metro so it feels more like a D1 school but with very good D3 soccer.