Is your kid REALLY good enough to play D1?

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There is a lot of talk on this board about recruiting, the college landscape, best teams,etc. Either every parent of a likely college soccer recruit has found TS or there are a ton of delusional parents, or both. Is your kid really good enough to play in college? D1 or D2/D3?

I’ll start ( make your snide remarks about my response): One kid D1 material but probably not top programs.

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"Maybe"....

She realizes she's not a Power 5 player, but also knows she could play D1 "somewhere". The challenge then becomes the proper school aligning with her abilities. There may not be a match. It's possible she won't play in college if she can't play at a school she wants to play at.

If I looked at this from an ROI perspective, I suppose that would be disappointing. However, we don't look at it that way. If the end result we spent thousands of hours together seeing the country and watching her play a game I personally love, I'm totally fine with it.

[Unregistered]

Is your kid REALLY good enough to play D1?

"Maybe"....

She realizes she's not a Power 5 player, but also knows she could play D1 "somewhere". The challenge then becomes the proper school aligning with her abilities. There may not be a match. It's possible she won't play in college if she can't play at a school she wants to play at.

If I looked at this from an ROI perspective, I suppose that would be disappointing. However, we don't look at it that way. If the end result we spent thousands of hours together seeing the country and watching her play a game I personally love, I'm totally fine with it.

well here are the stats...
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/...lege-athletics

...now ask your self honestly is my kid this good?
...let your kid ask him/her self honestly, am i really that good?

[Unregistered]

I think depends on the age. If your kid is 10 they have a lot more time to grow, mature etc so who knows. If your kid is 15, well, puberty will have happened so you start to see how your child handled the changes to his or her body. You start to know if they can handle pressure, balance studies and if they truly have drive. I think it’s funny when parents of the u littles are thinking about the colleges. But at 15 you can have the real conversations with your kid and his or her coaches.

[Unregistered]

well here are the stats...
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/...lege-athletics

...now ask your self honestly is my kid this good?
...let your kid ask him/her self honestly, am i really that good?

Yes, based on conversations held with schools, clubs, and some friends I have who are coaches at the college level. Thankfully, she's realistic and knows the schools she really wants to go to, likely don't want her as a player.

There's a lot of crappy D1 schools in the country that could offer her something.

[Unregistered]

I think depends on the age. If your kid is 10 they have a lot more time to grow, mature etc so who knows. If your kid is 15, well, puberty will have happened so you start to see how your child handled the changes to his or her body. You start to know if they can handle pressure, balance studies and if they truly have drive. I think it’s funny when parents of the u littles are thinking about the colleges. But at 15 you can have the real conversations with your kid and his or her coaches.

This is true. My D had her heart set on UNC when she was younger. I just smiled and told her to keep working hard.

Reality set in as she got older and knows she's just not that player. Bless those that are. It's not easy and I can attest to that personally.

[Unregistered]

Is your kid REALLY good enough to play D1?

Yes, based on conversations held with schools, clubs, and some friends I have who are coaches at the college level. Thankfully, she's realistic and knows the schools she really wants to go to, likely don't want her as a player.

There's a lot of crappy D1 schools in the country that could offer her something.

the above are rhetorical questions...no body on these boards really cares about anyones personal illusions and/or delusions.

[Unregistered]

well here are the stats...
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/...lege-athletics

...now ask your self honestly is my kid this good?
...let your kid ask him/her self honestly, am i really that good?

What if your kid doesn’t waste their time with high school soccer? Where’s the chart for those players?

[Unregistered]

Not all D1 programs are the same. Bryant College is D1, but I wouldn't put it in the same category as Florida State

[Unregistered]

Not all D1 programs are the same. Bryant College is D1, but I wouldn't put it in the same category as Florida State

👍💯 this. Watch a few top, middle and bottom teams play and you'll see

Then there's making a D1 roster, finding success and playing lots all 4 years, vs getting minimal PT and leaving after a year or two.

[Unregistered]

What if your kid doesn’t waste their time with high school soccer? Where’s the chart for those players?

Overall stats are silly. The higher up the club/ league ladder you'll reach 70% or more playing D1. High school only is all but zero

[Unregistered]

There is a lot of talk on this board about recruiting, the college landscape, best teams,etc. Either every parent of a likely college soccer recruit has found TS or there are a ton of delusional parents, or both. Is your kid really good enough to play in college? D1 or D2/D3?

I’ll start ( make your snide remarks about my response): One kid D1 material but probably not top programs.

Yes, but probably not in Top 100 of 200 D1. This is a topic that my son and I have been debating over the past year. We have broken down the prospect of D1 in the following discussion points:

1. Work Ethic. Your question is about being good enough for D1. D1 soccer is different than D3 soccer. The commitment required for D1 needs to be ingrained in the player. Without the historical work ethic demonstrated by your kid it is going to be a problem. If your kid doesn't live, eat, breathe soccer and working out when they are 15, 16, 17 then your kid won't like the commitment required if they were to make it on a D1 team. In other words...if the work ethic isn't there then they aren't good enough for D1 soccer.

2. Third party advice. Sometimes you have to step back and remove your personal thoughts of wanting what's best for your kid and look at reality. We have done D1 college ID camps and received multiple evaluations that say he's a D1 player. We also paid a third party to evaluate and we asked his academy coach to be a reference with D1 college coaches...which he did.

3. Ability. What level does he/she play at? If they are 4 years of high school then maybe not (not always...but most likely not good enough for D1). Is he/she in the top 50% of their clubs highest level program? If they aren't in the top 50% of Academy or ECNL players then they most likely will be playing D3.

4. Physical. Look at the rosters of D1 schools. The majority of the boys are a minimum of 5'10" and 155+ lbs (not sure for girls). If you are 5'5" and 125 lbs then D1 coaches may look past you...regardless of ability or speed. If you are 6'2" 190 lbs then you might get a longer look from a coach. Not saying its fair but it is part of the decision process. Some of the defenders nowadays are the size of NFL tight ends.

I have told my son to focus on the school first and soccer second (for obvious reasons). I've also told him to look at a number of D3 schools since the quality of college life might be better, he may be closer to home and he may get more playing time on D3 than D1.

[Unregistered]

Not all D1 programs are the same. Bryant College is D1, but I wouldn't put it in the same category as Florida State

The Bryant Bulldogs mens soccer team is better than Florida State Seminoles!!!!!!

(FSU doesn't have a mens soccer team)

[Unregistered]

well here are the stats...
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/...lege-athletics

...now ask your self honestly is my kid this good?
...let your kid ask him/her self honestly, am i really that good?

Perfect example of drawing misleading conclusions from raw statistics. Context is required if you really want to interpret what the stats are telling you. Using the soccer numbers at that link, sure, there are 460K high school players. But think about the HS teams you know about. They have some bench warmers, some iffy subs, some super-subs, some competent starters, and maybe one or two real standouts. If your kid is one of those standouts, they have a lot better chance of playing in D1 than that 1.3% statistic would suggest.

When you factor in genetics and innate ability, these stats become meaningless. I personally know a family with one son who's a pro in a second tier league in Europe and a younger son at a top MLS academy (no, not NE). Either would probably be a D1 recruit. Using statistics alone, the likelihood of two boys from the same family being D1 caliber is exceedingly small. But when you factor in their parents' athletic backgrounds, it becomes more understandable.

Hazards (3 of them), De Boers, Boatengs, Goetzes (another family with 3), Higuains, etc., etc., etc. Genetics and natural ability play a big role.

So, to answer the OP's question, I have two sons. One will never be anything more than a club player in college, and he knows it. The other has D1 potential, but it's too soon to tell. I just keep providing opportunities for continued improvement, encourage his development, and if it happens, then great. (Background: I was a D1 athlete, mom was a professional dancer.)(Ballet, not pole.)

[Unregistered]

Yes, but probably not in Top 100 of 200 D1. This is a topic that my son and I have been debating over the past year. We have broken down the prospect of D1 in the following discussion points:

1. Work Ethic. Your question is about being good enough for D1. D1 soccer is different than D3 soccer. The commitment required for D1 needs to be ingrained in the player. Without the historical work ethic demonstrated by your kid it is going to be a problem. If your kid doesn't live, eat, breathe soccer and working out when they are 15, 16, 17 then your kid won't like the commitment required if they were to make it on a D1 team. In other words...if the work ethic isn't there then they aren't good enough for D1 soccer.

2. Third party advice. Sometimes you have to step back and remove your personal thoughts of wanting what's best for your kid and look at reality. We have done D1 college ID camps and received multiple evaluations that say he's a D1 player. We also paid a third party to evaluate and we asked his academy coach to be a reference with D1 college coaches...which he did.

3. Ability. What level does he/she play at? If they are 4 years of high school then maybe not (not always...but most likely not good enough for D1). Is he/she in the top 50% of their clubs highest level program? If they aren't in the top 50% of Academy or ECNL players then they most likely will be playing D3.

4. Physical. Look at the rosters of D1 schools. The majority of the boys are a minimum of 5'10" and 155+ lbs (not sure for girls). If you are 5'5" and 125 lbs then D1 coaches may look past you...regardless of ability or speed. If you are 6'2" 190 lbs then you might get a longer look from a coach. Not saying its fair but it is part of the decision process. Some of the defenders nowadays are the size of NFL tight ends.

I have told my son to focus on the school first and soccer second (for obvious reasons). I've also told him to look at a number of D3 schools since the quality of college life might be better, he may be closer to home and he may get more playing time on D3 than D1.

I agree with most of what you say. My son has wanted to play D1 college. He has the size , speed, technical skill. but I don't think he has the ethic part. Seems to think that the d1 soccer fairy will just visit him in his sleep. as he gets older I see other players "catching up" because they are willing to put in the work. this is a big step that a lot of players miss