College recruiting - non scholarship players

[Unregistered]

Maybe the coach is going to help you get academic or other non athletic scholarship money.
Ask.
Also depends on the program. Some kids just want a spot and a uniform on certain programs. And some dont offer money until they see you are interested by wanting to be there.

You should never forget that D1 is a business. The college coaches are going to want something from the player to even issue them some practice gear. The #1 question should always be what will the kid get in return. If they are going to be happy with the sort of role you describe for 4 years that is their prerogative. It could actually be the best thing in their lives. Who knows but to suggest that there is something more to be had beyond just a practice spot is really disingenuous. It doesn't happen like that.

[Unregistered]

False

At least on the women's side, you are flat out wrong.

[Unregistered]

False

On the women's side there are 14 full scholarships and programs are generally fully funded, especially if the school has a football team. On your typical D1 women's team the coach can spread their scholarship money out over upwards of 24 players so by the time they get to the non scholarship players the talent gap is extreme. Factor in also that most coaches are only going to play roughly 15 players on a consistent basis, the amount of minutes available for a non scholarship player on the women's side is very low.

14 x $75,000 = $1,050,000

1 75,000.00 x 100% = 75,000.00
2 75,000.00 x 100% = 75,000.00
3 75,000.00 x 100% = 75,000.00
4 75,000.00 x 100% = 75,000.00
5 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
6 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
7 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
8 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
9 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
10 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
11 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
12 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
13 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
14 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
15 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
16 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
17 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
18 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
19 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
20 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
21 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
22 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
23 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
24 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00

$1,050,000.00

[Unregistered]

You are pointing at the wrong shadow.

No, that was whoever posted what I responded to. The allegation was false.

[Unregistered]

This is absolutely the truth about D3 soccer. Playing D3 soccer, is no different than joining any other campus club or activity.

Once you're there, yes, the sport is just another campus activity. However, if you are in the middle of the pack of thousands of kids applying for admission to a top level D3 school, being a potential impact player on a team that the school values can put you ahead of thousands of other applicants. That has real value, as does the knowledge that you can have a more balanced educational experience if you so choose.

[Unregistered]

Once you're there, yes, the sport is just another campus activity. However, if you are in the middle of the pack of thousands of kids applying for admission to a top level D3 school, being a potential impact player on a team that the school values can put you ahead of thousands of other applicants. That has real value, as does the knowledge that you can have a more balanced educational experience if you so choose.

Please stop spreading misinformation. The actual weight of tips has been discussed ad nauseum here. They are by no means plentiful nor do they have all that great an impact on admissions. As someone basically wrote in another thread, if you were going to get in the tip will ensure you get in that's it. To use your analogy the kid has to be at the front of the pack, not the middle of it and they certainly aren't non descript amongst the thousands applying as you infer.

[Unregistered]

No, that was whoever posted what I responded to. The allegation was false.

You are the one that is wrong. You are functionally selling pixie dust.

[Unregistered]

You are the one that is wrong. You are functionally selling pixie dust.

Totally false. Confusing what I say with what others say.

[Unregistered]

On the women's side there are 14 full scholarships and programs are generally fully funded, especially if the school has a football team. On your typical D1 women's team the coach can spread their scholarship money out over upwards of 24 players so by the time they get to the non scholarship players the talent gap is extreme. Factor in also that most coaches are only going to play roughly 15 players on a consistent basis, the amount of minutes available for a non scholarship player on the women's side is very low.

14 x $75,000 = $1,050,000

1 75,000.00 x 100% = 75,000.00
2 75,000.00 x 100% = 75,000.00
3 75,000.00 x 100% = 75,000.00
4 75,000.00 x 100% = 75,000.00
5 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
6 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
7 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
8 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
9 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
10 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
11 75,000.00 x 75% = 56,250.00
12 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
13 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
14 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
15 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
16 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
17 75,000.00 x 50% = 37,500.00
18 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
19 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
20 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
21 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
22 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
23 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00
24 75,000.00 x 25% = 18,750.00

$1,050,000.00

This proves you are wrong.

[Unregistered]

Ah yes the holy grail of D1. I know of plenty of crap D1 teams, but hey, at least you can say you play D1!

One of my D's HS teammates just finished her career at a low-RPI D1 school. She played in 5 games over the course of 4 years for a total of maybe 50 minutes (when they were up by 3-4 goals against non-conference opponents). Coming out of HS, she wasn't really recruited; she used a club connection to get a walk-on invitation, and was apparently happy to be that 26-29th player on the roster for 4 years.

She only started in HS as a senior, and played mid-level club soccer. My point? This kid was not nearly as good as the 5 or 6 players that my D played with that went to Tufts, Williams, Amherst or Middlebury. In fact, she would have had trouble getting on the field at any of those schools.

There are D1 impact players at top programs (e.g., RPI <50), there are D1 impact players at mid-level programs (RPI 50-150), lower programs (RPI>150), etc. Then there are hundreds of players sitting on the bench at those mid-level and weaker programs that are not much different than the starters at decent D3's. Perhaps they get a little stronger due to more stringent training programs, but since they're not on the field they really don't play any faster or develop much more skill. And if there was a pure talent gap at age 16-18 between the kid that chose Williams or Middlebury over the kid standing on the sidelines at URI, Fairfield, PC or UNH, that talent gap will still be there 4 years later.

[Unregistered]

Please stop spreading misinformation. The actual weight of tips has been discussed ad nauseum here. They are by no means plentiful nor do they have all that great an impact on admissions. As someone basically wrote in another thread, if you were going to get in the tip will ensure you get in that's it. To use your analogy the kid has to be at the front of the pack, not the middle of it and they certainly aren't non descript amongst the thousands applying as you infer.

Not misinformation if my kid lived it. Among her applicant pool she was statistically somewhere in the muddy middle in terms of GPA and SAT's, without anything juicy in her narrative to warrant admission to the schools she was looking at. Her athletics were the thing that took her from basically a coin flip (i.e., need to apply to a half-dozen schools at this level in order to ensure 1 or 2 acceptances) to being an E.D. choose-your-school-and-you're-all-set applicant.

BTW - I never said that tips were plentiful, and if I implied so, I apologize.

[Unregistered]

Not misinformation if my kid lived it. Among her applicant pool she was statistically somewhere in the muddy middle in terms of GPA and SAT's, without anything juicy in her narrative to warrant admission to the schools she was looking at. Her athletics were the thing that took her from basically a coin flip (i.e., need to apply to a half-dozen schools at this level in order to ensure 1 or 2 acceptances) to being an E.D. choose-your-school-and-you're-all-set applicant.

BTW - I never said that tips were plentiful, and if I implied so, I apologize.

Ultimately that's what many hope for - that differentiator that puts them ahead of other numerous and equally qualified applicants. Some are ok with not playing much, even though sometimes they have to come to grips with that after they've started on the team. Some can't stand it and will quit or transfer.

[Unregistered]

One of my D's HS teammates just finished her career at a low-RPI D1 school. She played in 5 games over the course of 4 years for a total of maybe 50 minutes (when they were up by 3-4 goals against non-conference opponents). Coming out of HS, she wasn't really recruited; she used a club connection to get a walk-on invitation, and was apparently happy to be that 26-29th player on the roster for 4 years.

She only started in HS as a senior, and played mid-level club soccer. My point? This kid was not nearly as good as the 5 or 6 players that my D played with that went to Tufts, Williams, Amherst or Middlebury. In fact, she would have had trouble getting on the field at any of those schools.

There are D1 impact players at top programs (e.g., RPI <50), there are D1 impact players at mid-level programs (RPI 50-150), lower programs (RPI>150), etc. Then there are hundreds of players sitting on the bench at those mid-level and weaker programs that are not much different than the starters at decent D3's. Perhaps they get a little stronger due to more stringent training programs, but since they're not on the field they really don't play any faster or develop much more skill. And if there was a pure talent gap at age 16-18 between the kid that chose Williams or Middlebury over the kid standing on the sidelines at URI, Fairfield, PC or UNH, that talent gap will still be there 4 years later.

No one has ever claimed that a D3 kid couldn't walk on and sit the end of the bench at the D1 level but to suggest that that kid is actually a D1 level talent is really not accurate at all. Here is what your contrived scenario doesn't quite point out. The kid in your little fiction didn't cost that coach anything to have on their roster and her 50 career minutes were strictly in garbage time. She would have been basically a non entity as far a the coach would have been concerned and they certainly wouldn't be overly critical of the kid's talent level because they never intended to actually use it. The primary factor would have been that the kid was willing to be there and that would really be the only thing that was driving the scenario. Pretty much the same situation as the typical D3 kid is in. Mommy and daddy are paying the tuition so they can hang around with a bunch of jocks. The thing is though, the true D1 talent gets paid with scholarship money to be on the roster and they certainly aren't interchangeable with the bottom of the roster non scholarship types. They just aren't the same level players.

[Unregistered]

One of my D's HS teammates just finished her career at a low-RPI D1 school. She played in 5 games over the course of 4 years for a total of maybe 50 minutes (when they were up by 3-4 goals against non-conference opponents). Coming out of HS, she wasn't really recruited; she used a club connection to get a walk-on invitation, and was apparently happy to be that 26-29th player on the roster for 4 years.

She only started in HS as a senior, and played mid-level club soccer. My point? This kid was not nearly as good as the 5 or 6 players that my D played with that went to Tufts, Williams, Amherst or Middlebury. In fact, she would have had trouble getting on the field at any of those schools.

There are D1 impact players at top programs (e.g., RPI <50), there are D1 impact players at mid-level programs (RPI 50-150), lower programs (RPI>150), etc. Then there are hundreds of players sitting on the bench at those mid-level and weaker programs that are not much different than the starters at decent D3's. Perhaps they get a little stronger due to more stringent training programs, but since they're not on the field they really don't play any faster or develop much more skill. And if there was a pure talent gap at age 16-18 between the kid that chose Williams or Middlebury over the kid standing on the sidelines at URI, Fairfield, PC or UNH, that talent gap will still be there 4 years later.

Why would a kid choose a program that they aren't going to get much time, if they want to go through the regimen of any D1 program? Friends on the team?

Why would a coach pick them to even be on the team? What is the added value? Hopeful that the kid will improve? Sounds like something a high school coach would do over a coach that has a job contingent upon wins and losses.

[Unregistered]

Ultimately that's what many hope for - that differentiator that puts them ahead of other numerous and equally qualified applicants. Some are ok with not playing much, even though sometimes they have to come to grips with that after they've started on the team. Some can't stand it and will quit or transfer.

A coin flip? That's a hell of a gamble to spend what is now $8-10,000 a year on. Certainly a rare set of circumstance would lead someone to this choice. Definitely not a mainstream option.