2013 Boys Soccer Verbal Commitments

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Players who get 50% and all of it is athletic money are few and far between. The program REALLY has to want you because that eats up a lot of the pie. Typically the ones who get the big athletic packages are the keepers and goal scorers. The rank and file players usually get a lot less than the 25% someone quoated earlier.

[Unregistered]

Absolutely a rubbish statement that is clearly intended to sell that next generation the fantasys. The other poster was spot on. The numbers are the numbers. 9.9 is 9.9. That is the maximum a program can give. When do your research you will learn that every program is not fully funded so many don't even have the money to give. By the way, included in that 9.9 number is any academic money a player might get. That money counts against the total. The only thing that doesn't count is financial aid. A lot of parents like to give you % number when talk about their child's soccer success but few will actually tell you how much was related to their academic prowess. While it does pay that family's tuition bill (which is a good thing) no one but that family has any way of drawing any sort of accurate conclusion from the commitment posting. For all anyone knows the 50% is 90% merit money and only 10% athletic money and while your kid may be comparable on a soccer field you have no way of knowing if they are even in the same realm academically.

Alright Mr Rubbish, as someone whose kid makes more than 50% and who could list the numbers for most players on several local teams, let me give you some general tactics of how you work with the ol' 9.9.

Let's start with your international students, often the heart of your team. Nearly all of them get 100% need $$$ and if not they rake in a ton of Academic $$$. There can be as many as 9 of them on local teams.
Next let's look at our depth players. Let's say there are 6-10 of those collected late in the process. You get those what you can in need and academic $$ but very little athletic $$ finds its way here.
So we're left with 10-14 core players to divide up most of the 9.9. Works out pretty good, actually. College coaches don't want you to realize that especially if you are a depth kid or they want to hold onto some $$ for a key player.

[Unregistered]

OP here. The primary reason I have compiled this list for years is to help those 1-2 years younger get a feel for where kids they have played with/against are going. Accurately assessing how and where your kid might fit in (if at all) is the first crucial step to take. The scholarship amounts are well known, and BTW, 50% is not uncommon for kids playing Div1. How people use/interpret this is up to them.

I have no problem with the list. I have a problem with people who use it to anonymously criticize players and families who, in all likelihood, they don't even know and to belittle these people for very personal decisions. Year after year I have watched nice kids and nice families run down in this particular thread as a result of pettiness, jealousy and plain old meanness. Even this years thread is rife with it. It's sickening. Like most of our mother's taught us - if you can't say something nice, shut the F up.

I'll close with what I've said before: if you're a player or the parent of a player going on to play your sport at the collegiate level, congratulations. That's a significant achievement that represents a lot of time, effort and, yes, money. Good luck, enjoy the experience and get a good education.

[Unregistered]

I have no problem with the list. I have a problem with people who use it to anonymously criticize players and families who, in all likelihood, they don't even know and to belittle these people for very personal decisions. Year after year I have watched nice kids and nice families run down in this particular thread as a result of pettiness, jealousy and plain old meanness. Even this years thread is rife with it. It's sickening. Like most of our mother's taught us - if you can't say something nice, shut the F up.

I'll close with what I've said before: if you're a player or the parent of a player going on to play your sport at the collegiate level, congratulations. That's a significant achievement that represents a lot of time, effort and, yes, money. Good luck, enjoy the experience and get a good education.

First paragraph is a Silly comment, TS is not just a cheering section for clubs. There is good and bad info, some true, some slanted facts, info about what clubs are selling, some parents get taken, most of the times the kids are the pawns.

In the long run it best not to look through rose colored glasses

your closing is great...

[Unregistered]

I have no problem with the list. I have a problem with people who use it to anonymously criticize players and families who, in all likelihood, they don't even know and to belittle these people for very personal decisions. Year after year I have watched nice kids and nice families run down in this particular thread as a result of pettiness, jealousy and plain old meanness. Even this years thread is rife with it. It's sickening. Like most of our mother's taught us - if you can't say something nice, shut the F up.

I'll close with what I've said before: if you're a player or the parent of a player going on to play your sport at the collegiate level, congratulations. That's a significant achievement that represents a lot of time, effort and, yes, money. Good luck, enjoy the experience and get a good education.

I agree, and can unfortunately remember some ugly incidents, particularly with a few I knew personally. I hope those incidents are more than offset by its usefulness to others. I have honored people's request to remove names in the past, although sometimes doing so could make it worse. It's OK to have a negative comment, but leave the kids alone.

[Unregistered]

First paragraph is a Silly comment, TS is not just a cheering section for clubs. There is good and bad info, some true, some slanted facts, info about what clubs are selling, some parents get taken, most of the times the kids are the pawns.

In the long run it best not to look through rose colored glasses

your closing is great...

I am not referring to clubs in any part of my posting and I'm not sure where you're getting that. I'm specifically referring to kids and parents being bashed for their college selections, or folks who want to come on here and say what kid is or is not good enough to attend and play for their college of choice.

[Unregistered]

Alright Mr Rubbish, as someone whose kid makes more than 50% and who could list the numbers for most players on several local teams, let me give you some general tactics of how you work with the ol' 9.9.

Let's start with your international students, often the heart of your team. Nearly all of them get 100% need $$$ and if not they rake in a ton of Academic $$$. There can be as many as 9 of them on local teams.
Next let's look at our depth players. Let's say there are 6-10 of those collected late in the process. You get those what you can in need and academic $$ but very little athletic $$ finds its way here.
So we're left with 10-14 core players to divide up most of the 9.9. Works out pretty good, actually. College coaches don't want you to realize that especially if you are a depth kid or they want to hold onto some $$ for a key player.

You assume the rosiest option to feed everyone elses fantasy. No one debated that the better players will get more money. The question was just how many players fall into that group. Let's talk reality. First off your 10-14 number is a little optimistic but even assuming you are close it is still spread out over the 4 years and the bulk of the money will be given to the 1-2 studs in each class. Generally the money will go to your keepers and goal scorers first and then spread out to the other positions on a team need basis. Start thinking about how little is actually left for the 7-8 other role players the typical program brings in in a given year. How much do they get in your scenario? The reality is those are usually the bulk of the kids that you are putting on your commitment announcements.

[Unregistered]

You assume the rosiest option to feed everyone elses fantasy. No one debated that the better players will get more money. The question was just how many players fall into that group. Let's talk reality. First off your 10-14 number is a little optimistic but even assuming you are close it is still spread out over the 4 years and the bulk of the money will be given to the 1-2 studs in each class. Generally the money will go to your keepers and goal scorers first and then spread out to the other positions on a team need basis. Start thinking about how little is actually left for the 7-8 other role players the typical program brings in in a given year. How much do they get in your scenario? The reality is those are usually the bulk of the kids that you are putting on your commitment announcements.

My supposition is about 4 kids/year get between 25-75% Athletic aid, and those are the key ones that the coaches expect will play. You can usually tell which those are by when they are recruited. If you are committed by late Junior year into the summer, you will be getting those kind of offers. As you get into the fall, you are often going to be a depth player, and the $$$ proceed to 0. I would estimate about half of the current D1 list got the earlier $$ %. Most kids coming now are depth kids for D1, except ones that signed earlier but haven't notified anyone.

[Unregistered]

My supposition is about 4 kids/year get between 25-75% Athletic aid, and those are the key ones that the coaches expect will play. You can usually tell which those are by when they are recruited. If you are committed by late Junior year into the summer, you will be getting those kind of offers. As you get into the fall, you are often going to be a depth player, and the $$$ proceed to 0. I would estimate about half of the current D1 list got the earlier $$ %. Most kids coming now are depth kids for D1, except ones that signed earlier but haven't notified anyone.

25-75%?? That is a pretty wide range. Bet what you are trying to say is that in each recruiting class two kids will get 75% and the other two will get 25% a year. That accounts for 8 of the 9.9 scholarships and means that the other 22 players on the roster will split just under 2 scholarships. You are actually painting a more pessimistic picture than the last poster. Thanks you really pissed on my parade.

[Unregistered]

25-75%?? That is a pretty wide range. Bet what you are trying to say is that in each recruiting class two kids will get 75% and the other two will get 25% a year. That accounts for 8 of the 9.9 scholarships and means that the other 22 players on the roster will split just under 2 scholarships. You are actually painting a more pessimistic picture than the last poster. Thanks you really pissed on my parade.

Those are your #'s. More commonly all four get 50%. Depends on a lot of factors. The main point is that for the thousands of kids playing MA soccer less than a dozen get real athletic $$$. Add a few more D2's and that is it. Probably more valuable is that 50-75 kids get into a little better school than their academic credentials would allow.

[Unregistered]

Those are your #'s. More commonly all four get 50%. Depends on a lot of factors. The main point is that for the thousands of kids playing MA soccer less than a dozen get real athletic $$$. Add a few more D2's and that is it. Probably more valuable is that 50-75 kids get into a little better school than their academic credentials would allow.

Which is another way of explaining why the lists aren't needing for any kind of consultation function. Forget the money issue for a minute. So few are going to impact players at D1 that you can safely assume you will not be one of them, and if you are one of them, you can safely assume you will have strong hints about that well before making use of any list and will get clear direction if you are really that level of player without resorting to any list.

All of the other noise is just rationalization, especially the famous lament of I'm choosing D3 because of academics but could have been D1. Maybe end of the roster at a mid to low level D1 but not an impact player at a competitive D1. These rationalizations of course make sense because we all know deep down that our kid is more special than the next. We're sort of supposed to feel that way, so we adjust our narrative however we need to in order to support our belief and our story for external consumption. Too infrequently are we able to simply tip our cap to someone better, at least not without throwing in some caveat about academics being more important or my kid having other interests that are more important.

[Unregistered]

Those are your #'s. More commonly all four get 50%. Depends on a lot of factors. The main point is that for the thousands of kids playing MA soccer less than a dozen get real athletic $$$. Add a few more D2's and that is it. Probably more valuable is that 50-75 kids get into a little better school than their academic credentials would allow.

So 4 kids get 50%. Big deal. Two kids get more, two kids get less. The rest get bumky. You are still painting a bleak picture. Where is my umbrella?

[Unregistered]

Those are your #'s. More commonly all four get 50%. Depends on a lot of factors. The main point is that for the thousands of kids playing MA soccer less than a dozen get real athletic $$$. Add a few more D2's and that is it. Probably more valuable is that 50-75 kids get into a little better school than their academic credentials would allow.

And the strange thing is that getting into a better school than your academic credentials allow isn't a great thing when you get to the classes and have a hard time. But then isn't that the stereotype of kids on the athletic teams - taking the easiest classes and still getting into trouble? You get what you pay for, I think.

[Unregistered]

Those are your #'s. More commonly all four get 50%. Depends on a lot of factors. The main point is that for the thousands of kids playing MA soccer less than a dozen get real athletic $$$. Add a few more D2's and that is it. Probably more valuable is that 50-75 kids get into a little better school than their academic credentials would allow.

How much did those 50-75 prepay by doing club soccer simply to get into a college that is over their head with little or no athletic aide to help defray the tuition bill? $50-60,000? At that rate they could have paid for a year of school.

[Unregistered]

Well said. Maybe one player will go on to a professional career and they'll make, what, about $50,000 per year for a short career. Investing in a good education is the best bet for any of these students so they can go on to earn a decent living at a lifelong career. You won't see me putting my son's name here but I suspect it's not always the parents adding to this list. To an extent what gets posted on this list is often out of one's control.

I had a very interesting conversation with my son recently which you all may or may not find interesting. He has had wonderful soccer experiences and is currently a college player who gets a lot of playtime and is at a phenomenal school. When I told him that I knew it was a tough decision for him to give up his spots at some big soccer schools for the chance to get the education of a life time,but it would all be worth it in the end as MLS players made so little he had an interesting response. What did this very intelligent, focused academic tell me? "You don't understand, Mom. I love this game and given the chance to play in the MLS would play for free." Well, there you have it. If they love the game, they still make the "right" realistic decisions, but don't lose the desire or love for soccer. Whenever he hears about players like Diego, Felix or Will, he always says "Good for them" - and he means it.