Sophomore year the latest.

Sophomore year at the earliest (other than the rare super stars). They basically start looking sophomore year, pay close attention junior year and solidify things senior year.

According to the ECNL parents, you need to start showcasing your daughter no later than 6th grade...😂😂😂

Yes I agree. That would be consider pre pre ecnl.

Dont' worry about it for girls. If she can walk and chew gum without falling on her face she will get a D1 full ride. Takes very little skill or talent as they have to fill out rosters.

Depends on level your daughter wants to play.

Top schools will be looking and making a watch list starting in 8th Grade to 9th Grade.

If you are currently going into 8th grade start thinking about what kinds of schools you want to attend and reach out to the coaches and get the videos up and social pages made.

If you either don't want to play at a high level in college or don't have a specific school you want to attend or wish to stay local for a smaller school, you can wait until your sophomore year.

Freshman year is when coaches will go out and watch girls' soccer and be planning on their needs in the future years to come.

8th Grade year is when you need to do some planning to be ready to know which ID camps and schools you want to start visiting over the summer and during future years.

At this point, you should have a list of about 15 schools, but more importantly, have an idea of the location and programs you are going to be interested in. Few people at this age may also know their desired major and should factor that as well. If you don't though keep your list to generic schools that offer a wide range of majors.

Urban/Rural
Large/Small
Private/Public
Campus Life/School
Undecided/Decided (Know it may change)

Each year narrow your search by visiting schools and adding criteria so at the end of your sophomore year going into the junior year you have 5-7 schools on your list.

For girls, it isn't surprising to see a Junior make verbals with schools. I have even seen Sophomores do it as well though that is rarer. Know if you are a top player and you wait until your 2nd year of High School to start you are behind many of your peers. Start in 8th Grade getting an idea of what you want, and visiting. Then narrow it down. Schools will not waste time talking to players unless you are the elite of the elite unless you have shown interest in them. Then it is important to get to their campus to understand what interest they may have in you.

Top level female players start getting looks in 8th grade. If your daughter is a D-I level player she should be on a team playing in front of college coaches no later than the fall of 10th grade.

A legit helpful post on this cesspool of a forum. Damn you inspired me to believe in humanity again.

Really good info.

Thank you

So you can google everything else. But you can't Google ncaa rules for recruiting. Are you blind? Do you watch your child play soccer?

Blind no. In the Know, Yes.

Schools follow the rules. Contact the school coach and send your schedule. He cannot talk to you unless you are on campus. Expect to see an ID camp invite in the mail if they want to speak to you, or a visit invitation from the Admissions office.

If you plan on going, send another email to the coach of when you plan on being on campus. You will not receive anything from the coach, but they may reach out to your coaches, or you may find that the person giving you the tour is the coach or player on the team.

You can find the rules, but you can't google to see how it really works behind the scenes.

Coaches don't scout games they scout players. 90% of the time a coach will attend part of a game to get eyeballs on a specific player that has reached out to them. (after they sent video's etc..)

Some people are under the misconception that if they play in a showcase or a game where a college scout is they will be noticed. Although that is certainly possible it is very unlikely. The coaches have to play a numbers game and would much rather scout a specific player that has expressed interest in the program, who they have already seen film and have the basics on the player.

Just seeing #15 on the field playing for team X is a lot of work.

Also, college coaches only have so many times they can go to events for scouting or off-campus visits. Usually, at an event, they will send a trusted friend/scout because of these limitations to events, and you may never know they were there watching.

The best way is for you to visit the campus, and this is what the coaches want you to do as well, rather than them going to see you. On-campus if you visit in the Fall you can request to watch a game or a practice. Maybe even have a non-practice kick around with some players. Get to know the team as well as better understand the coach and talk to them.

College showcases are important, but in the grand scheme of recruiting and finding the right place for your daughter, they are not the end all be all. Better to take a video camera and record the games and send them to the college, than hope to be seen by one at the event.

This is generally true, however, the college coaches really use the college showcases to monitor a players development after the Sophomore year and mutual interest is shown. Our oldest is playing in college now and after the Sophomore year meeting, the college would send a coach or assistant coach or graduate student/player to watch at least a 1/2 of a game at every showcase in Junior and Senior years to make sure the player is getting better and growing their game as the level of play intensifies. Some of the girls that were rock stars at 14 start to fade by 17 as the play gets faster and more physical. College coaches start ghosting you when they see that.