SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP When to commit?

When is the recommended time for a player to verbally commit to a college if he/she wants to play at the division 1 level with some form of scholarship money. Are a majority of the athletic scholarships "already allocated" in the fall of their jr. year or can they wait until spring of their jr. year. Is it different for the ACC/SEC/SOCON league?

That is a great question! It has come up a hundred times in our club recruiting efforts. It just came up again in the last couple of days. I have U16 players, sophomores, who want to verbally commit to a school now. I fully understand that a verbal committment means nothing except to the player making it. I am always afraid that an early verbal committment precludes a player from considering other opportunities, especially when they are 2 or more years away from college play. However, it happens all of the time. I am anxious to hear this discussion.

I think when a player realizes where he/she wants to go college and doesn't get caught up in the process then he/she should end it and comitt. Whether its Div I or DivII. I think if he/she knows the school that best fits their academics(Major) and they have evaluated the university and are comfortable with the coaching staff; then comitting is not a bad thing. I have a son that comitted in the early spring of his junior year.He said that was where he wanted to go and the coach said they would be offering him so he decided to end the process.
I think every kid is different but if you comitt and get it over soon then they can focus on their club ball and enjoy their senior year with no pressure.

You probably have a good chance to get some $ if you can commit by 8th or 9th grade. ;-}

The recruiting season seems to accelerate every year. While there is no universally correct answer, my information and experience suggests that scholarship money starts getting pretty thin by the end of the summer following a recruit's junior year. In other words, a 2010 is behind the curve by this time. That is not to say that the right player and the right school won't get together on some $ even into the spring of a player's senior year - but that will be a rare exception.

HappyDaddy is right based on my experience. There are actually several considerations 1) do you commit to a school because that is where you really want to go and hope you are recruited, scholarship or not, 2) how much scholarship from soccer do you need versus desire to go, 3) will the school have the programs and academics you want, the overall college experience, if it turns out you can't or don't play, for whatever reason, 4) do you commit to a D1 based on desire and preclude a strong D2 opportunity based on practicality, 5) do you commit as a political move to try to discourage other players from trying for your slot? I am sure there are other thoughts as well. I have been surprised how many D1 girls are playing without scholarships, how many have minimal scholarships i.e. books only, how many recruited freshmen only play the first year and don't come back, etc. I have seen better, maybe more abundant is the term, scholarships come from D2's. Some D1's we spoke with did not care at all about "making a committment". However, most D1 recruits we know that have significant scholarships (about 40% is what I consider significant) were "verbally committed" by the fall as they entered their senior year.

OK, I heard this past week that many coaches really are seeking committments at the end of the sophomore year and early fall of the junior year. I did not want to believe it but it is true.

It's time to commit when a quality School/Program/Coach is offering what parents and player consider a good package. The better the package, the more playing time a player will receive. In most cases if a player receives only book money the player does not figure into the coaches immediate plans. Also if a coach is interested in a player they seek you out they do not wait to hear from you.

i was surprised to learn that div 1 schools have 14 scholarships for girls & 10 for boys. i thought it was less.
good summary of info
http://www.active.com/soccer/Articles/Crunching_the_Numbers__Soccer_Scholarships_htm.htm

What is the earliest a college can offer a scholarship? I heard 8th grade, can anyone verify that.