College Recruiting Information We have a proud history of helping players move on from our club programs and find a home at some of the best NCAA D1, D2, D3 and NAIA soccer programs in the country. ABOUT THE DIVISIONS

• NCAA Divisions are separated by philosophy and size. If you are determined to play college soccer, there is likely a place for you! • NCAA D1: 205 programs — max 9.9 athletic scholarships • NCAA D2: 212 programs — max 9 athletic scholarships • NCAA D3: 408 programs — N/A

• Other divisions: • NAIA: 198 programs — max 12 athletic scholarships • NJCAA Div 1: 146 programs — max 18 athletic scholarships • NJCAA Div 2: 81 programs — N/A TERMS TO KNOW

• Prospective Student-Athlete – PSA • A prospective student-athlete is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade. • Unofficial Visit • Any visit by you and your parents to a college campus paid for by you or your parents. The only expense you may receive from the college is complimentary admissions to a home athletics contest. You may make as many unofficial visits as you like and may take those visits at any time. The only time you cannot talk with a coach during an unofficial visit is during a dead period. • Student-athletes can take an unlimited amount of official visits • Coaches and Athletic Departments cannot participate in these unofficial visits until September 1 of the student-athlete’s junior year in high school TERMS TO KNOW

• Official Visit • Any visit to a college campus by you and your parents paid for by the college. The college may pay all or some of the following expenses: • Your transportation to and from the college; • Room and meals (three per day) while you are visiting the college; and • Reasonable entertainment expenses, including three complimentary admissions to a home athletics contest. • Student-athletes can start taking official visits on the first day of classes of their senior year • NCAA allows 5 official visits (max. of 1 per college) for D1 schools and unlimited official visits for D2, D3 and NAIA schools TERMS TO KNOW

• National Letter of Intent / Letter of Commitment • The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) colleges and universities in the . • NCAA Eligibility Center • The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies whether prospective college athletes are eligible to play sports at NCAA Division I or II institutions. It does this by reviewing the student-athlete's academic record, SAT or ACT scores, and amateur status to ensure conformity with NCAA rules. HOW DO I START MY RECRUITING PROCESS?

• Key areas of focus as you begin to search for a college soccer program: • Academics • Soccer opportunities • Size of the school / community • Location / proximity to home • Cost of attendance EXAMPLE RECRUITING TIMELINE • Freshman Year • Junior Year • Start Strong Academically • Reevaluate and narrow your list of schools • Your Core GPA Begins to 15 – 20 • • Sophomore Year Continue to make unofficial visits • • Make a list of 20–30 schools of interest Meet with coaching staffs • • Begin making unofficial visits to schools Attend matches in the fall • • Make contact with coaches at schools of Schedule SAT / ACT test interest • Register for the NCAA Eligibility Center • Per NCAA Bylaw, coaches cannot • Senior Year contact you until Sept 1st of Junior Year • Narrow list of schools to 5 – 10 • Attend Showcases • Take unofficial and official visits • Attend ID Camps • Re-take SAT / ACT Test (if needed) • Apply to universities EXAMPLE INTRO EMAIL TO COLLEGE COACHES • How you present yourself when reaching out to any college coach is very important! Use this template as a guide for making initial outreach to a coach. EXAMPLE FOLLOW UP EMAIL TO COLLEGE COACHES • How you present yourself when reaching out to any college coach is very important! Use this template as a guide for outreach to a coach after they see you play. EXAMPLE TSC PLAYER PROFILE

• We encourage all players pursuing a college soccer career to use this template to create your personal TSC Player Profile. This is very helpful for college coaches! YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA MATTERS!

POINTS TO REMEMBER: • Your social media profiles will be some college coaches’ first interaction with you • Your social media account is a reflection of your character. Don’t let a post cost you a $100,000+ scholarship opportunity! • Think BEFORE you post • NOTHING you post is truly private anymore • “Every year, we will eliminate prospects on our board because of questionable content. We’ve eliminated guys for inappropriate language, images, retweets or anything that we see as a red flag. Conversely, guys have moved up on our board because of the positive things we are able to learn through the various social media channels. [Social media] serves as a tremendous resource for us.” –Jeff Scott, Clemson Football FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: How many unofficial visits is a student-athlete allowed? A: A student athlete can take unlimited unofficial visits to any institution.

Q: How many official visits can a student-athlete make during their senior year? A: A student-athlete can take a maximum of five official visits, maximum one per school.

Q: Does a student-athlete have to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center? A: Yes, if you want to play for a NCAA Division I or NCAA Division II school.

Q: How many scholarships are available to NCAA Division I and II soccer programs? A: The NCAA allows each Division I soccer program 9.9 scholarships for men. In NCAA Division 2, the number of scholarship is 9.0. *The number of scholarships available is always subject to change within each program FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Should I attend ID Camps? A: Yes, but choose wisely. University ID camps are a great opportunity to visit a campus, interact with coaches & staff, and be evaluated by the coaching staff.

Q: Should I speak with my club and/or high school coaches about my college search? A: Yes! Please keep TSC coaches, Director of Coaches, and your high school coaches informed about your college search. They will be some of your best resources! TSC WANTS TO HELP!

• Ronnie Woodard, Director of Operations and Member Services • [email protected]

• Sandy Pollock, Director of U13-U19 Boys • [email protected]

• Dean Blain, ECNL Director • [email protected]

• College Recruiting Resources Webpage • Coming soon to TSC website