Volume 1 | Issue 2

OGFC College Recruiting Newsletter

Parents and Players,   In your college search you are going to be presented with many resources and opportunities to help in the college search process. I've listed a few that are currently available and my own opinion of them. Coaches will utilize different tools as well. Certainly there are varying opinions and there is no single methodology that will guarantee success. However, these are what I have found to be the general consensus among the majority of coaches at various levels.

Recruiting Agencies There are a large number of recruiting agencies that for a fee will advertise their ability to market a student-athlete. The majority of college coaches don't pay attention to these agencies. Frankly, the student-athlete should have the ability and tools to do whatever the agency is able to do.

Game Footage Some college programs are not able to get out and see every prospect. Consider assembling game footage. Some coaches like highlights and some like full length games. Regardless, make sure it is from a good elevated angle and against quality competition. And don't zoom in - coaches like to see what else is going on in the game. Remember to turn off the volume - no one wants to hear your dad talk the whole time :)

ID Camps The one day ID Camp has become very popular in the last number of years. It can be a good opportunity to get directly in front of the coaching staff and also see the campus. However, many ID Camps are simply fundraisers or supplemental income for the staff and little attention is paid to the participants. Do your homework before attending.

Combines In addition to the rise of one day ID Camps, there are now a large number of "combines" organized by recruiting agencies or individuals. They will promote the idea that a variety of college programs will be in attendance. There is of course a fee for an individual to register and participate. Before attending, make sure the college programs you are interested in are going to be there. You may want to reach out to those programs to make sure. Sometimes the "College Coaches in Attendance" list is not updated. For example, I have been listed on the current attendance list at a few of these combines and I haven't attended them for years.

Thought for the Week: Follow up with an email to your pool of college programs after tournaments

Did you know? Soccer is considered an "equivalency" sport at the NCAA D1, D2 and NAIA level. This means partial scholarships are able to be awarded.

"What you do speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying" Nick Saban

Pat Ferguson is our editor for this series of college recruiting newsletters. Pat is currently our girls director of player development and the women's soccer coach at Wright State University.