It has been more than a year since aspiring college players have been able to play in front of NCAA Division 1 coaches. In addition to the lost year of D1 exposure, many months of playing in front of D2, and D3 coaches were also lost as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

After months and months of waiting, the NCAA has officially announced a return to normal recruiting activities at the end of May. 

This is massive news for families that have lost so many vital opportunities in their journey to get recruited. Now that recruiting is opening up again, what should you do? It is now imperative that aspiring college players create a strategy to make up for this lost time and capitalize on the return to normal recruiting.

According to NCAA Data, 5% of high school players get recruited to play college soccer (in a normal year). The truth is that college teams have a lot of prospective players to choose from (especially coming out of Covid-19) with a frantic rush to get exposure and communicate with coaches likely to ensue. Below are the 5 essential things you NEED to do to maximize your chances of getting recruited coming out of the Dead Period.

1. Finally…. Play In Front Of Coaches!

Hands down one of the most important aspects of the recruiting process is playing games in front of coaches. One of the very best ways to do that is at an ID Camp. Why not play in front of 50 of the best coaches in the nation?

Future 500’s 22nd Annual National ID Camps will provide you with incredible exposure to the highest-quality collection of NCAA coaches available anywhere. Each camp will feature 50 top college coaches physically in attendance. Future 500’s Maximum Exposure Matrix ensures that you will be seen by every coach. Each camp also features individual attention, live recruiting sessions and more. Learn more here.

With so many aspiring college players rushing to get recruited, Future 500’s National ID Camps are selling out faster than ever. Some camps are nearly waitlisted. Sign up today before it is too late or see the Boys ID Camp lists here and the Girls ID Camp lists here.

2. Complete EVERY Soccer Questionnaire

Almost every college team has a questionnaire that is available for prospective students to fill out. A completed questionnaire allows potential recruits to put themselves in the college coach’s system of communication. Once you have identified the college programs of your choice, go to their websites and fill out their soccer questionnaires immediately.

3. Make your Highlight Video

This is extremely important for the recruiting process, especially coming out of Covid-19. With coaches having limited time once the Dead Period ends, it is almost impossible for them to make it out to see everyone play. A soccer highlight video will give the coach a chance to see you play and could put you on the short list for that team. Future 500 offers the highest quality game footage and highlight reels as add-ons at each of our National ID Camps, as a result of our partnership with VEO. Learn more here.

4. Give Coaches your showcase tournament schedule (every time).

Let coaches know what soccer tournaments you are playing in. Coaches have limited resources and need to prioritize what tournaments to go to and who they will be seeing. Factor yourself into the coach’s decisions by giving them your soccer schedule early on in the process.

5. Be Consistent and Responsive

If you are not diligent about responding in time and/or following up with the coach, he/she may think you are no longer interested in his/her college. On the other hand, not getting an email back from the college coach in a timely fashion or not getting one back at all does not necessarily mean that he/she is not interested. College coaches might get over a hundred emails a day as the recruiting activities resume, so make sure you follow up. Persistence makes you more visible and shows that you are interested in the college.

Many Future 500 camps are nearly at a waitlist.

Following these steps will help you to take massive strides toward getting recruited this summer. Remember, one of the biggest boosts you can give to your college recruiting process is to attend a Future 500 National ID Camp. This will allow you to gain a significant amount of exposure to a wide variety of top college coaches. But don’t wait, camps are nearly waitlisted. Sign up today before it is too late.