7 Recruiting Tips from a College Soccer Coach Turned Recruiting Expert

Don Williams has 22 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional levels. He now serves as the Head of Operations for Sports Recruiting USA, a unique recruiting agency staffed completely with former coaches and players. 

In his spare time, he runs a fantastic Facebook group - College Soccer Recruiting Advice for Player/Parents - and offers his advice on succeeding in the recruiting process. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom that youth soccer players can use when communicating with college coaches: 

1. Show your personality in interviews with coaches. When interviewing with college coaches, players need to be the ones doing the talking and asking questions. Most coaches will be nice and accommodate parents, but they really prefer to hear from the player to get to know them better and get a sense of how the player thinks. 
2. Be open-minded about prospective schools. In my job, it’s a red flag when players make a wish list of just a handful of schools. Sometimes, potential recruits focus so hard on the most elite schools that they ignore the other 1300 possible “right fits.” The more open-minded a player is to all the possibilities, the better chance they will find the right fit and be happy. Here’s an example of what not to say to a coach: “This is _________. She is an ECNL goalkeeper, a 4.0 student, and wishes to go to Stanford, Arizona, Washington or UCLA”
   
   

🤔💭my thought while watching a players film “Wow that play was phenomenal! Why is it buried 7 min 30 sec into a waaay too long 12:17 film?” Put your best up front kids!

1. Posted by Don Williams on Saturday, December 12, 2020
3. Be strategic about what you’re conveying in highlights. Pay attention to what you are telling coaches about your mentality and tactical understanding when sharing your game video. For example, if 60% of a midfielder’s passes are negative or square, coaches will have questions about whether that player is creative and can create opportunities on the field. 
4. Do NOT use slow motion when sharing highlights. This is a “no duh” piece of advice, so why do so many players do it? Slow-motion makes you look slower.  It makes the play look easier. It allows coaches to tear apart every movement frame by fame. Players, stop with the SLO-MO and the SLO-MO instant replays.[xyz-ips snippet="Newsletter"] 
5. Show coaches that you care when emailing them. Avoid generic messages that look like you are sending a mass email to every NCAA coach. A considerable percentage of emails coaches get are spammy in nature. “Dear Coach, I would love to attend your school and play soccer for you. Blah, blah, blah…” The most basic email mistakes players make include no video or bad video, no transcripts, and no specifics showcasing your knowledge of the school or program. To stand out from the crowd,  you have to be different from everyone else.
6. Respond quickly to coaches. Try to make a habit of responding to coaches contacting you ASAP. A lot of players don’t check email regularly and wait a day or two or more. One way to stand out is to answer them fast! College coaches are always pleasantly surprised when players respond immediately. 
7. Be memorable from the start. What’s one way to be sure a person never forgets you? Walk up and punch them in the nose! Take that concept and use it in your highlight video. Open with clips that make you unforgettable by metaphorically punching coaches in the nose with clips that WOW them!

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