Thanks. The Massey rating seems like great information. We will use this as a good starting point to create a list. He plays at the highest level of EDP.
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@MYOS1634 this is what the OP wrote about his sonâs soccer level. A club that inconsistently has a couple of players playing in college is a fairly low level team/club. Kids that play in the NESCAC (Trinity) or on national powerhouses play on club teams that have multiple players going D1, and virtually everyone going on to play in college.
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OP, since you are just starting on this, your son may also want to think about how much playing time heâd need to be happy.
Most of us know players â many of them solidly good â who were recruited and have worked hard who have under an hour of playing time in their first few seasons. They were clearly the ones who loved the team and were happy playing in practice, but there are many who read those tea leaves and find something else to do with their time.
Getting more playing time on a loeer level team can be much more satisfying.
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âRight now, he keeps about an 85 because he needs that to continue to allow him to playâ
These statements confuse me. I think even coaches are less than impressed by students making the bare minimum effort. It doesnât sound like he is not nearly a strong enough athlete to be putting all his eggs in that particular basket. If the 85 is because itâs his best while playing soccer, everyone might be in for a rude awakening when playing at the collegiate level.
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Is ECNL necessary for the colleges I listed?
Is Ohio Wesleyan out? F&M?
What about John Carroll ? Gustavus Adolphus? Hobart? â thinking these answers may be useful for OP too.
Will read the replies. 
Thanks, everyone. We appreciate all the input and believe we have a good deal of information to work from. We will use the Massey Rankings, thanks cinnamon1212. Also, take TonyGrace suggestion and get the book that was pointed out. We will look to provide updates as we progress.
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The soccer pyramid goes:
MLS Next (highest level)
ECNL
EDP
Not that many kids going on to play soccer in college play EDP (where the OPâs son plays). To make a top d3 team I would guess a player is in the top 3% nationally.
Franklin and Marshall is a pretty strong team and might be a reach soccer-wise, although nothing ventured, nothing gained, it certainly wouldnât hurt to reach out to the coach, and of course I could be wrong.
Bard was a good suggestion; Sarah Lawrence is another to look into. Maybe Skidmore. Hobart has historically been a strong program but may be less so now. I donât know about the other schools you mentioned.
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Yes. A number of the top D3 teams are better than some D1 teams. As in any sport, lots of overlap between leagues (NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA) and divisions!
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Thank you.
Gustavus is a little like St Olaf, less academically selective. Also similar are Concordia Moorhead, Lawrence WI, and Luther. I donât know how they stack up for soccer.
Ohio Wesleyan is the sporty twin to Wooster and Allegheny.
Sarah Lawrence and Bard would be better for artsy kids.
(OP has not mentioned their kidâs academic interests beside trying to do the minimum possible to stay on team).
I hope it helps OP figure out colleges at the right athletic level as well as the right environment&academic selectivity.
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Does he have a goal after college?
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There are over 400 D3 teams. There are plenty of good schools, that arenât so hot at soccer where he might have a better chance at making the team AND get a good education. Beloit, Earlham, Knox and Grinnell are pretty good examples.
Again, without any input on his desires or yours, youâve got 415 options. Hard to narrow from there without guidance.
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If he is a mostly B student, that does not suggest being more academically capable than the siblings who did or are likely to get into the most selective colleges.
However, there are lots of colleges that will admit B students and where soccer is available as an intercollegiate sport, intramural sport, or local club teams.
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Aside from the full pay and academically qualified part, I donât think coaches will be very sympathetic and I wouldnât frame recruiting discussions around a recruit only being tangentially interested in college.
The last thing a coach wants is a player they might lose because things donât work out on the academic side. Communicating a low level of interest, which is contingent on the sport, doesnât help build confidence. Most would prefer a player who is less academically skilled but is committed.
This isnât what you asked, but what Iâd do in this situation is build awareness of the club soccer landscape in college. There are some talented players in those systems and if that was an acceptable option you would have a much larger pool of potential colleges, including a lot of large flagships. This might also allow for a better fit academically (as larger schools can often accommodate a much wider range of academic, personal, social interests than small schools).
This might also help reinforce the incentive structure youâre talking about, as some of the desired schools with good club programs might be somewhat selective for out of state applicants.
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I think we have a pretty good idea of the schools out there and can create a good list on our own. The information we were looking for was more on the recruiting side. We will use the Massey list to understand the less competitive schools on the soccer side and go from there. We will create a list based mostly on selectivity, academic programs offered, location, and size. We will reach out to coaches and go on visits, hoping to find a good fit.
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@James_West if this is your real name, I would urge you to change this.
You will need to send an email to the adminsâŠtell them your current screen name and what you want it changed to.
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I totally get it. Youâve got a bright kid who loves soccer, but is not on fire with academics.
Youâre hoping to harness his strong desire to play college soccer to get him to go to college, and hopefully he will find something there that he is interested in, academically, and wind up with a college degree and maybe even a related career. Great plan!
Wherever he goes, he is going to have to pass an academic pre-read. His 85 average, if paired with a spectacular SAT or ACT score, could possibly be enough to get him past the academic pre-read at most small liberal arts colleges. So in addition to the whole soccer recruiting process, could you explain to him about academic pre-reads, and how he has to have strong enough academic credentials to justify admitting him as a soccer recruit, and how the SAT or ACT is the best way, at this late hour, to give him his best shot at passing the academic pre-read? That might motivate him to do the prep for the ACT or SAT that would give him a nice strong score, that will help along his okay GPA.
Plenty of info on the test prep threads for how to best prep for the SAT or ACT.
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No, not my real name. Itâs the main characterâs name from a TV show in the 60s called The Wild Wild West
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Good!
Thatâs the plan!
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Wow, I donât think anyone can say this!
My brightest son coasted through calculus with a B, getting that grade with minimal effort. My other sons didnât even take calculus because they knew it would have been very difficult for them (took AP Stats instead)!
I absolutely can understand that a very bright but unmotivated kid/kid with learning differences/whatever might be getting Bs while their more disciplined/motivated/good time management skills but less bright siblings are getting higher grades.
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