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What's the best sports college to go to?
I want to play soccer but idk which teams are the worst.
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Keith’s Answer
Athlete when I was younger, I had the opportunity to cheese between a solid contender, and a team that was historically struggling to find success. I ultimately chose the latter, because I felt my addition to the team would make it impact, and I wanted to realize that impact through my four years. If that’s a challenge that you find unique and rewarding, I would suggest that you don’t get so focused on the record and focus more on the coaching staff the campus environment that academic standards and how do you get along with the team.
Charles Anderson
Lead Privacy Analyst at AT&T -- Head Soccer Coach, Middle School Girls / Asst HC, High School Girls
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Charles’s Answer
Brian,
Here is a link to the Men's Soccer Rankings and you can choose between DI to DIII: https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d1/ncaa-mens-soccer-rpi
However, since I help many (female student athletes) with collegiate soccer recruiting, I will tell you and any other student athlete the same thing. When looking for a college to play sports at (ie: men's soccer), you want to look at many facets first, besides who is the worst. You want to make sure the college you want to play at, has your interest (ie: major you want your degree in), then you want to see how the town is & surrounding area (because God forbid, if you get hurt and can't play, are you going to like the surroundings when you need something to do, or even after your season is over), and then there is the cost (how much are you willing to pay for tuition and room & board). Most college sports only have enough scholarships to help 33-50% of the student athletes. For example, if you want to be a coach or a teacher (making $40-60K per year), you may not want to graduate with $100K+ in loans.
Next, although you may like the coach, you don't want to go to a college just because of the coach. I have seen many athletes go to a college for the coach and then they aren't there when you start or gone after a year or two. I know two that were recruited by one coach but were gone the summer that player started their freshman year. The best thing to do is visit the campus, meet with your academic advisor and possible coach, but also talk to the players on the team to get their thoughts on the campus, the team and coach.
Going back to reiterate back to playing for a bad team vs. a good team. You could go to the school that is in the Top 10 or 25, but as a freshman and possibly sophomore, you need to see how much playing time you are going to get. Would you rather be in the Top 5 or 10 your first two years and sit the entire time? Since most soccer teams will hold 24-34 players on their roster, OR play for a team that might just need a couple more players to make them strong and you get 40-70 minutes of playing time each game? I know of one team that went 0-7-1 (zero wins and scoring just twice in eight games) during COVID year and then the next year they finished 11-6-2 (4th in Conference for first playoff game ever and scoring 38 goals in those 19 games).
Finally, helping with what Waleska mentioned, if you are looking for scholarships, you can get with your HS counselor or looking up their college website to see what scholarships they offer based on your grades. And yes, grades are important to college coaches, because if you are doing well in class than that transfers into what you are doing on the field. I have known 40+ student athletes that have played collegiate sports (men's & women's soccer as well as football) and only two got full rides athletic scholarship wise that I was informed of. The others did get help but usually less than 30-50% of total college cost. So, once again it goes back to how you perform in the classroom for help, what degree you want to graduate with (because even if you play semi or pro men's soccer, in reality you can't play forever, so you'll need something to do when you retire), and the total cost, so that you aren't paying a lot in loan payments.
Research schools for your degree
Research or better yet view the campus and location it's in
Talk to college advisor, coach, and hopefully student athletes
Here is a link to the Men's Soccer Rankings and you can choose between DI to DIII: https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d1/ncaa-mens-soccer-rpi
However, since I help many (female student athletes) with collegiate soccer recruiting, I will tell you and any other student athlete the same thing. When looking for a college to play sports at (ie: men's soccer), you want to look at many facets first, besides who is the worst. You want to make sure the college you want to play at, has your interest (ie: major you want your degree in), then you want to see how the town is & surrounding area (because God forbid, if you get hurt and can't play, are you going to like the surroundings when you need something to do, or even after your season is over), and then there is the cost (how much are you willing to pay for tuition and room & board). Most college sports only have enough scholarships to help 33-50% of the student athletes. For example, if you want to be a coach or a teacher (making $40-60K per year), you may not want to graduate with $100K+ in loans.
Next, although you may like the coach, you don't want to go to a college just because of the coach. I have seen many athletes go to a college for the coach and then they aren't there when you start or gone after a year or two. I know two that were recruited by one coach but were gone the summer that player started their freshman year. The best thing to do is visit the campus, meet with your academic advisor and possible coach, but also talk to the players on the team to get their thoughts on the campus, the team and coach.
Going back to reiterate back to playing for a bad team vs. a good team. You could go to the school that is in the Top 10 or 25, but as a freshman and possibly sophomore, you need to see how much playing time you are going to get. Would you rather be in the Top 5 or 10 your first two years and sit the entire time? Since most soccer teams will hold 24-34 players on their roster, OR play for a team that might just need a couple more players to make them strong and you get 40-70 minutes of playing time each game? I know of one team that went 0-7-1 (zero wins and scoring just twice in eight games) during COVID year and then the next year they finished 11-6-2 (4th in Conference for first playoff game ever and scoring 38 goals in those 19 games).
Finally, helping with what Waleska mentioned, if you are looking for scholarships, you can get with your HS counselor or looking up their college website to see what scholarships they offer based on your grades. And yes, grades are important to college coaches, because if you are doing well in class than that transfers into what you are doing on the field. I have known 40+ student athletes that have played collegiate sports (men's & women's soccer as well as football) and only two got full rides athletic scholarship wise that I was informed of. The others did get help but usually less than 30-50% of total college cost. So, once again it goes back to how you perform in the classroom for help, what degree you want to graduate with (because even if you play semi or pro men's soccer, in reality you can't play forever, so you'll need something to do when you retire), and the total cost, so that you aren't paying a lot in loan payments.
Charles recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Waleska’s Answer
If you are looking to obtain a scholarship to play sports in college I would first start with your High School Coach and Counselor. They may be able to direct you to where to get your profile out to a scout. Also, if your parents / guardians have a Facebook account - have them go to the group "Educating Parents of HS Athletes On The College Recruiting Process". An actual coach is available there to give advise on how to start and navigate the sports path in college. Stay focused and good luck!