Categories: Education

Men’s College Soccer: D1, D2, D3

Every year thousands of high school soccer players jockey for positions on college teams. They may dream of playing Division 1 soccer, but don’t know if they’re D1 material. Even if they have the ability to make a D1 team, should they? Gaining a position on a D1 team may ultimately mean nothing more than a spot on the bench for much of their college career.

It’s important to understand the differences between the schools within the divisions. In general, Division 1 schools are large and include many state schools and the Ivies. Division 2 includes a mix of smaller state and private schools. Division 3 includes a few small state and many small private colleges, many with excellent academic reputations. A list of the schools in each division is available here.

There are excellent D3 teams and weak D1 teams, but in Division 1 teams are larger, stronger, and sometimes faster. Many players on highly ranked D1 teams played for premier clubs in high school and participated in ODP or other developmental programs.

While many D1 and D2 schools are strong academically, D3 colleges consider their players to be “student-athletes,” with the emphasis on being a student first.

Evaluate what your son wants

Has your son decided on a major? That may narrow his choices immediately.

Does he want to attend a specific school? Will he be happy at that school if he never plays a game? If he can answer yes to those questions, making the team may not be his top priority.

Players sometimes focus on playing at a D1 school or a highly ranked D2 or D3 schools and ignore other possibilities, only to get cut at camp or sit the bench for the season-or for four seasons. If your son’s attending his dream college, he might not care. If he went to that school mostly to play soccer, though, he might regret his decision.

There are still opportunities to play, however, even if a boy doesn’t make the varsity team. Many schools have club or intramural teams and a few have JV squads.

If playing in college is a high priority, your son needs to consider his chances of playing at the schools that interest him. Are D1 college coaches contacting him? That’s a good indication of their interest. A player capable of making a D1 team but who isn’t on a coach’s short list may find himself on the bench with little playing time. On the other hand, on a D3 team he may be a top player as a freshman.

In addition, if the college, no matter the division, is a stretch academically, your son will want to make sure the coach is interested in him. Coaches can sometimes put in a “good word” with admissions, but the number of students whose admission they can positively influence is limited. And if a coach isn’t taking the initiative in contacting your son, (even though the coach says he’s interested,) your son is probably not one of the applicants for whom he’ll go to bat.

How to choose

Take a realistic look at your son and his abilities. College coaches consider four main things when identifying players: skill, strength, size, and speed. While exceptions occur for the most skilled players, D1 coaches seem to look for players in the six-foot range who have developed a fair amount of muscle strength. Not all players have the necessary size and strength by their senior year of high school to play on a D1 team.

Check out the rosters of the colleges your son is interested in. Some list the players’ soccer background. Looking over that information may give your son an idea if he measures up to the currently rostered players.

Take your son to a few games at various schools. Seeing the size, speed and abilities of the players might give him an indication if he has what it takes to play at that level. He might talk with his club or high school coach about his possibilities. Some coaches can direct your son to colleges that might be a good fit; others don’t have the experience to do so.

Soccer Camps

Another way to get a handle on placement is through a college summer camp. These can provide an opportunity to be seen and evaluated by a coach at a college in which your son is interested. If he isn’t sure whether he should be considering D1, D2, or D3 schools, consider a camp where coaches speak with players individually about their strengths, weaknesses, and where they might fit into a college program.

Soccer Tournaments

If your son’s team attends soccer tournaments and college coaches follow up with a letter or other interest, see who’s sending those letters. If they are mostly or all from D3 schools, that may be an indication of where your son belongs.

Scholarships

Division 1 and 2 colleges can offer money in the form of athletic scholarships. Division 3 schools cannot, so team members play for the love of the game, not because they’re being paid (in college tuition.) D3 athletes know their top priority is their studies.

It might seem that D1 or D2 is the way to go (don’t we all hope those hours and dollars we spend on soccer will be repaid in college scholarships,) but there are other things to consider. Is your son willing to make the time and effort commitment to stay on the team? Some D1 players feel like they’re “owned,” particularly if they receive scholarship money. Others find the practice/weight training/travel schedule overwhelming and limiting to their study-or social-time.

While players at Division 1 and 2 schools can receive soccer scholarships, the reality is that coaches have limited funds and use them to attract top recruits. They may split the money between several players, meaning that only one or possibly no players on the team receives a full scholarship.

On the other hand, while Division 3 athletes can’t receive athletic scholarships, they might qualify for academic scholarships or financial aid, receiving as much or more money as they may have gotten from a D1 or D2 school.

In the end, if a player can play in any division but hasn’t caught the eye of a D1 coach, they may have to weigh playing time versus the name recognition of a D1 school. They likely won’t get both.