College ID Camps

[Clotpoll]

So go to Gettysburg camp the winter break junior year or summer or before HS senior year, once your son's narrowed down his list that's been based on academics. 9th grade won't be of use for either your son or their coaches...they're focused on the upcoming recruiting class.

[1970s NESCAC Player]

In my experience, the percentage of camp attendees who attend and play at a specific school is misleading, in that it is a chicken and egg issue.  Do the kids end up attending the school because they attended the camp and were identified by the coach, or was the kid identified playing with his club at an event and then attended the camp to gauge/confirm his interest in the school (and perhaps, the coach's interest in the player)?  I've always believed that it is more of the latter, so it would be my preference/recommendation (with regard to actual potential college choices) that the kid attend camps/visit with coaches after the coach expressed some level of interest in the player.  Of course, the foregoing is not always possible, and does not apply to someone who just wants to attend a camp for the soccer experience.  Youth players who are serious about the game should consider attending camps and clinics every year regardless of age, if it is going to help them improve as players.

[midwest]

With the caveat that "your mileage may vary" -- D3 recruiting really doesn't officially heat up until junior year.  If your kid plays/can play on a DA team, they will get seen by more coaches at high level academic schools through club, and that seemed to be where the "action" is in terms of recruiting for NESCAC, Liberty, Centennial, NCAC type programs.   My kid is in the midwest (hence the moniker), and had not been seen before camps, and we realized that coaches had already identified their top recruits before camp, and other kids had to be phenomenally impressive to make an impact if they were being seen for the first time at camp.   

Big picture, I agree with the advice to continue to get a freshman the strongest competition and training, focus on academics, and come late 10th grade/early 11th grade, start thinking about schools of choice, and reach out. ID camps in 9th and 10th grade are not going to have an impact on recruiting -- when D3 coaches say their players come out of their camps, it is the summer before 12th grade and maybe before 11th grade.  Until then, focus on being the best student and the best developed player.  Personally, I'm not quite as cynical about highlight film as the other parents here -- I do think it got my kid onto some coaches' radars, though alone was never enough.