I get it. A lot of players want to finish club and high school, then head straight to Division I ball.
Sounds great.
But let’s look at the numbers.
Last year, there were:
- 350 D1 women’s programs
- 213 D1 men’s programs
If we assume rosters of about 20 players:
- That’s roughly 7,000 women
- And about 4,260 men
(Realistically, rosters are probably bigger—but close enough.)
Now here’s the wild part.
US Youth Soccer reports 2.5 MILLION+ registered players. Here’s a shortcut to all the high level clubs around the country.
Yeah… that’s a lot of competition.
Oh, and let’s not forget about the foreign players. In fact, Missouri State became the first D1 program to have an all international roster. Not sure how I feel about that.
So statistically? Your chances of landing at a D1 program are pretty slim.
But here’s a different way to think about it.
If you’re at recruiting age and seriously looking at schools, don’t just chase the top D1 programs that are always good or average.
Instead, look at the programs that are consistently below average or struggling.
Why?
Because that might be your chance to help turn a program around.
Those teams with the worst records last year?
That’s where opportunity can live.
Lowest Ranked – Women’s
| Chicago St. | 5-9-5 | NEC |
| St. Thomas (MN) | 2-9-4 | Summit League |
| Southeast Mo. St. | 2-15-2 | OVC |
| Texas Southern | 5-8-4 | SWAC |
| Prairie View | 5-11-2 | SWAC |
| VMI | 2-17-1 | SoCon |
| Presbyterian | 3-10-3 | Big South |
| Delaware St. | 6-10-2 | NEC |
| Gardner-Webb | 4-11-3 | Big South |
| UC Riverside | 0-16-2 | Big West |
| Hampton | 2-12-1 | CAA |
| Southern U. | 3-12-1 | SWAC |
| Mississippi Val. | 0-2-0 | SWAC |
| Le Moyne | 2-13-4 | NEC |
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 1-15-1 | Horizon |
| New Haven | 0-13-1 | NEC |
| Saint Francis | 0-14-4 | NEC |
| Western Ill. | 0-17-1 | OVC |
| South Carolina St. | 1-13-0 | DI Independent |
| Alabama St. | 1-16-0 | SWAC |
| Ark.-Pine Bluff | 0-12-0 | SWAC |
Lowest Ranked – Men’s
| Saint Peter’s | 4-10-2 | MAAC |
| Oakland | 3-9-6 | Horizon |
| Sacramento St. | 2-12-4 | Big West |
| Canisius | 5-10-1 | MAAC |
| Rider | 2-11-4 | MAAC |
| New Haven | 5-5-6 | NEC |
| UTRGV | 0-7-2 | DI Independent |
| Stonehill | 5-10-3 | NEC |
| Merrimack | 4-9-3 | MAAC |
| Wright St. | 2-13-1 | Horizon |
| ETSU | 2-8-4 | SoCon |
| Radford | 2-11-4 | Big South |
| George Washington | 2-11-4 | Atlantic 10 |
| Air Force | 1-13-2 | WAC |
| Navy | 3-8-7 | Patriot |
| Howard | 4-11-2 | NEC |
| Mercyhurst | 3-10-4 | NEC |
| Winthrop | 1-12-3 | Big South |
| VMI | 2-12-2 | SoCon |
| Chicago St. | 1-15-1 | NEC |
| Central Conn. St. | 1-14-2 | NEC |
Reach out to the coaching staff.
Start the conversation.
You never know what door might open.
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