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Speaker 1: If I knew that my kids college coach was willing

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Speaker 1: to cheat in one thing, then what else are they

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Speaker 1: willing to cheat for? And then will they cheat with

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Speaker 1: my kids? And if they'll do anything to when are

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Speaker 1: they going to play my kid when my kids injured?

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Speaker 1: So while it's really exciting to have your kid in

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Speaker 1: conversations before legal dates, I still don't see the value.

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Speaker 1: This is the Reformed Sports Project, a podcast about restoring

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Speaker 1: healthy balance and perspective in all areas of sports through

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Speaker 1: education and advocacy. Hi, this is Nick Bonacoor from the

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Speaker 1: Reformed Sports Podcast. Today, I'm speaking with Don Williams, head

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Speaker 1: of Operations for Sports Recruiting USA, an organization that helps

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Speaker 1: soccer players and their families navigate the college recruitment process.

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Speaker 1: A former collegiate and professional soccer coach for over two decades,

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Speaker 1: Don holds an MBA in Sports Management from Columbia Southern University.

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Speaker 1: Passionate about helping kids find the right college fit and

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Speaker 1: I discussed head count, verse equivalency scholarships, the pros and

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Speaker 1: cons of the transfer portal, and why parents should let

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Speaker 1: their kids fight through adversity independently. Man, I am really

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Speaker 1: really excited another awesome guest. Gentleman and I we've got

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Speaker 1: some history. We've built a good relationship through social media.

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Speaker 1: Great guy, tons of its, tons of experience. Can't wait

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Speaker 1: to dig in with him. Is one of the head

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Speaker 1: han shows over at sport Recruiting USA. Former head college

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Speaker 1: coach for twenty plus years, My man, Don Williams. Don,

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Speaker 1: thanks so much for hopping on, brother Nick. I was

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Speaker 1: so excited when you reach out to me. I just

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Speaker 1: am such a fan of the Reformed Sports Project and

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Speaker 1: uh I tell people about it all the time. So

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Speaker 1: just grateful for helping me on. Brother. I can't wait

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Speaker 1: because you are. You know, you're living it. You've coached

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Speaker 1: every level, if I'm not mistaken, at the collegiate level

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Speaker 1: of and we'll get into that here in a second.

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Speaker 1: So you've seen it from a coaching perspective, you've seen

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Speaker 1: it from a parenting perspective, and of course now you

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Speaker 1: work in the business of recruiting, and that is what

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Speaker 1: I want to talk about here. I am one who

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Speaker 1: sits here and says often that I believe the entire

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Speaker 1: youth sports ecosystem in a way is built around helping

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Speaker 1: people or the recruiting process. Right. It seems like travel

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Speaker 1: or pay to place gear towards exposure, getting in front

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Speaker 1: of the best players. It doesn't matter the sport, but

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Speaker 1: but reach getting exposure. What does it look like to you?

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Speaker 1: How is the evolution of the recruiting process changed in

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Speaker 1: the last twenty years? Oh yeah, So Nick, I started

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Speaker 1: this whole journey, uh over twenty five years ago. And

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Speaker 1: you know, coach division to Division three, n ai A

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Speaker 1: junior college short stinate coach and pro uh My son

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Speaker 1: played Division one. He's an a C C coach now

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Speaker 1: at North Carolina State. And so as a family, we've

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Speaker 1: been involved virtually at every single level in the country.

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Speaker 1: And from the way it used to be to the

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Speaker 1: way it is now, it looks like a foreign planet.

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Speaker 1: If somebody were transplanted through the Dolorean time machine from

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Speaker 1: nineteen four even until now, they wouldn't recognize the youth

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Speaker 1: sports landscape today. And I don't even know where to begin, Nick,

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Speaker 1: uh It's it was so similar to baseball. I know

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Speaker 1: that's your thing. And I've got some some guys uh

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Speaker 1: Lee Taft and some basketball guys that I follow a

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Speaker 1: lot that really seemed to get it. And I've got

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Speaker 1: some friends of mine that are involved in hockey, and um,

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Speaker 1: it's the same across all of our sports. Right now,

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Speaker 1: this whole idea that you have to get on a

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Speaker 1: plane in California and travel to New York only to

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Speaker 1: seemingly play a team that's thirty minutes from your house

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Speaker 1: at some event traveling the other side of the country,

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Speaker 1: and parents spending ten fifty dollars a gear, all with

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Speaker 1: the idea that their kids are all going to play

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Speaker 1: for Stanford. Right, Okay, so that's where I want to

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Speaker 1: get into it. Right, that is the premise, right, we

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Speaker 1: got it's this chase. Now, I feel like I've done

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Speaker 1: this long enough. My oldest son has has gone through

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Speaker 1: the recruiting process he'll be a freshman at college next year.

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Speaker 1: And having done it myself a lifetime ago, um, I

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Speaker 1: understand the landscape change and now I've seen it firsthand.

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Speaker 1: But I feel like the youth sports or the recruiting

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Speaker 1: scene gets a bad rep today because it seems like

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Speaker 1: a lot of people get the wolf pulled over their

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Speaker 1: eyes that it seems like everyone can go to Stanford.

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Speaker 1: Right using it as an example, if you just do this,

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Speaker 1: you can get a D one scholarship. But you're a

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Speaker 1: big advocate, like I am a find the right fit.

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Speaker 1: I want you to tell me, Like, what does it

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Speaker 1: look like? I guess you could talk about soccer. How

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Speaker 1: do you know if you're a Power five potential recruit.

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Speaker 1: How do you know if you're a mid major D

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Speaker 1: one or if you're D two, D three? How do

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Speaker 1: parents and kids figure that stuff out? Well, you know,

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Speaker 1: we talk about a set Monts all the time. You

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Speaker 1: have to have somebody watch you that doesn't necessarily have

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Speaker 1: a diamond the game. Maybe I should start it this way.

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Speaker 1: Look at soccer. At least, I think you, being a

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Speaker 1: baseball guy, could walk out to a youth soccer match

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Speaker 1: and if there was a kid who was an unbelievably

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Speaker 1: phenomenal athlete who was dominating the game, you could recognize

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Speaker 1: that kid. I would agree. I think that's the easiest

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Speaker 1: part of the scouting and assessing process, is recognizing the

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Speaker 1: one true standout talent that could play at any level

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Speaker 1: in the country and will likely, if all things go well,

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Speaker 1: go on to the pro level. That part is the

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Speaker 1: easy part, and the problem is is that the vast

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Speaker 1: majority of kids in this country in sports, in all sports,

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Speaker 1: don't fit that one quarter of one percent mold of

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Speaker 1: that kid. They fall somewhere below that. You also could

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Speaker 1: easily pull out the bottom ten percent where kids that

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Speaker 1: just don't look that coordinated, they just don't look like

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Speaker 1: they have it together. Their first touch isn't very good.

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Speaker 1: You can spot those kids. So we're really talking about

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Speaker 1: the ones in the middle. We're talking about of the

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Speaker 1: kids that are left in the middle. How do they

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Speaker 1: know what is the highest level that they could possibly

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Speaker 1: play at? Right? How do they know? And that's the

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Speaker 1: hard part, that's the part that everybody's trying to figure out.

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Speaker 1: Um And if a kid can put themselves into a

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Speaker 1: position where a coach does an assessment, so it could

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Speaker 1: be at a tournament, could be at a camp, and

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Speaker 1: if that coach honestly looks at you and assesses you,

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Speaker 1: and then if you're of recruiting age where they can

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Speaker 1: come and talk to you. So we're talking about in soccer,

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Speaker 1: we're talking about uh June after your sophomore years, so

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Speaker 1: going to do junior year and they can talk to

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Speaker 1: you and they are not pulling you aside it and

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Speaker 1: going So what do you think about going to school?

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Speaker 1: Do you think about our campus? What would you think

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Speaker 1: about coming here, and they aren't having those conversations with you,

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Speaker 1: then you're not being recruited. It's an answer. No is

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Speaker 1: an answer. By the way, it's an answer that parents

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Speaker 1: don't want to hear and kids don't want to hear.

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Speaker 1: But no is an answer, and not talking to you

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Speaker 1: is an answer. If you're it's funny kids are out

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Speaker 1: of camp. They told me I was the best player

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Speaker 1: at the camp. Well, yes, but you have to understand

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Speaker 1: that college camps are by n C double a rule,

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Speaker 1: not invitation. Only anybody can sign up. So you get

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Speaker 1: a kid that can't kick a ball, not very good,

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Speaker 1: competing against the kids who might be very good. But

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Speaker 1: then we start to go, well, yeah, they're very good,

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Speaker 1: but are they very good because they're very good, or

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Speaker 1: are they very good because of who they're playing against

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Speaker 1: that aren't very good, And it can be difficult for

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Speaker 1: a coach to tell the difference. So then they go,

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Speaker 1: all right, send me your club schedule. Let me go

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Speaker 1: see you play against better teams with better players, and

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Speaker 1: then we can see where you sit. That's why this

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Speaker 1: gets drug out so much, and it's because a kid

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Speaker 1: doesn't stand out over and above everybody else. They're not

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Speaker 1: clear cut standouts. So clearly you know, if a school

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Speaker 1: is not reaching out to you, if a coach isn't

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Speaker 1: showing interest, or on the flip side, if you're only

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Speaker 1: getting looks or recruitment interests from Division two, Division three

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Speaker 1: and a whatever it doesn't matter, then that should be

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Speaker 1: pretty indicative of what your talent levels does the old adage,

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Speaker 1: if you're good enough, they'll find it. Is that still

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Speaker 1: the case or is it just not the case anymore?

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Speaker 1: I don't think it's the case anymore. It used to

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Speaker 1: be the case when rosters were more regionalized soccer unlike

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Speaker 1: unlike baseball. I don't know if maybe it's changing a

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Speaker 1: baseball too, but soccer has become such, especially on the

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Speaker 1: men's side, such an international draw for coaches to be

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Speaker 1: going after kids that, you know, the kids that we

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Speaker 1: think is going to be the Herman mc Trophy winners

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Speaker 1: from France. Right when you look at the All American lists,

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Speaker 1: it's virtually all internationals. So that part's just not holding

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Speaker 1: true anymore. Used to be that rosters were more regionalized,

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Speaker 1: kids played regionally. Uh, in all of our sports, the

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Speaker 1: regional winners went on to play other regional winners, and

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Speaker 1: so coaches new to go to the regional events and

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Speaker 1: then new to go to the national events, and there

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Speaker 1: weren't five ten different events going on around the country

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Speaker 1: like there are now. So I just don't think it

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Speaker 1: holds true as much as it did, uh back in

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Speaker 1: the day. There's still some truth to it. If a

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Speaker 1: superstar player comes out of Minnesota, all of a sudden,

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Speaker 1: the whole country kind of hears about this kid, including

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Speaker 1: the U S national team, by the way, including the

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Speaker 1: U S national youth teams. So yes, it can happen,

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Speaker 1: but I think to utilize that as a rule anymore

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Speaker 1: is probably outdated. So you're you are sports recruiting USA,

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Speaker 1: sports recruiting USA. I want you to tell me because

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Speaker 1: because I know on the baseball side, there are there

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Speaker 1: are services like and i'll drop their name on n

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Speaker 1: c S a UM, there are there are advisors like

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Speaker 1: individuals who work with families and certain individual players and

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Speaker 1: they help those players, uh, from you know, start to finish,

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Speaker 1: you know, organizing camps whatever. They act as an advisor

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Speaker 1: through the recruiting process. What do you do? What are

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Speaker 1: the differences? Because you know, people are I think that

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Speaker 1: first thing people do is they go, I need to

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Speaker 1: create a profile and go on and see it. Like

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Speaker 1: I I only mentioned them because I feel like everyone

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Speaker 1: knows n C s A. But I also have heard

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Speaker 1: some things like some of these larger brands, you know,

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Speaker 1: college coaches that I speak to are kind of like,

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Speaker 1: you know, it kind of takes some of that stuff

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Speaker 1: with a grain of salt. Can you kind of break

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Speaker 1: that down a little digging? Yeah. So the whole idea

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Speaker 1: that I had when I started this in ten I

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Speaker 1: didn't start the company, but I joined in was coming

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Speaker 1: out this from a college coach's perspective, and that is

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Speaker 1: the problems that college coaches have is this will the

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Speaker 1: kid get into the school? Right? The days of a

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Speaker 1: two point three g p A kid UH somehow being

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Speaker 1: able to get into uh Stanford because they're an incredible

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Speaker 1: player are over. Okay. I think the final straw that

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Speaker 1: broke the Campbell's back was the U s c l

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Speaker 1: A recruiting scandal, uh, and I think it really set

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Speaker 1: everybody on their ear and schools have become much more

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Speaker 1: legit about kids being able to get into school. So

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Speaker 1: does the kid fit in here academically? Does the kid

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Speaker 1: really want to be here? Does the kid really want

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Speaker 1: to play for my program and the family a full school? Uh,

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Speaker 1: that's the other party. Sports like baseball, soccer, track and field,

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Speaker 1: these sports are not head count sports like football and

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Speaker 1: basketball are. Right now, what is some people don't head

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Speaker 1: count sport? What is that? Real? Quick? Okay? So football

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Speaker 1: has I'm gonna think it's like I think it's like

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Speaker 1: eighty five eighty five scholarships to give out. So if

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Speaker 1: they give out one dollar, they've given out a full. Well,

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Speaker 1: nobody's going to come to the school for a dollar,

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Speaker 1: so clearly they're just going to give out the full.

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Speaker 1: So that means housing, tuition, books, and food paid for.

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Speaker 1: All the other sports are all dealing in a pot

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Speaker 1: of money and they condition out whenever they want, So

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Speaker 1: I don't know what he stads pay. We had a

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Speaker 1: pot of money that was like thirty five, so one

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Speaker 1: kid would get five grand and one kid would get

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Speaker 1: five one kid would get a thousand, one kid would

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Speaker 1: get zero. Then we would reward our American senior with

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Speaker 1: a whole ride by the time they were a senior, right,

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Speaker 1: and we would reallocate the money annually based on performance

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Speaker 1: um until the money was gone. So every sport works

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Speaker 1: like that except football, basketball, women's volleyball. There's only like

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Speaker 1: four sports, oh, gymnastics, women's gymnastics. Those are headcount sports.

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Speaker 1: The rest of us have to deal with just a

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Speaker 1: pot of money that we could And by the way,

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Speaker 1: some schools have very small pots of money. So that's

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Speaker 1: that there's this something being fully funded versus not. Right. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: So I use you mass Low and you mass Amherst

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Speaker 1: is two examples. One has like six scholarships and one

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Speaker 1: has two, same state, same system, but the president of

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Speaker 1: the school decides how that money is going to be.

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Speaker 1: All okay, So if you've got two scholarships to give out, look,

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Speaker 1: nobody's getting very much here. You gotta want to be

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Speaker 1: at our school badly enough to pay like every other

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Speaker 1: student pays. Al Right, So at the end of the day,

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Speaker 1: when you compare what sports recruiting USA does versus the competition,

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Speaker 1: is it end to end? Are you? You know you're

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Speaker 1: trying to find the right fit. From a student athlete perspective,

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Speaker 1: it's all income passing, right. Well, Hey, we're invitation only,

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Speaker 1: so we're one of the few companies on planet Earth

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Speaker 1: that are invitation only. You can't buy your way into

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Speaker 1: this company. You could not throw money at me and

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Speaker 1: say now I want to be an involved in and

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Speaker 1: I go, yeah, well, thank you. We have a hundred

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Speaker 1: scouts going out to tournaments all over the country and

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Speaker 1: not cold calling on kids, but kids have to ask

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Speaker 1: us to assess them, and then we tell them, uh, look,

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Speaker 1: we really think that this is the level that you're

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Speaker 1: gonna be at. Yeah, but what about Notre Dame and

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Speaker 1: what about North Carolina and what about Stanford? Yeah, but

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Speaker 1: we don't believe, based on our experience, that that's where

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Speaker 1: you're gonna end up playing at. We don't think that

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Speaker 1: your soccer abilities match that school. Now your academic abilities

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Speaker 1: and get you to these sets of schools, and then

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Speaker 1: out of those sets of schools, these are the schools

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Speaker 1: in which are soccer abilities match. We can make that

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Speaker 1: happen for you. We can connect you with those schools.

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Speaker 1: And we just approached the couches directly. Because what we've

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Speaker 1: done now is we've by the time we are promoting

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Speaker 1: a kid out to schools, Nick, we've actually done most

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Speaker 1: of the work that the college coaching staff, the assistant

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Speaker 1: coaches normally would do. We've got their transcripts, We know

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Speaker 1: their majors, we know their budgets, we know that they

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Speaker 1: want to be at these schools. Now it's just a

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Speaker 1: question of hey, coach, if you like this kid, this

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Speaker 1: could be a quick done deal for you. Very interesting,

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Speaker 1: I mean, and I've experienced this. I have some relationships

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Speaker 1: with some coaches that you know, I played for whatever,

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Speaker 1: and if I were to say something that carries a

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Speaker 1: little more weight because they know me personally, is that

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Speaker 1: all we're talking about? So so your relationships is what

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Speaker 1: is what we're talking about? Relationships. So we'll go to

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Speaker 1: the convention in Philadelphia and we will sit down with

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Speaker 1: a few hungred college coaches. They're telling us their needs

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Speaker 1: were hand picking the players that we've got left for

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Speaker 1: twenty three and then going into twenty four, and we

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Speaker 1: are saying, these are the ones that we think could

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Speaker 1: be a fit for you. What do you think? Then

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Speaker 1: they don't have to vet through two hundred kids. They've

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Speaker 1: only got to look at six, and then with thout

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Speaker 1: of those six they like too, then they will directly

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Speaker 1: just compact those two kids. Very interesting. So I would

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Speaker 1: imagine you have to have people at times beaten down

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Speaker 1: your door. How do you navigate that? Uh yeah, I

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Speaker 1: actually be honest. Uh, it's it can get daunting. But

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Speaker 1: we have a staff, right, I mean that I can't.

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Speaker 1: I can't do it. In fact, I perstantly have cut

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Speaker 1: back on handling fifty clients a year to handling about

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Speaker 1: twenty five because I've got a company to run. So

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Speaker 1: we've got staff thems that are all college coaches now

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Speaker 1: here in the US and in and in Canada, UM

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Speaker 1: and in Mexico that are going out and doing that

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Speaker 1: work for our company as a staff. So we've got

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Speaker 1: enough manpower to handle about three hundred kids a year

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Speaker 1: UM and not what we do. And then the rest

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Speaker 1: of them, uh a lot of kids. We just have

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Speaker 1: to say, your best chance is just to go to

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Speaker 1: whatever your local community colleges and build something for yourself.

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Speaker 1: And and that's your best chance if you want to

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Speaker 1: play pass high school. Because uh, this is not a

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Speaker 1: knock on junior colleges and saying they're just at the bottom,

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Speaker 1: because it's not true. There are junior colleges out there

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Speaker 1: that are national championship level where those kids are going

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Speaker 1: on huge percentage of too good Division one programs UM.

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Speaker 1: But there's so many junior colleges in the country, there's

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Speaker 1: almost a thousand, and there are quite a few of them. Literally,

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Speaker 1: our neighborhood teams right built up of just the high

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Speaker 1: school kids from that area. And if you're the better

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Speaker 1: kid from your high school, then you probably have a

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Speaker 1: chance of making those rosters and getting a chance to

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Speaker 1: prove yourself. But frankly, you're not ready as a player

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Speaker 1: to take off and play at the four year level yet,

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Speaker 1: so shift gears. But I think one feeds the other

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Speaker 1: when you look at the state of youth sports, and

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Speaker 1: it seems like every week there's in baseball, it's a

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Speaker 1: little odd, I believe, where you can't call on a

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Speaker 1: kid as a college coach till they're I think they're

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Speaker 1: going into their junior year or like whatever the case is.

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Speaker 1: But yet you see kids verbally committing to colleges when

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Speaker 1: they're in eighth grade at times, you know, ninth grade.

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Speaker 1: And I have talked to people and know that a

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Speaker 1: college coach can't call the kid, but the kid can

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Speaker 1: call the coach and have a conversation that way, Like

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Speaker 1: it's completely fine. As long as the phone call is

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Speaker 1: from the kid calling the coach, they can talk It's

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Speaker 1: really strange to me, Um, but it happens all the time.

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Speaker 1: It just seems like it's getting younger and younger and younger.

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Speaker 1: How is it in soccer? Is it? Is it younger?

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Speaker 1: And is it is it in the best interests of

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Speaker 1: the kid when you're looking at it from those ages? Well,

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Speaker 1: Mason soccer, and I don't know how all the sports work.

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Speaker 1: I thought, I really thought it was an n C

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Speaker 1: double A rule across the board. If a kid calls

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Speaker 1: a college coach and reason, I don't know eighth grade,

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Speaker 1: the coach has got to say, shut up, get out

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Speaker 1: of here, I can't talk to you. They're not supposed

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Speaker 1: to having the conversations at all until June of the

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Speaker 1: kids going into their junior year. So we have found

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Speaker 1: that I think it was twenty nineteen at the un

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Speaker 1: double A came up with that rule, and it has

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Speaker 1: curbed the recruiting timeline certainly, and I think more coaches

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Speaker 1: are behaving. There are coaches and club coaches who have

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Speaker 1: very close relationships and there are kids that on June

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Speaker 1: have committed. Well, how does that happen if they couldn't

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Speaker 1: have a conversation with these kids Legally it's because they

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Speaker 1: were doing with third parties. This is very personal, but

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Speaker 1: I out of as a parent. If I knew that

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Speaker 1: my kids college coach was willing to cheat in one thing,

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Speaker 1: then what else are they willing to cheat for? Right?

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Speaker 1: What old school they cheat? And then will they cheat

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Speaker 1: with my kid? Will they do things that aren't in

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Speaker 1: the best inches of my kid? And if they'll do

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Speaker 1: anything to win, are they going to play my kid

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Speaker 1: when my kids injured and they shouldn't be playing my kid?

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Speaker 1: Are they going to cut deals with trainers? Are they

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Speaker 1: going to jeopardize my child's health? Well? There are they

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Speaker 1: going to look after my kids mental well being? If

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Speaker 1: they only care about winning. If they're willing to bend

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Speaker 1: and cheat and break the rules for winning in the

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Speaker 1: name of winning, what else are they willing to do

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Speaker 1: in the name of winning? So my warning is the

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Speaker 1: parents out there. While it's really exciting to have your

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Speaker 1: kid in conversations before legal dates, I still don't see

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Speaker 1: the value because we all have to remember that a

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Speaker 1: verbal commitment means nothing to the n C double A,

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Speaker 1: it means nothing to the school. And if that coach leaves,

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Speaker 1: if that coach changes their mind, if that coach changes

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Speaker 1: the terms of the deal. If anything like that happens.

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Speaker 1: There's no recourse on parents, there's no records on the kids.

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Speaker 1: This is just an agreement between you and by the way,

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Speaker 1: not the school, but you and that specific coach. And

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Speaker 1: coaches move all the time. They move every year, hundreds

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Speaker 1: of them. When we return, Don and I discussed the

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Speaker 1: importance of understanding that athletic scholarships are typically only a

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Speaker 1: one year commitment. Welcome back. Where we left off. Don

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Speaker 1: and I were about to talk about the trans reportal

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Speaker 1: and why he encourages students to stay at their college

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Speaker 1: for at least a year before transferring. So so the

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Speaker 1: verbal commitment thing, right, everyone wants to come. I'm committed.

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Speaker 1: I'm committed. I'm committed. And I love how you touched

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Speaker 1: on that, because, I mean, I've heard the stories. I've

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Speaker 1: you know, I've seen it, and I've heard them from

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Speaker 1: both sides. Like, you know, you commit as a ninth grader,

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Speaker 1: you know, and a coach encourages you, you know, and

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Speaker 1: I get it. You know, if you're fifteen six and

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Speaker 1: years old. Hell, if you're a parent of a fourteen

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Speaker 1: fifties sixteen year old and your kid is you know, told,

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Speaker 1: we want to commit you whatever the cases, and and

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Speaker 1: there's going to be the scholarship. Well, they don't realize

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Speaker 1: that if your kid doesn't develop and is not on

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Speaker 1: the right track, that there's nothing binding like either party

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Speaker 1: can walk away from. I don't think that people fully

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Speaker 1: understand what you're saying there. I don't think people understand

404
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Speaker 1: or do they just get so consumed in the instant gratification.

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Speaker 1: How do parents navigate that resist the urge to let

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Speaker 1: their kids came even though we're talking about a small percentage,

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Speaker 1: But how do you resist the urge to go through

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Speaker 1: that excitement at a young age? Uh. The advice that

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Speaker 1: I give the parents is that if your kid is

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Speaker 1: good enough that that school wants you now as a

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Speaker 1: let's say, just graduating sophomore, they're probably still going to

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Speaker 1: watch your kid at the end of the junior year. Two.

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Speaker 1: Will money be exactly the same, Maybe or maybe not.

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Speaker 1: But understand that if your kid proves themselves, especially with

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Speaker 1: the advent of the transfer poole, if your kid proves

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Speaker 1: themselves and that coach doesn't word your kid, they know

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Speaker 1: that they could lose maybe their best player or one

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Speaker 1: of their best players. So the money generally in college

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00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,800
Speaker 1: is going year to year anyhow. It's only a one

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Speaker 1: year commitment or one year contract that you're being that

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Speaker 1: you're signing, So the coach is going to be reallocating

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Speaker 1: money next year anyway. So if you can get through

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Speaker 1: year one financially as a parent, then your kid could

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Speaker 1: be taken care of years two, three, and four. What

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Speaker 1: do you think about the transfer portal? Well, it is

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Speaker 1: the best thing and the worst thing all at the

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Speaker 1: same time that's ever happened. So the reason I say

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Speaker 1: it's the best thing is because coaches used to be

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Speaker 1: able to go, I don't really like you, you really

430
00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:45,520
Speaker 1: don't like me, but you are a very good player

431
00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:47,920
Speaker 1: and you are helping the team. We don't get along,

432
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:49,600
Speaker 1: we don't see eye to eye. So the kid goes,

433
00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,119
Speaker 1: I want to transfer, and because because nope, not signing

434
00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:54,159
Speaker 1: the paperwork. So the kid goes to the a D.

435
00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:56,560
Speaker 1: And the a D says, nope, not signing the paperwork.

436
00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:59,240
Speaker 1: So there is an appeals process. You have to go

437
00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:01,560
Speaker 1: through the appeals process. But let's face by this time,

438
00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:04,720
Speaker 1: we're acrimonious, right, We're fighting each other. It's like going

439
00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,399
Speaker 1: to a lawsuit. With each other to try to get

440
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,760
Speaker 1: yourself released. So nobody wants to go through that. So

441
00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:13,320
Speaker 1: kids would just stick it out in a very uncomfortable

442
00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:15,959
Speaker 1: situation for the rest of their careers. That's not healthy.

443
00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,959
Speaker 1: On the other hand, now pendulum has swung the other way. Uh.

444
00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,080
Speaker 1: I'm still know I'm away from home and I'm not

445
00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:27,680
Speaker 1: really comfortable here. I've been away from home now for

446
00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:32,200
Speaker 1: six months, and I'm just gonna transfer. Uh. Baseball. I've

447
00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,320
Speaker 1: always been a little bit jealous of, by the way, Nick,

448
00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:38,280
Speaker 1: because these coaches have a fallball and they could really

449
00:24:38,359 --> 00:24:40,520
Speaker 1: test these kids help before they have to throw them

450
00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:45,480
Speaker 1: into the fire of Supring Bowl soccer soccer. They're just reporting, look,

451
00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:47,120
Speaker 1: I got this eighteen year old kid. I don't even

452
00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:48,919
Speaker 1: know who they are, they don't know who I am,

453
00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:52,320
Speaker 1: and they have to compete at a very high level

454
00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:56,920
Speaker 1: immediately as a freshman. Baseball has got a big advantage

455
00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:59,760
Speaker 1: on this on this end of it. Uh. And so

456
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,360
Speaker 1: these kids are staying at a school. We see kids

457
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,879
Speaker 1: going into the transfer portal before the new rules. Now

458
00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:08,560
Speaker 1: we've had another new rule change and we can go

459
00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:12,359
Speaker 1: over that real quickly. But um, these kids were at

460
00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,560
Speaker 1: a school for six weeks, eight weeks and then deciding

461
00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,640
Speaker 1: they don't like it already. Well, come on, how many

462
00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,840
Speaker 1: of us walk into a job and our king of

463
00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:25,080
Speaker 1: the hill in our new job in the first six weeks.

464
00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:28,200
Speaker 1: You got to give it time. Yeah, yeah, it just

465
00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:30,800
Speaker 1: takes time. And every kid look having been through this

466
00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:33,600
Speaker 1: as apparent with my own son having been through this

467
00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:37,280
Speaker 1: as a coach for over twenty years, this is the

468
00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:41,560
Speaker 1: scariest time of a freshman's life. They are now away

469
00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:43,760
Speaker 1: from mom and dad, They have nobody to take care

470
00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:47,200
Speaker 1: of them. The excitement wears off after two three weeks,

471
00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:51,040
Speaker 1: the fear begins to set in. If they're not starting

472
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:54,200
Speaker 1: right away, it makes it doubly hard because they probably

473
00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:58,480
Speaker 1: have been a starter for their entire careers um and

474
00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,240
Speaker 1: they have no friends. They've got to make new friends.

475
00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:05,040
Speaker 1: The seniors and juniors can make things very difficult tell

476
00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:09,119
Speaker 1: them at times, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not, but having to

477
00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:13,640
Speaker 1: deal with as an eighteen year old two three, sometimes

478
00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:18,480
Speaker 1: twenty four men and women is very scary, very intimidating,

479
00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:21,320
Speaker 1: the things that they're talking about. You have no idea.

480
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:23,919
Speaker 1: It's just it's a very hard time in a young

481
00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:27,400
Speaker 1: person's life, and you do have to give it time,

482
00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:29,879
Speaker 1: and you do have to be patient, and you do

483
00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:32,880
Speaker 1: have to kind of wait your turn to be able

484
00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:36,600
Speaker 1: to play often. And a lot of these kids nowadays

485
00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,879
Speaker 1: can get into the portal so easily. You know, you

486
00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:42,479
Speaker 1: don't even need the coach's permission. You don't even need

487
00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:44,720
Speaker 1: to tell your coach. By rule, you walk into the

488
00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,359
Speaker 1: compliance office. So you go, I want to transfer. I

489
00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:49,360
Speaker 1: think they've got twenty four hours to get you into

490
00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:53,399
Speaker 1: the portal after that, and so that's it. Uh, And

491
00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:59,120
Speaker 1: and kids are running, they're running to it, and uh, yeah,

492
00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,920
Speaker 1: it's bad. Uh it's bad because I don't think a

493
00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:06,680
Speaker 1: lot of kids are giving it a full, honest to

494
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:09,159
Speaker 1: goodness go. We try to talk all of our clients

495
00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:11,840
Speaker 1: that they feel like they need to transfer into giving

496
00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:15,200
Speaker 1: it an entire year, and quite often try to ask

497
00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:17,800
Speaker 1: them to give it going into their sophomore year, because

498
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:20,560
Speaker 1: your sophomore year just think back to high school, all

499
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,440
Speaker 1: of us, if you've never been to college before, think

500
00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,840
Speaker 1: back to your how you felt your sophomore year first

501
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:30,919
Speaker 1: day compared to your freshman year first day. The bottom

502
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,720
Speaker 1: of the ladder anymore. You're not scared to death anymore.

503
00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:35,879
Speaker 1: You kind of know what they expected, and you can

504
00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:39,680
Speaker 1: see this massive change. My last my last kid for

505
00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:41,560
Speaker 1: the last eight years of my career, Nick was out

506
00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:45,560
Speaker 1: of junior college. So night and day comparing freshmen to

507
00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:48,879
Speaker 1: softwares and a lot of kids that you know, scoring

508
00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,440
Speaker 1: two or three goals their freshman year come in and

509
00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:56,080
Speaker 1: they light it up for fifty their sophomore year. Uh,

510
00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:59,200
Speaker 1: they just they're more comfortable from day one. And kids

511
00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:02,760
Speaker 1: aren't even given themselves their opportunity to get to that

512
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:05,560
Speaker 1: point in life before they say they want to transfer.

513
00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:10,760
Speaker 1: What can we do as parents to put our kids

514
00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:14,439
Speaker 1: in the position so that they go into college whatever,

515
00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:16,159
Speaker 1: if they're going to be an athlete, if they're not,

516
00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:19,600
Speaker 1: forget about just college. How do I prepare my kid

517
00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:22,320
Speaker 1: for the next level? Right? You know? I got my

518
00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:25,720
Speaker 1: oldest is seven till be eighteen and in June. My

519
00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,600
Speaker 1: youngest will be five in August? Right, So so I

520
00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:31,040
Speaker 1: got I got a bunch of kids, man, I got

521
00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:33,600
Speaker 1: that at a wide spectrum. So how do I make

522
00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:35,879
Speaker 1: my five year old ready for kindergarten next year? How

523
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,120
Speaker 1: do I make my eighteen year all prepared for college? Like?

524
00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:41,760
Speaker 1: I have to allow them to experience things good and bad?

525
00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:43,560
Speaker 1: I have to allow them to struggle all out in

526
00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:46,640
Speaker 1: the fail and not coddle them so much. What are

527
00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:50,640
Speaker 1: ways in which you would recommend parents prepare their kids

528
00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:53,760
Speaker 1: for the path? Are you kids for the college path? Well,

529
00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:55,720
Speaker 1: you know, it's just some of the youth travel thing.

530
00:28:55,880 --> 00:28:58,360
Speaker 1: Isn't all horrible? Your kids have to play against good

531
00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:01,240
Speaker 1: level competition, right, you gole want to be the best

532
00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:04,480
Speaker 1: kid on your team, dominating all of the time at

533
00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:07,600
Speaker 1: every single level, because there's no growth, because there's no failure.

534
00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:10,720
Speaker 1: You have to be able to allow your kids to fail.

535
00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:12,880
Speaker 1: You've got to be able to put your kids in

536
00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:17,720
Speaker 1: situations where they are uncomfortable and where they fight their

537
00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:22,120
Speaker 1: way through it and without your help, right, just them

538
00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:25,080
Speaker 1: and their coaches and their teammates, and they're fighting their

539
00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:28,720
Speaker 1: way through adversity. So that's the first step. Then the

540
00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:31,840
Speaker 1: next step is once they start to thinking about college

541
00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:33,400
Speaker 1: and they think they want to play at like every

542
00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:36,560
Speaker 1: parent to try this exercise with their kids, Can you,

543
00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:42,280
Speaker 1: for fifteen minutes put aside names of schools, labels and divisions.

544
00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:44,920
Speaker 1: Can you just put that aside for a minute and

545
00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:51,000
Speaker 1: talk to your kids about what experience they want from college?

546
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:54,680
Speaker 1: What is most important to them real quick example, my

547
00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:57,960
Speaker 1: own son gave up the degree that he thought that

548
00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:00,440
Speaker 1: he wanted, which was can you see all the because

549
00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:03,120
Speaker 1: he wanted to be a college coach. He gave up

550
00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:06,640
Speaker 1: being closer to home, which was his original option, playing

551
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,640
Speaker 1: for Sonoma State University, who had just won the Division

552
00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,160
Speaker 1: two national championship, very good level, and he ended up

553
00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:15,160
Speaker 1: he went to England for a couple of years, but

554
00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:19,800
Speaker 1: he ended up going to school at St. Francis and Loretto, Pennsylvania,

555
00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:23,960
Speaker 1: at going for a marketing major because all he wanted

556
00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,120
Speaker 1: to do was be a college coach. That's what he

557
00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:30,480
Speaker 1: wanted out of his life. And so his goal was

558
00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:34,800
Speaker 1: really to get with a college coach who could help

559
00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:37,640
Speaker 1: teach him what it was going to take to be

560
00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:41,040
Speaker 1: a college coach, and then any degree would work. Really,

561
00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:44,240
Speaker 1: there are college coaches with English majors. Any degree would work.

562
00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:47,760
Speaker 1: As opposed to the kid who says I want to

563
00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:50,840
Speaker 1: put rockets in the space, I want to literally be

564
00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:54,720
Speaker 1: a rocket scientist. That kid is a different kid than

565
00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:59,000
Speaker 1: my kid. Their experience out of college, there is no

566
00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:01,760
Speaker 1: compromise there. You aren't going to go get an English degree.

567
00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:03,720
Speaker 1: In the book Rockets in Space you have to go

568
00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:08,760
Speaker 1: into engineering and rocketry. So what those kids want out

569
00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:12,280
Speaker 1: of their experience? Size of the school matters to some kids.

570
00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:15,000
Speaker 1: Nick some kids need to have They have an engine

571
00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,560
Speaker 1: that thrives a big city environment, and when they get

572
00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:21,760
Speaker 1: out of that, their engine doesn't work the same. Other kids,

573
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,800
Speaker 1: the big city environment scares them to death. I have

574
00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:27,320
Speaker 1: a girl that went to New York City. We put

575
00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:30,280
Speaker 1: her l I U because that's where she wanted to

576
00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:33,080
Speaker 1: be in Long Island. That was her goal. She ended

577
00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:36,040
Speaker 1: up being uncomfortable there. It didn't work for her. Now

578
00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:38,360
Speaker 1: she's back at the D three school in Ohio and

579
00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:42,200
Speaker 1: very comfortable. Why because it wasn't her engine. It didn't

580
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:46,480
Speaker 1: match her vibe, her motor, it didn't match um. And

581
00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:49,400
Speaker 1: then do I want to go into debt? Is this

582
00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:51,800
Speaker 1: something that I want to do? Am I willing to

583
00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:55,320
Speaker 1: go ten grand, quanty grand, fifty grand, a hundred grand

584
00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,440
Speaker 1: into debt for the degree that I want from the

585
00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:00,880
Speaker 1: school that I want and getting the soccer experience that

586
00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:03,160
Speaker 1: I want? Am I willing to do that? Is that

587
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:08,200
Speaker 1: what I want? So ask your kids what experience do

588
00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:13,200
Speaker 1: you want? And think about every minute detail you can

589
00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:15,520
Speaker 1: think of from what's the weather going to be like

590
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:20,400
Speaker 1: in January February March. Right, am I going to play

591
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:23,840
Speaker 1: on turf or grass? Uh? Am I going to play

592
00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:26,720
Speaker 1: in a big stadium? Or am I going to play

593
00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:31,120
Speaker 1: in a local community wreck field? There are Division one programs,

594
00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:33,320
Speaker 1: by the way, that don't have their own soccer field.

595
00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:36,480
Speaker 1: They go play on a high school field down the road.

596
00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:40,280
Speaker 1: So the divisions don't tell us the story, but the

597
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:44,040
Speaker 1: experience tells us the story next. So if you get

598
00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:49,160
Speaker 1: our parents to understand that they need to help their

599
00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:53,440
Speaker 1: kids break down the bits and pieces of the experience

600
00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:57,120
Speaker 1: of what they want from college, that will give them

601
00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:00,360
Speaker 1: a much better idea of the types of school them

602
00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:03,440
Speaker 1: to go after. And they might find that a Division

603
00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:07,080
Speaker 1: three school has a more affordable or Division two school

604
00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:10,920
Speaker 1: has a more affordable education, has a better education, and

605
00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:13,480
Speaker 1: the major that they want gives their kids the year

606
00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:17,320
Speaker 1: round experience that they're looking for and gives their kids

607
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:22,080
Speaker 1: maybe the ability to play right away. Maybe that's the decider, Right,

608
00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:26,320
Speaker 1: I really want to play my freshman year. Well, that's

609
00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:28,680
Speaker 1: less likely to happen that U c l A than

610
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:32,240
Speaker 1: it is going to happen at your local Division three

611
00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,080
Speaker 1: or inn A. I a school. I love that, man.

612
00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:39,480
Speaker 1: That is absolute freaking gold done. Where can people find you?

613
00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:41,720
Speaker 1: How they can? Can they connect with you? Um and

614
00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,720
Speaker 1: follow it because you put out phenomenal content. Nick, I'm

615
00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:49,840
Speaker 1: a loudnouth on Twitter underscore k Underscore Williams. I'm all

616
00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:52,280
Speaker 1: over the place all day long. My wife hates it

617
00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:55,000
Speaker 1: because I never put my phone down. Uh. You can

618
00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:58,760
Speaker 1: catch us on Instagram, same handle. Uh, you can catch

619
00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:03,200
Speaker 1: us on face Book. We have to college soccer recruiting

620
00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:07,840
Speaker 1: Facebook groups. Uh, Sports Recruiting USA for college soccer advice.

621
00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:13,200
Speaker 1: We're answering questions podcasts inside college Soccer podcast. You can

622
00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:17,799
Speaker 1: find us all over your local podcast providers and uh yeah,

623
00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:20,640
Speaker 1: and then my email Don at s R USA soccer

624
00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:23,919
Speaker 1: dot com. Super pumped of connected with you. Don. Thanks

625
00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:26,440
Speaker 1: for coming on a chair man. You're the This is awesome,

626
00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:30,600
Speaker 1: Nick is. Honestly, it is my pleasure. You are the man.

627
00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,960
Speaker 1: Your reform sports project is catching on. Uh and I

628
00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:37,400
Speaker 1: will continue to be one of your biggest fans and

629
00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:39,879
Speaker 1: promote you. You're the man. Brother. I appreciate it. Don,

630
00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,480
Speaker 1: Thank you so much. That's Don Williams, head of operations

631
00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:47,240
Speaker 1: for Sports Recruiting USA. Thanks for listening to the Reformed

632
00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:50,200
Speaker 1: Sports Project podcast. I'm Nick Boncourt and our goal is

633
00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:53,280
Speaker 1: to restore a healthy balance and perspective in all areas

634
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:56,799
Speaker 1: of sports through education and advocacy. For updates, please follow

635
00:34:56,920 --> 00:34:59,799
Speaker 1: us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or check out our

636
00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:02,360
Speaker 1: web site by searching for the Reformed Sports Project