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College soccer recruiting words, explained

Updated · 6 min read

Recruiting has a language of its own. Here are the words you'll hear from coaches, counselors and other parents, in plain English.

Rules checked for the 2026–27 school year on , at the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA's own rulebooks. Rules change: confirm anything important with the college's compliance office.

Academic redshirt
A Division I freshman who meets some but not all of the academic rules: they may receive aid and practice in their first year, but not play in games.
Amateurism certification
The NCAA Eligibility Center's check that a Division I or II recruit hasn't been paid to play or played on a professional team.
Certification account
The paid NCAA Eligibility Center account a Division I or II recruit needs before an official visit and before signing.
Commit
A player's promise to attend a college and play for its team. A verbal commitment binds no one; signing does.
Compliance office
The college's staff who know the rules. They answer questions about recruiting, aid and NIL for players and families.
Contact
Any face-to-face conversation between a college coach and a player or their parents off the college's campus, beyond a hello.
Core courses
The academic high-school classes the NCAA counts for eligibility: English, math, science, social science and a few others on the school's approved list.
Core GPA
The grade point average of the core courses alone, worked out by the NCAA Eligibility Center.
Cost of attendance
Everything a year at the college costs: tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, travel and personal costs.
CSS Profile
A financial aid form some private colleges ask for, as well as the FAFSA, to award their own need-based aid.
Dead period
A time when college coaches may not recruit in person at all, on or off campus. Calls and emails are still allowed.
Division I, II and III
The NCAA's three levels. Division I has the most money and the earliest recruiting; Division II offers partial scholarships; Division III has no athletic aid.
Eligibility Center
The NCAA office that certifies that Division I and II recruits meet the academic and amateurism rules.
Equivalency
A sport, such as soccer, whose scholarships may be split into parts and shared among players.
Evaluation
A coach watching a player, at a game, a practice or a tournament.
FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid: the form that decides need-based aid from the government and many colleges.
Full ride
A scholarship that covers the whole cost of attendance. Rare in college soccer.
House settlement
The 2025 court settlement that let Division I colleges pay players a share of revenue and replaced scholarship limits with roster limits.
ID camp
A camp run by a college's coaches to see players they might recruit.
JUCO
Junior college: a two-year college, most of them in the NJCAA.
NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics: smaller colleges, with athletic scholarships and few recruiting rules.
National Letter of Intent
The contract recruits used to sign; it ended in 2024. Players now sign the college's written offer of aid.
Net price calculator
A tool on every college's website that estimates what your family would pay there after aid.
NIL
Name, image and likeness: players being paid for the use of their name or image, such as for a sponsorship or a post.
NJCAA
The National Junior College Athletic Association, for two-year colleges. Its Divisions I and II give athletic aid; Division III doesn't.
Official visit
A visit to the college paid for by the college.
Partial scholarship
Athletic aid that covers part of the cost. The usual kind in soccer.
Profile Page
The free NCAA Eligibility Center account, with an NCAA ID that coaches can use. It can be upgraded to a certification account.
Quiet period
A time when coaches may meet players only on their own campus.
Redshirt
A year a player practices with the team but doesn't play in games, so they keep a season of eligibility.
Roster limit
The most players a team may carry. At Division I colleges in the House settlement it replaced the scholarship limit.
Showcase
A tournament, usually run by a club league, where many college coaches come to watch players.
Signing day
The first day a recruit may sign a written offer of aid: in November of senior year for Division I and II soccer.
Transfer portal
The NCAA's list of college players who want to move to another college.
Unofficial visit
A visit to a college that your family pays for.
Verbal offer
A coach saying they want your player, often with the aid they'd give. It isn't binding.
Walk-on
A player on the team without athletic aid. A "recruited walk-on" was asked to join by the coach.
Written offer of athletics aid
The college's offer of a scholarship, signed by the player. It replaced the National Letter of Intent.
Sources

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