Women's College Soccer Recruiting in 2026: Why the Process Has Changed and What Families Need to Know
The State of Women's College Soccer Recruiting | August 2026: The college soccer recruiting landscape is always changing, and this article reflects the information available at the time of publication.
If you've been refreshing social media, watching commitment posts take over your feed, or wondering why communication with college coaches has slowed down lately, you're not the only one.
In fact, this is probably the question I've been asked more than any other over the last two weeks:
"Are we behind?"
My answer?
Probably not. But things are changing.
As we head into the college soccer season, recruiting naturally slows down every year. But this year definitely feels different and that's because it is.
There have been more changes to college soccer over the last two years than we've seen in a long time. Coaches, athletic departments, and families are all trying to figure out what recruiting will look like now and moving forward.
So before you convince yourself you've somehow missed your opportunity, this is what you should know and consider:
First Things First...Chill Out
Especially if you're a 2028 grad. Yes, there is no denying that recruiting has moved incredibly fast for some players and the numbers don’t lie, there are overall less roster spots each year due to the roster caps and the eligibility change.
But please remember:
Social media does not show the complete recruiting picture.
Every commitment isn't announced as soon as it happens..
Every offer isn't public.
Every program has a different way of recruiting..
Each player's journey is also different.
Just because you're seeing commitments online doesn't mean every college has finished recruiting for the 2028 class. In fact, there are still D1 programs that haven't finished their 2027 class.
I've spoken with coaches across multiple division 1 levels who have either intentionally slowed recruiting or temporarily paused recruiting for their 2028 class, and in some cases are still sorting through 2027s.
This is not because recruiting has necessarily stopped but because college soccer is going through a significant period of change.
Why Has Recruiting Slowed Down For Some?
There isn't one single reason. It's several major changes all happening at the same time.
1. The House Settlement Limited Roster Sizes
One of the biggest changes has been the implementation of the House settlement (House v. NCAA explained) and the introduction of roster limits for Division I athletics.
Programs had to make decisions about whether to participate under the new framework.
54 Division I athletic departments opted out of the settlement.
See here for the list of schools who opted out.
All schools in the Ivy League and Patriot League opted out.
The remaining Division I programs opted in.
See here for the list of schools who opted in.
Division 1 women’s soccer programs who have opted in, have a roster cap of 28 players, as opposed to “unlimited” (more like a range of 26-35) in past years.
The positive side of this, is that women’s soccer no longer has a 14 full scholarship per team limit. That limit is now maxed at 28. So the handful of programs that are now fully funded (these numbers are not public) can offer every single player on their roster a full scholarship. For power 4 schools, my best educated guess is that most range between offering 18-22 full scholarships (as opposed to just 14 a little over a year ago). Part of the reason why recruiting this year seemed fast on or soon after June 15th, could be because there are more full scholarships to be offered and the added days between when communications start and visits begin (now 2 months).
What all of this means is basically that schools and coaches are operating under different roster management situations, and that naturally affects recruiting decisions that they make.
Instead of simply asking themselves, "Who do we need and maybe even want in the 2028 class?"
Many coaches are first asking...
"How many roster spots will we actually have?"
Until they know that answer, some programs are waiting before extending more offers or commitments.
2. Five Years of Eligibility Creates More Questions Than Answers
Another huge factor is an update on player eligibility. (See here for more information on the age-based eligibility model)
Coaches are still figuring out which of their current players plan to use all of their eligibility and who they want to keep for their entire eligibility.
That includes:
Seniors considering another season
Graduate transfers
Transfer portal additions
Players who may move on after four years
Players who will not graduate, and leave early to play professionally
Every returning player potentially changes the number of available roster spots.
At the same time, it's important to remember something that may get overlooked:
Not every player wants to stay in college for five years and not every coach wants them for five years.
Just because an extra year is available doesn't mean every athlete plans to use it, or a coach decides to offer it..
We've seen the same thing in the past with medical redshirts, having the option didn't mean everyone took it, and it did not mean coaches offered a “5th year” to every player who had one.
So while five years of eligibility adds uncertainty for everyone (could be a huge benefit to those who play 5 years in college) it doesn't automatically eliminate recruiting opportunities. BUT just looking at the basic math, the more classes (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors + 5th years/grads) means that there will be less players in each class.
3. The Recruiting Calendar Has Been Unusually Compressed
This summer’s club and college soccer calendar looked very different than in the past. Several events all landed on top of one another, or back to back.
Consider everything coaches had happening at once:
A Men's World Cup year in the United States creating scheduling challenges and pushed back ECNL National Playoffs which took place in mid-July (arguably one of the biggest girl’s club soccer recruiting events in the year).
Nearly every major college ID camp happening on the same July weekends due to this compressed schedule.
Division I programs beginning preseason earlier than last year, giving coaches even less flexibility before their team reported to preseason.
That's a lot to squeeze into a short time period, even looking at this without the roster limitation and eligibility changes..
Instead of spreading ID Camps throughout the summer, and attending multiple events, many coaches had to make choices about where they could be and who they could see.
4. August Is a Dead Period
The NCAA recruiting calendar has added in a dead period from July 29th - August 11th. Last year, official and unofficial visits were allowed by soon to be juniors beginning August 1st.
During the August dead period:
No in-person recruiting contact.
No unofficial or official visits until the dead period ends.
No college ID camps during that time.
This may seem like not a big deal, or not a lot of time, but it adds 10 days to the time where coaches can speak to soon to be juniors (June 15th) and the time they are allowed to visit.
Therefore, 2 things are happening, players are committing fast without going on an official or unofficial visit, or the process is happening at a slower rate for the majority of players.
Last year, coaches could get players on campus for visits a couple of days before the rush of preseason began. Now, the timeline is overlapping, leaving many coaching staffs short-handed and forced to slow down.
5. Coaches Are Focused on the Fall Season
Once preseason begins, priorities change.
Right now coaches are focused on:
Preparing for the season.
Winning games (and keeping their jobs).
Managing their current roster.
Helping their team succeed.
Recruiting doesn’t stop, but it becomes one of many responsibilities, and often not the first priority in season.
As the season progresses, recruiting conversations continue, but they often happen at a different pace than they do during the spring and summer, because: time.
So, What Does This Mean for 2028s?
It means you probably have more time than you think, but there is more competition for less roster spots each year.
From now through the fall and winter, there will still be:
Intro phone calls
Campus visits
Coach conversations and evaluations
New offers
Commitments
Over the next 6–8 months, there will continue to be significant movement in the 2028 recruiting class.
Some players will commit this fall. Others won't commit until winter and others won't commit until next spring or summer.
And that's all okay.
The Biggest Mistake I See Players and Families Make
They start comparing timelines and obsessing over social media, assuming everyone is in a better spot than they are. The recruiting process has never and won’t ever be identical for every athlete.
Different players fit different schools. Different coaches recruit differently.
Different academic standards create different timelines. Different financial situations change how quickly schools can move.
Comparing your timeline to someone else's almost always creates unnecessary stress.
My Advice
Slow down and gather information. Visit campuses, not only for soccer purposes. Keep improving as a player and keep up your grades.
The goal isn't to commit first. The goal is to commit to the right school. When the right opportunity comes. You'll know.
Find a place where you'll thrive academically, athletically, socially, and personally for the next four (or maybe even five) years. Keep an open mind to D2, D3 and NAIA. Every college soccer program is competitive.
That's a much bigger decision than simply trying to beat someone else to a commitment, or compare your process to another player in an entirely different situation.
AND if you are a 2029 with the goal of playing division 1, the best advice that I can give is to visit campuses early and often. Develop your own opinions and non-negotiables before you are making any decisions. If you have the opportunity and receive an offer on or soon after June 15th heading into junior year, you can accept (or deny) without waiting the 2 months to take a visit, which can potentially risk giving up a spot.
Final Thoughts
If you're feeling confused right now and unsure about the process, you're in good company.
Families, club coaches, college coaches are all asking questions..
The reality is that no one knows exactly what recruiting will look like over the next several years. The rules continue to evolve, roster management is changing, and programs are adapting in real time.
That uncertainty doesn't mean opportunities are disappearing, it just means the process is changing. College athletics is changing.
Stay patient, try to stay informed and control what you can control.
And remember: being uncommitted in August going into your junior year does not mean you're behind.Far from it.
Disclaimer: The college soccer recruiting landscape is changing rapidly. The information in this article is based on the current NCAA rules, recruiting calendars, and college soccer environment at the time of publication. Because NCAA legislation, conference policies, roster management, and institutional decisions can change, some details may evolve over time. Families should always verify the most current NCAA regulations and consult directly with college coaches regarding each program's recruiting process and roster needs.
If you need help navigating the recruiting process, no matter your grad year, please contact here for more info.
