Matthew* was super on top of his college recruiting. Once he got to high school, he made his list of safety, target, and reach schools where he could play college soccer. He started contacting these coaches as soon as his freshman club season started. Matthew ended up getting coaches to come watch his games at tournaments getting some good feedback. 

At the start of his sophomore year, Matthew went on an unofficial visit to a school. The coach was very friendly and seemed super positive about Matthew coming to play for his school. He told Matthew that he saw great potential in him and that he would be a great addition to the team. The coach even went so far as to say that Matthew would be able to come into the college his freshman year and expect to start.

Those words were music to Matthew's ears. As soon as he got home, Matthew told his parents that he wanted to go to this school. His parents told him that it might be a little early to commit to a school, but Matthew was adamant that he was going to this school.

Matthew didn't understand why everyone was so skeptical. The coach had promised Matthew a starting spot to his face. Why would he ever pass that up? Against everyone's advice, including his own club coach, Matthew verbally committed to the school. For the rest of high school, he didn't have to stress about deciding on a school like all of his teammates. 

Finally, Matthew graduated from high school and it was almost time to head to college. He followed the fitness packet that his coach sent but skipped a few days because Matthew knew he was going to be one of the best on his team and had a guaranteed starting spot. 

However, these choices came back to bite Matthew in the butt. He showed up to preseason nowhere near fit enough. Matthew barely passed his fitness test and he couldn't keep up with his teammates during scrimmages. His coaches were not impressed. In his entire freshman season, Matthew totaled 65 minutes. 

Many people told Matthew not to make an impulsive decision and to take some time to figure out if that school was really the right fit for him. However, Matthew just wanted the recruiting process to be over, so he had decided on the first school that showed interest. 

Once Matthew thought he had guaranteed playing time, he stopped working as hard. He was complacent in where he was.

Matthew ended up transferring schools and worked extremely hard to get good minutes for his next season. 

The moral of the story: don't make impulsive decisions about college. Also, if someone tells you that you have guaranteed playing time, they are lying. Don't stop working hard once you commit somewhere.

*Name changed for anonymity.

* Originally published on August 29, 2023, by Bella Nevin