SD Surf SC On College

Youth Soccer News: San Diego Surf College Office Director Ryan Carruth on the College Recruitment Process

The San Diego Surf Soccer Club hired Ryan Carruth in March of 2013 as the Surf SC College Office Director. As a USSF ‘B’ Licensed coach with 13 years of experience coaching youth and collegiate soccer, Carruth strives to be a positive resource in the community to help players and families make sense of the college recruitment process. He also serves as Men’s Assistant coach at local NCAA Division II Point Loma Nazarene University. Prior to joining Surf SC, Carruth spent four years as College Guidance Director with Albion SC where he helped build their successful college guidance program.

SoccerToday asked Coach Carruth how Surf SC helps college-bound players reach their goals.

Diane Scavuzzo: Before you came to Surf SC, what was your experience helping youth soccer players get into college?

Ryan Carruth: After coaching for five years at St. Lawrence University and the U.S Merchant Marine Academy, I had the opportunity to come to San Diego and help a local club build a College Advisory program. I’ve also been fortunate to work in NCAA DI, DII and DIII programs, which has given me a big-picture perspective that I am able to share with players and families in the community. I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping motivated players find a home in college soccer.

Diane Scavuzzo: Talk about this year’s graduating class from Surf Soccer Club

Ryan Carruth: With pleasure, but I think these kids speak pretty loudly for themselves. This year’s class is very special and they deserve a lot of praise. These are kids that are going to make some noise. You’ll be hearing those names. This class features NCAA Division I scholarship players headed to every major conference in the country: Pac 12, Big 10, ACC, Big East, WCC and the SEC.

Diane Scavuzzo: Why did you join Surf SC?

Ryan Carruth: It goes without saying. Surf SC is one of the top clubs in the country, and I wanted to be working with the best players in the best environment.

Surf SC has been sending 40-50 players to college soccer per year for the last 10-15 years. That puts this club in a league of its own. It’s the only club in San Diego with ECNL and U.S. Development Academy status, and the Polo Fields are one of the top facilities in California. It’s a joy for players and coaches to train at our facilities.

Diane Scavuzzo: Can you tell us what you do as the Surf SC College Office Director?

Ryan Carruth: My job at Surf SC is to educate our players and families on the college process so that our student athletes are empowered to take command of their future and find the right fit.

I designed a Surf SC College Guidebook so that players have a step by step guide for the process. I facilitate college workshops and meet individually with players and parents. There is also a lot that goes on behind the scenes, working with individual players and families and talking to college coaches to help our players make connections.

I want to be a respected resource for our club who speaks the truth about this important topic.

There is a lot of misleading information being conveyed out there. One of my objectives is to clear up some of those misconceptions. This may mean telling people what they need to hear, which is not always what they want to hear.

Diane Scavuzzo: What are some of the biggest misconceptions you encounter?

Ryan Carruth: A big misconception is the idea that playing for a top club guarantees you a scholarship or a spot on a Division I roster.

Clubs who are using this rhetoric to attract players are not truly serving their players. I believe in order to truly serve your players and families, you have to be honest. Players and parents need to know the truth.

I remember a youth coach once told me, “If you come play for me, I’ll guarantee you a college scholarship.” Needless to say, I did not go to play for that club. I never listened to anyone who made guarantees because there are no guarantees. Such is true in soccer and in life. I think this is the difference between TRUE SERVICE and LIP SERVICE.

Another misconception is that Division II, III and NAIA programs don’t play quality soccer. While there is less consistency from top to bottom, the elite small college programs prove every year that they can compete with DI programs.

My advice is to keep an open mind. It makes me sad when good players who realize they aren’t headed to Division I programs decide to throw in the towel instead of pursuing the small college opportunities they may have.

Diane Scavuzzo: What do you tell to aspiring college student athletes?

Ryan Carruth: The first thing is that academics are top priority. The second thing is to make soccer a part of your life every day. If you are not willing to put in the time to hone your craft, there are players all around the country who will, and they will gladly to take your spot at the next level.

I tell players to captain their ship and not wait around for some coach to come roll out the red carpet.

Players need to recruit college programs, just as a coach recruits a prospective player. For a few players this process is easy. For the majority, it is going to be like job hunting. It’s so important to be researching schools and contacting coaches, and to be professional in how you conduct yourself in this process.

Diane Scavuzzo: Do you call college coaches on your players’ behalf?

Ryan Carruth: Absolutely, but there are limits to that.

We have great players in our club who I would have few hesitations calling any coach in the country. Those kinds of kids tend to be sought after early in the process. The process can be much easier for players like these who represent the top one-tenth of one percent. But the majority of youth soccer players will have to treat this like a job hunt.

Now when a player asks me to call a top Division I coach, and I don’t think he or she is at that level, I have to be honest. That’s my integrity as an educator. What I will do is help them research schools that may be more realistic and get them on a plan of action. Just because UNC Chapel Hill doesn’t want you, that doesn’t mean that you’re not a good player capable of having a wonderful experience as a student athlete somewhere else. My job is to help steer players and families in the direction of viable opportunities, not pipe dreams. Aim high, but be realistic at the same time.

I have gotten to know a lot of college coaches over the years who call me about players because they know I will be honest. It’s important that clubs all across the country are being honest with players and college coaches alike. Maintaining good relationships with college coaches depends on continued integrity in how we promote our players.

University of San Diego head coach Ada Greenwood deserves special recognition for his work over the years helping to make connections for Surf SC girls players in college soccer. My goal is to build on his legacy of helping kids realize their dreams.

San Diego Surf SC 2014 Graduating Class Who Will Have Roster Spots @ Colleges/Universties

by Division

Diane Scavuzzo: What is the total amount of scholarships awarded in this year’s class?

Ryan Carruth: I don’t feel it is ethical to publish details of scholarship awards, or to quantify our player’s accomplishments in terms of dollar amounts for two main reasons:

First, public bragging about scholarship amounts can cause problems for college-bound players and their teams, especially if a teammate receiving a lesser amount reads online that another player was awarded a full ride. This is not public information; this is a private contract between the coach, university and the student athlete.

Second, I don’t want to contribute to misconceptions. People must understand that in college soccer, athletic scholarships are a limited resource. This is not football or basketball where every player on the roster is a full scholarship. The truth is that it’s hard enough to earn a roster spot at any level in college soccer.

Did you know that there are 75,000-100,000 high school seniors playing competitive soccer each year around the country? With 1200 college programs across all divisions each looking for six to nine players per year, that makes spots open for about 12,000 kids or roughly 10 to 15 percent.

Diane Scavuzzo: Is it just the U.S. Soccer Development Academy & ECNL players who are finding opportunities in college soccer?

Ryan Carruth: No. If you look down the list, there are plenty of players from our non –ECNL teams and our non-USSDA teams who are finding a home in college soccer. I took our Boys’ U17 team to Bethesda, Maryland this fall for a big college showcase. We went on campus visits to schools in the area and met with college coaches.

We had nearly 100 coaches in total on our sidelines over the course of the tournament, and some very important connections were made for our players with East Coast colleges. We at Surf SC have a vested interest in all of our players, not just the best of the best. At the same time, we make no guarantees and recognize that not every player who comes to our club is going to be able to make the jump to college soccer.

Diane Scavuzzo: What are some of the things that colleges look for in players?

Ryan Carruth: Every school and soccer program is different. In general, I think that good coaches are looking for good players who are good students and good citizens. It’s not enough to have one without the other. Be the total package – a good student, good player and good person!

San Diego Surf SC Class of 2014