Jeff Schlicht, Recruiting Coach Manager

Western Michigan University

[email protected]

(312) 205-7471

I started playing soccer at the age of 5 in a small recreational league in Lake Orion, Michigan. After trying baseball, basketball and football, I knew soccer was my sport by age 13. At that point, I knew I was on the right track to play college soccer, so I set my goals high shooting to play at a Division I program. 

Neither my family nor I had any idea on what the recruiting process was all about. I thought I was on the right track by going to showcase tournaments and playing on a premier team. I put together an athletic profile that included an introduction letter, a list of my accomplishments, newspaper clippings and contact information. However, I made the mistake of only sending my information out to college coaches once and never following up. I thought they would contact me if they were interested. Therefore, I wasn’t heavily recruited but was lucky enough to know the coach at Eastern Michigan who ultimately offered me a roster spot. When the soccer program was discontinued after my sophomore, I had to start the recruiting process all over again. Luck struck again, and I ended up at Western Michigan University. I work at NCSA now to make sure other student-athletes don’t have to rely on luck and are educated on the correct way to go about the recruiting process.