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What College Soccer Coaches Look For (What 350+ Coaches Say)
Character comes up more than skill, game IQ, or athleticism — the qualities college soccer coaches look for most in a recruit, drawn from what 350+ coaches say in published interviews.
Updated September 26, 2026 · Coach remarks below are paraphrased from published interviews and attributed to the coach’s program — 24 programs quoted in this guide, drawn from what 350+ college coaches say, in their own words.
The short answer: character comes first
Across the published interviews of more than 350 college coaches — men’s and women’s programs, every division — one answer repeats far more than any other. When coaches describe what they look for in a recruit, they reach for character before they reach for talent. Skill gets you noticed; who you are is what they decide on.
Sorted by how often coaches raise them, the qualities line up like this:
- Character and makeup — named far more than anything else.
- Soccer IQ and decision-making.
- Coachability — how you take correction.
- Athleticism and work rate.
- Academics.
Character isn’t just at the top of that list — coaches bring it up more than skill, game IQ, and athleticism combined. That’s the single most useful thing to know before you email a coach or step on a field in front of one.
Work ethic and character come before technical ability; the coach watches how a recruit treats coaches and teammates and how they react to adversity.
Corban University · NAIA
Character and a growth mindset matter more than raw talent, because a talented player who wrecks team culture isn’t worth it.
Elizabethtown College · NCAA Division III
Character and makeup — the No. 1 thing
Coaches spend more waking hours with their players than the players’ own families do — on buses, in film rooms, at practice. So they screen hard for the person, not just the athlete. A gifted player who could poison the locker room is a pass; a high-character player can get moved up a board they’d otherwise be borderline on.
Character and culture fit are the top recruiting priority — the staff won’t take a talented player who could disrupt team chemistry.
Sarah Lawrence College · NCAA Division III
The staff evaluates character before talent, wanting tough, gritty, adaptable leaders.
Iowa Western Community College · NJCAA Division I (Junior College)
Coaches want true competitors who compete hard on the field but are mature, good people off it.
Loyola Marymount University · NCAA Division I
The coach travels internationally to meet recruits face-to-face because character and cultural fit matter as much as talent.
Georgia Gwinnett College · NAIA
An egotistical, my-way attitude is an automatic disqualifier regardless of talent, because it ruins team chemistry.
DePauw University · NCAA Division III
How you respond to a mistake — and to coaching
This is the part recruits underrate most. Coaches are watching the moment after the play — the body language when you concede a goal, how you treat a referee or a teammate, whether you sulk or reset. They say this rarely changes by college age, so they treat it as a real evaluation, not an afterthought. The good news: it’s the one thing entirely in your control on any given day.
How a player reacts after conceding a goal — encouraging teammates instead of pointing fingers — is a key character trait the staff watches for.
Bard College · NCAA Division III
Beyond talent, the biggest mentality requirements are humility, coachability, and a strong work ethic.
Grand View University · NAIA
A coaches’ panel agreed the human qualities they look for most are coachability, maturity, work ethic, and being a good teammate.
Eastern Mennonite University · NCAA Division III
The coach looks for the “uncoachables” — good body language, aggressive play, wanting the ball — since hunger can’t be taught.
Catholic University of America · NCAA Division III
Beyond athletic ability, the coach weighs academics, ethics, and how a player reacts when things don’t go their way.
Central Wyoming College · NJCAA Division I (Junior College)
Competitiveness and work rate
Right alongside character, coaches describe a will to compete and a willingness to work when nobody’s watching. It shows up in the drills that don’t matter, in whether you track back after losing the ball, in staying switched on for the full ninety.
Work rate is huge — a kid who wants to be there, works hard, and puts in effort even on the mundane training tasks.
Concordia University–St. Paul · NCAA Division II
Beyond technical and tactical ability, the coach recruits for competitive fire: how badly a player wants to win and to get the most from themselves and their teammates.
University of Findlay · NCAA Division II
The staff wants players with great character, grit, and determination who stay engaged for the full ninety minutes.
Coker University · NCAA Division II
The coach credits a national championship to culture and grit rather than raw talent — players who fought for each other until the final minutes.
California Lutheran University · NCAA Division III
Recruits must first fit the program’s culture through their work rate — in class, on the field, and with teammates.
Waldorf University · NAIA
Beyond raw talent, the coach looks at whether a player can adapt quickly to the grind of the college environment.
Ferris State University · NCAA Division II
Soccer IQ beats raw athleticism
When coaches do talk about the on-field product, the quality they prize is decision-making, not size or top speed. A player who reads the game, keeps the ball under pressure, and chooses the right pass can outrank a faster, stronger one who doesn’t.
Because the roster already has athletic ability, decision-making has become the program’s biggest recruiting priority.
Fort Lewis College · NCAA Division II
The coach values technical, calm-on-the-ball players with good soccer IQ over the generic big-fast-strong profile.
Cochise College · NJCAA Division I (Junior College)
The coach prioritizes players who make quick, autonomous decisions rather than needing to be directed, because the system depends on it.
Albright College · NCAA Division III
Where athleticism and talent fit in
None of this means talent doesn’t matter — it’s the price of admission. Coaches still need the athletic and technical baseline; character is what they weigh once you’ve cleared it. And your transcript counts too: strong grades widen the schools that can afford you (that’s its own guide).
On the field the coach looks for competitive, athletic, quick players with a good first touch — alongside sportsmanship, like congratulating teammates.
College of Wooster · NCAA Division III
The coach wants recruits who bring two or three standout pieces to their game, not just size and speed.
Mercer University · NCAA Division I
What to do now
You can’t fake character in a highlight reel, but you can show it: play the full ninety, keep your body language steady after a mistake, be the teammate coaches want, and put your best decision-making — not just your fastest sprint — on film. And know that coaches check. Many make a call to your high school or club coach to ask what kind of teammate you really are.
Once a player clears the athletic and technical bar, the coach calls her high school or club coach to ask what kind of teammate she is.
Eastern Illinois University · NCAA Division I
Reach the coaches who are evaluating you
Once you know what coaches look for, the next move is to put yourself in front of the right ones. The Coach Directory lists coaching staff and publicly listed emails for 1,800+ programs across every division, so your outreach reaches the head coach or recruiting coordinator directly.
Frequently asked questions
- What do college soccer coaches look for in a recruit?
- Character first. Across the published interviews of 350+ college coaches, character and makeup come up more than any other quality — more than skill, game IQ, and athleticism combined. After character, coaches most often name soccer IQ and decision-making, coachability, athleticism and work rate, and academics.
- Do college coaches care more about talent or character?
- Both matter, but coaches repeatedly say character can override talent. A gifted player who hurts team chemistry often gets passed over, while high character can move a borderline player up the board. The common framing: talent gets you looked at, character gets you kept.
- What is coachability, and why do coaches watch for it?
- Coachability is how you respond to correction and to adversity — your body language after a mistake, how you treat teammates and referees, and whether you want to know what to improve. Coaches say it barely changes by college age, so they treat it as a real evaluation and recruit for it directly.
- Can soccer IQ make up for not being the fastest?
- Often, yes. Many coaches say a player who reads the game and makes quick, sound decisions can outrank a faster or bigger player who doesn’t — and several say decision-making is now their top on-field recruiting priority. Athleticism is the baseline; the decisions are the difference.
Get the free Recruiting Starter Kit — The First 5 Moves
The five things to do first, ending with the exact email to send a college coach — shaped by what 350+ college coaches say gets a reply, in their own words.
Next steps
- How to email a college soccer coach
Show these qualities in your first contact, not just your stats.
- The college soccer highlight video
Put your decision-making on film, not only your speed.
- What level can I play?
Match these traits to programs where you fit.
More recruiting guides
- How to Email a College Soccer Coach (Template + What Coaches Say Gets a Reply)
- The College Soccer Transfer Portal, Explained (Recruits, Transfers, and Parents)
- College Soccer Scholarships: How the Money Actually Works
- When to Start College Soccer Recruiting (and Whether You’re Late)
- What Level of College Soccer Can I Play? D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and JUCO, Honestly
- How to Make a College Soccer Highlight Video Coaches Actually Watch
- Are College Soccer ID Camps Worth It? How Coaches Say to Tell