Former college coach aims
to place future recruits where they can excel
Free Zoom seminar scheduled for Sunday night
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Dan Rothert experienced a college recruiting crisis during the first week of August, 1992.
Growing up in the Quad Cities, he was a standout multiple-sport athlete in Davenport, Iowa. His forte was soccer.
He went with his parents to go to his college of choice and was prepared to attend an orientation as a prelude to the beginning of fall practice.
He soon felt trepidation and told his parents: “I am going to be miserable at this place.”
His father told him he had sufficient time to make a change.
Reacting on the run, Rothert reached out to the coach at Loras College, in Dubuque, Iowa. He told the coach about his background and anxiously awaited a response.
The life-changing answer: ‘We have a spot for you.’
After his switch from one Division III school to another, his life was transformed at every level — one phone call shaped the next three decades of his life and work.
After a standout career at Loras, Rothert made the quick transition to coaching at the school. He can look back at an unassailable career.
He directed the men’s program for 22 years and the women’s for 17. He received the National Coach of the Year honor, qualified for five NCAA Division III Final Fours and 11 Sweet 16s.
His teams reached the NCAA tournament 23 times and combined for 22 conference championships.
Now, with a family life that includes three young children, Rothert felt the moment had come to revitalize and rejigger his professional direction.
He founded and serves as the principal advisor for his new venture, Top Student-Athlete Recruiting (TSAR) service.
During the pandemic he produced a special, free webinar for athletes and their parents, and coaches that offers an all-purpose overview of college recruiting.
He will present it at 7:30 p.m. Sunday (January 31); it can be accessed at this link https://t.co/bja3ro8Mg2?amp=1.
Soccer is the foundation of his new enterprise, but it caters to all sports.
“I always had this idea in the back of my mind of doing something on my own where I could help kids find the best four years of their lives,” Rothert said.
He touches all sides as a former player, coach and associate athletic director, with experience in admissions, recruiting and financial aid programs.
Part of the intellectual pursuit of TSAR is disentangling the myths and presuppositions about college recruiting.
“I have seen so many mistakes in the good, bad and ugly of college recruiting through my 25 years of playing and coaching,” he said.
“I’ve seen it all.”
The most significant action is tearing apart the misconceptions, about the nature of scholarships and how they work, accurate evaluation of the level a player is capable of playing at and the economics of college soccer.
He said one of the most damaging parts of the process is the “Division I or bust,” mentality, a harsh binary equation that leads to dissatisfaction.
The very nature of language has to change and become nuanced.
“The word scholarship, in general, needs to be understood,” he said. “In soccer, there are very few full rides. It’s not a head-count sport, or where every kid on the team is getting a full ride, like football or men’s basketball. It’s a partial scholarship.
“In Division I soccer, there are 9.9 scholarships, and it’s divided among 30 players.”
Reflecting on his own experience nearly 30 years ago, Rothert holds a jolting anxiety, given the lack of available resources and the fact that players and their families were largely left to their own devices.
Since then, soccer has experienced a breathtaking national explosion in the youth-sports consciousness as parents shifted their kids’ attention away from other athletic endeavors.
That created a massive ecosystem of national showcases, the rise of club programs, youth leagues and year-round playing. That is the positive side of opportunity.
The reverse of that is the so-called “signal and the noise.” The vastly different landscape reveals opportunities that have never been so plentiful but are complex and difficult to negotiate due to the unprecedented scale.
“There’s this misconception that if you’re good enough, coaches are going to find you,” Rothert said. “It doesn’t work that way -- maybe the top one percent that everybody knows about.
“For the rest of the world, they have to market themselves and promote themselves for coaches to know who they are.”
His service is a linking action, coupling recruits with the right schools which provide a solid fit athletically, academically and socially.
“The kids who market themselves the best have a much greater chance than the kids who just sit there and hope somebody finds him,” Rothert said.
At the start of his college playing career, it was common that coaches were part-time professors or outside coaches, Rothert said.
In taking over the programs at Loras, he advocated with his administrators utilizing technology and resources. Now, at the Division III level, coaches are full-time and have assistants and solid support avenues.
“Recruiting has changed immensely,” he said. “When I first started, if a kid showed interest in your school, you didn’t have to do a lot to get that kid. They were probably already looking at you.
“I was an early adopter in terms of grinding it. That’s why my teams were successful in my career. That is something everybody is doing now.”
Chicago figured prominently in his career. His wife grew up on the South Side and attended Queen of Peace. They met at Loras.
The Windy City has always served as the foundation of Rothert’s recruiting strategy. He has made the right connections.
Bob Quinn, the athletic director at Naperville North, a national power in boys and girls soccer with recent state tournament wins in each category, was Rothert’s college supervisor.
“Dan’s quality human relation skills allow him to develop relationships with student-athletes, college and high school coaches and parents,” Quinn said.
“He was arguably the best college soccer coach in the country for the last 15 years. When he told me he was changing careers, I was excited to know there was someone out there I could count on for my high school student-athletes that needed help.”
Recruiting is a crowded industry and one that is fluid and ever changing, but Rothert knows how to navigate these waters,
.
“It’s not really a learning curve for me,” he said. “This is something I’ve done my whole life. Recruiting and understanding the language, I’m very comfortable with this.
“It’s my wheelhouse. I thought I was a really good recruiter. My teams at Loras were really successful. That’s partly because of recruiting.
“I could utilize that to help these kids out.”
However there is a new slant that is vitally important for future college athletes to know. Recruitment has undergone a major alteration due to the coronavirus.
“I talk to college coaches and recruits daily and in my 25 years as a college soccer coach, I have never seen the trends that are currently happening in recruiting,” Rothert said. “Due to COVID-19, the NCAA has given eligibility waivers to all current college athletes.
“This is great news for current college athletes. They can retain another year, or transfer, mostly without penalty.
“However, this is not great news for 2021-2024 grads. This will filter down from the top of Division I to all levels -- limiting the scholarships and playing opportunities for all incoming freshmen.
“Many college coaches aren't recruiting any new players from the Class of 2021 because their whole team is returning from this year. Some are already done with their Class of 2022. There are simply going to be fewer roster spots and opportunities for the next few years. Add to that that early recruiting has taken off with some offers tendered to eighth- and ninth-graders.
“The COVID-19 situation demonstrates more than ever the need for navigating the recruiting process with precision and forethought. It shows the need to do the things I have always preached: cast a wide net of options; don't wait until it is too late, which is getting earlier all the time; be realistic; be proactive; and be a great communicator.”
to place future recruits where they can excel
Free Zoom seminar scheduled for Sunday night
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Dan Rothert experienced a college recruiting crisis during the first week of August, 1992.
Growing up in the Quad Cities, he was a standout multiple-sport athlete in Davenport, Iowa. His forte was soccer.
He went with his parents to go to his college of choice and was prepared to attend an orientation as a prelude to the beginning of fall practice.
He soon felt trepidation and told his parents: “I am going to be miserable at this place.”
His father told him he had sufficient time to make a change.
Reacting on the run, Rothert reached out to the coach at Loras College, in Dubuque, Iowa. He told the coach about his background and anxiously awaited a response.
The life-changing answer: ‘We have a spot for you.’
After his switch from one Division III school to another, his life was transformed at every level — one phone call shaped the next three decades of his life and work.
After a standout career at Loras, Rothert made the quick transition to coaching at the school. He can look back at an unassailable career.
He directed the men’s program for 22 years and the women’s for 17. He received the National Coach of the Year honor, qualified for five NCAA Division III Final Fours and 11 Sweet 16s.
His teams reached the NCAA tournament 23 times and combined for 22 conference championships.
Now, with a family life that includes three young children, Rothert felt the moment had come to revitalize and rejigger his professional direction.
He founded and serves as the principal advisor for his new venture, Top Student-Athlete Recruiting (TSAR) service.
During the pandemic he produced a special, free webinar for athletes and their parents, and coaches that offers an all-purpose overview of college recruiting.
He will present it at 7:30 p.m. Sunday (January 31); it can be accessed at this link https://t.co/bja3ro8Mg2?amp=1.
Soccer is the foundation of his new enterprise, but it caters to all sports.
“I always had this idea in the back of my mind of doing something on my own where I could help kids find the best four years of their lives,” Rothert said.
He touches all sides as a former player, coach and associate athletic director, with experience in admissions, recruiting and financial aid programs.
Part of the intellectual pursuit of TSAR is disentangling the myths and presuppositions about college recruiting.
“I have seen so many mistakes in the good, bad and ugly of college recruiting through my 25 years of playing and coaching,” he said.
“I’ve seen it all.”
The most significant action is tearing apart the misconceptions, about the nature of scholarships and how they work, accurate evaluation of the level a player is capable of playing at and the economics of college soccer.
He said one of the most damaging parts of the process is the “Division I or bust,” mentality, a harsh binary equation that leads to dissatisfaction.
The very nature of language has to change and become nuanced.
“The word scholarship, in general, needs to be understood,” he said. “In soccer, there are very few full rides. It’s not a head-count sport, or where every kid on the team is getting a full ride, like football or men’s basketball. It’s a partial scholarship.
“In Division I soccer, there are 9.9 scholarships, and it’s divided among 30 players.”
Reflecting on his own experience nearly 30 years ago, Rothert holds a jolting anxiety, given the lack of available resources and the fact that players and their families were largely left to their own devices.
Since then, soccer has experienced a breathtaking national explosion in the youth-sports consciousness as parents shifted their kids’ attention away from other athletic endeavors.
That created a massive ecosystem of national showcases, the rise of club programs, youth leagues and year-round playing. That is the positive side of opportunity.
The reverse of that is the so-called “signal and the noise.” The vastly different landscape reveals opportunities that have never been so plentiful but are complex and difficult to negotiate due to the unprecedented scale.
“There’s this misconception that if you’re good enough, coaches are going to find you,” Rothert said. “It doesn’t work that way -- maybe the top one percent that everybody knows about.
“For the rest of the world, they have to market themselves and promote themselves for coaches to know who they are.”
His service is a linking action, coupling recruits with the right schools which provide a solid fit athletically, academically and socially.
“The kids who market themselves the best have a much greater chance than the kids who just sit there and hope somebody finds him,” Rothert said.
At the start of his college playing career, it was common that coaches were part-time professors or outside coaches, Rothert said.
In taking over the programs at Loras, he advocated with his administrators utilizing technology and resources. Now, at the Division III level, coaches are full-time and have assistants and solid support avenues.
“Recruiting has changed immensely,” he said. “When I first started, if a kid showed interest in your school, you didn’t have to do a lot to get that kid. They were probably already looking at you.
“I was an early adopter in terms of grinding it. That’s why my teams were successful in my career. That is something everybody is doing now.”
Chicago figured prominently in his career. His wife grew up on the South Side and attended Queen of Peace. They met at Loras.
The Windy City has always served as the foundation of Rothert’s recruiting strategy. He has made the right connections.
Bob Quinn, the athletic director at Naperville North, a national power in boys and girls soccer with recent state tournament wins in each category, was Rothert’s college supervisor.
“Dan’s quality human relation skills allow him to develop relationships with student-athletes, college and high school coaches and parents,” Quinn said.
“He was arguably the best college soccer coach in the country for the last 15 years. When he told me he was changing careers, I was excited to know there was someone out there I could count on for my high school student-athletes that needed help.”
Recruiting is a crowded industry and one that is fluid and ever changing, but Rothert knows how to navigate these waters,
.
“It’s not really a learning curve for me,” he said. “This is something I’ve done my whole life. Recruiting and understanding the language, I’m very comfortable with this.
“It’s my wheelhouse. I thought I was a really good recruiter. My teams at Loras were really successful. That’s partly because of recruiting.
“I could utilize that to help these kids out.”
However there is a new slant that is vitally important for future college athletes to know. Recruitment has undergone a major alteration due to the coronavirus.
“I talk to college coaches and recruits daily and in my 25 years as a college soccer coach, I have never seen the trends that are currently happening in recruiting,” Rothert said. “Due to COVID-19, the NCAA has given eligibility waivers to all current college athletes.
“This is great news for current college athletes. They can retain another year, or transfer, mostly without penalty.
“However, this is not great news for 2021-2024 grads. This will filter down from the top of Division I to all levels -- limiting the scholarships and playing opportunities for all incoming freshmen.
“Many college coaches aren't recruiting any new players from the Class of 2021 because their whole team is returning from this year. Some are already done with their Class of 2022. There are simply going to be fewer roster spots and opportunities for the next few years. Add to that that early recruiting has taken off with some offers tendered to eighth- and ninth-graders.
“The COVID-19 situation demonstrates more than ever the need for navigating the recruiting process with precision and forethought. It shows the need to do the things I have always preached: cast a wide net of options; don't wait until it is too late, which is getting earlier all the time; be realistic; be proactive; and be a great communicator.”