Steve Coxon > CT Soccer Hall of Fame | 18-Year D1 Head Recruiter | $30M+ in Scholarships Facilitated

Recruiting is a pressure cooker. If you ride the emotional roller coaster with your kid, you are both going to crash. Here is how you stop being just a fan and start being the anchor they actually need.

May 31, 2026

I have sat in on hundreds of calls with families over the last two decades. I know exactly what it feels like when the stress of the recruiting process takes over the house.

It is exhausting. The silence from coaches, the rejection emails, the constant comparison to teammates who are already committing—it takes a toll. But here is the hard truth: if you are visibly stressed, your athlete will absorb that stress. They don't just need a cheerleader right now; they need a teammate. They need you to be the most grounded person in the room.

When the process gets quiet, panic is the enemy. Execution is the cure.

Here is how you anchor your athlete—and yourself—through the rest of this summer:

Steve

Right now, your rising seniors are facing closed doors. It hurts, but a "no" from a coach is not a crushing blow to their worth as a player. It is simply a data point. It means your target list was off, and we need to adjust. A school that isn't the right fit is simply getting out of the way for one that is.

Handling the Silence: Few things are worse than sending a great email with updated film and hearing absolutely nothing back. When coaches don’t respond, athletes take it personally. You need to remind them that a lack of response is rarely a reflection of their talent—it’s a reflection of the coach's current roster math and packed schedule.

The Parent's Job: Do not let them stop executing. Help them maintain a professional follow-up plan.

Get ready to elevate your game at the XG Sports Northeast Girls Summer College Showcase, taking place this July 8–9 at the premier facilities of Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT!

This elite, two-day camp offers female players an unparalleled recruiting and development experience, featuring technical training, separate goalkeeper sessions, small-sided games, and full 11v11 matches.

Attendees will receive full kits, daily lunch, and video recordings of all matches for post-event review. Most importantly, players will work directly with an incredible lineup of college coaches, including top-tier programs like UC Berkeley, Northwestern, Columbia, and UPenn.

While the general early bird window has passed, subscribers to this newsletter can still score an exclusive $100 discount by using the coupon code SCN100 at checkout.

With June 15th right around the corner, your athletes are about to see their peers posting offers on Instagram. That is when the self-doubt creeps in. “Am I not good enough? Why isn't my phone ringing?”

Your role is to be their steadfast believer, but you must do it by focusing them on the controllables. You cannot control when a D1 coach replies. You can control how prepared your athlete is when they finally do.

The Parent's Job: Keep their eyes in their own lane. Audit their daily habits.

By concentrating on these tangible elements, they build a foundation of excellence. When they are focused on the work, they don't have time to doubt the outcome.

If you are the parent of an 8th grader or freshman, the worst thing you can do is start comparing your child's journey to the kid next door.

There is no universal formula for success in recruiting. Your only job at this stage is to celebrate their individual development. Are they learning to handle the speed of play? Are they adjusting to the physical demands of older age groups?

Help them define what success looks like for them, not what looks good on social media.

Spots are still available for the Futbol Goals USA Boys ID Camp tomorrow, June 1, 2026, from noon to 4:00 PM at The Woodstock Academy – Bentley Athletic Complex. This is a valuable opportunity for players to train, compete, and be seen by college programs in one focused afternoon. The camp is $275, and players can save $150 with discount code FGUSA2026150.

College coaches/programs represented include Bates College, Central Connecticut, Dickinson College, Emerson College, Gettysburg College, Keene State, Kenyon College, Lafayette College, Marshall University, McDaniel College, NC State, Nichols College, Sarah Lawrence College, St. Lawrence University, UConn, University of New Hampshire, University of New Haven, University of Scranton, Vassar College, and Wheaton College. Register now and use code FGUSA2026150 to claim the discount.

Register Here

So much of the anxiety in this process comes from feeling like you are guessing. When you have a clear map, the "complexity" of the landscape suddenly becomes manageable, and the stress drops significantly.

I built the 30-Day Scholarship Ready Plan to take the guesswork out of your hands. We strip the emotion out of the process and replace it with a repeatable framework.

Jump into the Skool community, head straight to the Classroom, and start the 30-Day Scholarship Ready Plan today. Let's get to work.

Jump into the Skool Community and start the 30-Day Scholarship Ready Plan today. Let's get to work.The Proof: It Works if You Do the Work

🏆 Another CSN Success Story

Recruiting isn’t a mystery, and it’s certainly not about luck. It’s about having a repeatable process. When you have a clear map, the "complexity" of the College landscape suddenly becomes manageable.

Take a look at Emma her family reached out to share the news that she has officially committed to Hobart and William Smith (DIII).

Here is what Emma's dad had to say about the process:

Emma didn't just "show up" and get an offer. Her family used our platform, stayed consistent with their outreach, and executed the exact strategy I’ve built from 18 years of sitting on the other side of the recruiting desk.

This is exactly what we do at the Soccer Network. We take the "noise" and the confusion out of the equation so your athlete can focus on the result: Getting the commitment!

Steve Coxon doesn't just understand recruiting; he lived it at the highest level for 18 years as a Division 1 Head Recruiter. With over 20 years of collegiate experience and a seat in the CT Soccer Hall of Fame.

As the Co-Founder of CFC (ECNL) and the Soccer Network, he has bridged the gap between club talent and college commitments, facilitating more than $30 million in scholarships for student-athletes. He isn't a "recruiting service"—he is the veteran insider providing the map to the finish line.