If you want Division I soccer, recruiting ends by junior year, so you need camps starting in 8th grade. Division III and Division II programs have less rigid timelines. Vermont's NCAA tournament run shows that program strength shifts yearly, so early exposure matters.
Is going to camps in 8th grade too early? This depends on what level you want to play. If you want to play at the highest top academic schools, you have to start in 8th grade because you'll be done recruiting most of the time at the end of your junior year. So you really only have 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th, and that's it. You don't get senior year. If you want to go to a mid-tier D3 program, then you could probably start in 9th, 10th grade and still be okay. So it depends what level you're aiming for. There are a variety of different levels. The best Division IIs and the worst Division IIs, there's a huge gap. But the best Division IIIs and the best Division IIs, academically speaking, is pretty minimal. And level-wise, the best Division IIIs and the mid-tier D1s are very close. Now, if you said which are the best schools, it depends. Vermont won the NCAA tournament. Were they considered a top team 2 years ago in terms of winning the whole thing? No. So every year is different. So because of that, the sooner you start, the more safer and better chance you have in playing college soccer. So I recommend starting in 8th grade and then action steps in 9th, 10th grade.
