The NCAA Division I campaign kicks off on Friday, which means many of the standouts who featured in the Premier Development League this summer are set to continue their careers on their path to the professional ranks.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which reached the 2016 College Cup, has a total of 26 PDL players on its 2017 roster – 11 more players than Florida Gulf Coast University's current roster, which had the second-most players compete in the PDL this season.
Every college program in the top 25 on the first edition of the United Soccer Coaches DI Rankings on Aug. 3 has at least one player who competed in the PDL this summer.
Many notable talents who were named to the sixth and final edition of the 2017 PDL Top Prospects list are set to compete in the NCAA DI college campaign, including Duke University standout Brian White. The forward scored 17 goals and provided three assists for the New York Red Bulls U23 en route to claiming the Golden Boot and PDL Most Valuable Player award.