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NCAA Extends Division I Recruiting “Dead Period”

Recently, the NCAA Division I Council extended the recruiting Dead Period through January 1, 2021.

A brief review of social media indicated that many athletes and coaches (high school, travel ball, and college coaches) are extremely frustrated with this decision. We completely understand that frustration.

The decision was made at least in part because NCAA leadership was concerned about coaches traveling across the country, as well as recruits traveling to visit campuses, and thereby increasing the spread of COVID-19.

Also, for what it’s worth, the last sentence of the NCAA press release about the dead period states:

“The majority of coaches associations also supported the extension of the dead period.”

So while a lot of frustration is directed at the NCAA, there had to be a number of coaches associations for different sports that were hesitant to travel or to have recruits visiting campus.

As a result of this action, coaches in all Division I sports are only allowed to:

  • Recruit by phone or video calls, text messaging, email, and other direct messaging.
  • Coaches can also review film and gather information on recruits by speaking with high school, junior college and/or club coaches, but are prohibited from leaving campus for recruiting purposes and can’t have face-to-face interaction with recruits or their family members.

It’s also not permissible during this Dead Period for Division I universities to offer complimentary admission for recruits or for high school or junior college coaches to a football or basketball game, or any other sports event that may take place on campus during this period.

Do you have questions and need assistance?

If you have questions about your athlete’s specific situation, we provide confidential phone consultations to answer questions and discuss options available to your athlete. Schedule a confidential Scholarship Strategies consult online, or you can send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or call 913-766-1235.

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NCAA DI Coaches “Stuck” in Recruiting Dead Period

Coaches at NCAA Division I programs continue to be “stuck” in a recruiting Dead Period through at least the end of September. This means that Division I coaches are prohibited from inviting recruits for campus visits or from having any face-to-face interaction with recruits.

For some Division I sports, September 1st opened up opportunities for coaches to at least communicate directly with 2022 high school graduates.

  • For the sports of Baseball, Women’s Basketball, Lacrosse and Softball, coaches can place recruiting calls and can send recruiting correspondence (emails, direct messages via social media, etc.) to recruits in the high school class of 2022 starting on September 1.
  • Division I football coaches (FBS and FCS) can also begin sending recruiting emails and direct messages to 2022 high school graduates starting on September 1. Recruiting phone calls, however, can only be initiated to 2021 high school graduates as of September 1.

We know that these recruiting rules for the various sports can be confusing. For questions about the recruiting rules, or for our tips on recruiting strategies, schedule a Recruiting Strategies consult online, or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or call 913-766-1235.

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NCAA Recruiting Periods Update

The NCAA Division II Administrative Committee voted last week to extend the recruiting Quiet Period for coaches in all Division II sports through August 31.

This means that Division II coaches continue to be prohibited from conducting any off-campus recruiting activity through at least the end of August.

They are, however, permitted to call, email or exchange text messages with recruits during a Quiet Period, as well as have face-to-face interaction with recruits and family members during a recruit’s visit to the college campus.

In NCAA Division I, coaches are in a recruiting Dead Period through at least the end of August. No face-to-face conversation is permitted at any location during a Dead Period.

Many coaches are dealing with these recruiting restrictions virtually, by watching live streamed events or through recruiting video.

If you would like to schedule a confidential discussion to review how these recruiting restrictions may impact your prospective student-athlete, schedule a confidential recruiting rules consult online, send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or give us a call at 913-766-1235.

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NCAA DI Scholarship Rule Change to Benefit Athletes

Last week, the NCAA Division I Council approved a very important change to the scholarship calculation rules that may benefit many student-athletes and families.

For Division I student-athletes who are or will be receiving an athletic scholarship in their sport, most institutional financial aid awards that are based on need or academic merit will be exempt from counting against a team’s scholarship limit starting this Fall.

Under the NCAA rules for Division I that have been in place for many years, when an athlete was receiving both an athletic and an academic or a need-based scholarship from their university, the combined total value of both or all scholarships had to be counted against the team limit in that sport.

That is unless the student-athlete had academic credentials to permit the academic or need-based aid to be exempt from the calculation.

Those academic credentials are/have been:

  • A cumulative high school GPA of at least 3.50 on a 4.00 scale (or a college GPA of at least 3.00 for a continuing athlete to exempt the renewal of an academic scholarship).
  • Ranked in the top 10 percent of the athlete’s high school graduating class.
  • A minimum ACT sum score of at least 105.
  • A minimum SAT score of 1200 (critical reading and math) for SAT tests taken before March 1, 2016, or a minimum SAT score of 1270 (critical reading and math) for tests taken on or after March 1, 2016.

With the new rule taking effect on August 1 of this year, academic scholarships will be exempt from counting against team scholarship limits regardless of whether an athlete achieved the standards noted above. Most need-based financial aid awards will also be exempt. This is basically the same rule that was approved for NCAA Division II two years ago.

If you have questions and want to discuss the impact of this new rule on your athlete ,schedule a confidential Scholarship Strategies consult online, send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or call us at 913-766-1235.

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NCAA Recruiting Continues During Pandemic

Coaches in NCAA Division I programs may be in a recruiting Dead Period through the end of August, but that hasn’t stopped them from recruiting and seeking commitments from talented high school athletes. You can see posts every day on social media about “offers” that recruits are receiving.

While Division I coaches can’t leave campus to conduct recruiting activity and can’t have face-to-face interaction with recruits or parents/families during a Dead Period, that doesn’t mean that you can’t visit a campus of your own choosing to walk around the campus and get a sense of what it might be like to attend a particular university.

If you have questions about the recruiting rules, you may want to consider booking a confidential recruiting rules consult.

During the consult, we will review the recruiting rules that pertain specifically to your athlete and answer any questions that you have about the recruiting process, campus visits, eligibility, National Letter of Intent and Scholarships.

If the situation warrants, we will also discuss any other resources or services that might be helpful for making the best decision for your family.

Schedule a confidential Recruiting Rules Consult online, or by sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com or calling us at 913-766-1235.

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June 15 – An Important Date for NCAA Recruiting of 2022 High School Grads

June 15th is an important date for high school recruits regarding the opportunity to have contact with NCAA Division I and Division II coaches, and also for current junior college athletes who were signed to an NJCAA Letter of Intent during the 2019-20 academic year.

NCAA Division I Recruiting Information:

June 15th is the first date when most NCAA Division I coaches will be able to place recruiting phone calls and send emails/messages to athletes who have just completed their sophomore year of high school.

The following Division I sports are the only ones that have a date other than June 15 as the earliest date for placing recruiting calls and sending emails/messages to prospects:

  • Baseball – Sept. 1 of junior year
  • Women’s Basketball – Sept. 1 of junior year
  • Football – Sept. 1 of senior year except for one call between Apr. 15 and May 31 of junior year
  • Men’s Ice Hockey – Jan. 1 of sophomore year
  • Lacrosse – Sept. 1 of junior year
  • Softball – Sept. 1 of junior year

Regarding calls placed by high school recruits TO Division I coaches, the dates listed above are the same EXCEPT that coaches in the sports of baseball, basketball, and football can accept incoming calls and talk to recruits who call them at any time.

NCAA Division II Recruiting Information:

For recruiting by NCAA Division II colleges, June 15 is the date when coaches in ALL sports can start to contact recruits who have completed their sophomore year via phone, email, or direct message services.

Division II coaches in all sports can also accept incoming calls and talk to prospects who call them at any time.

NJCAA Letter of Intent Signees:

For athletes who attended an NJCAA two-year college during the 2019-20 academic as a Letter of Intent signee: June 15 is also the date by which notification of renewal of the Letter of Intent for the 2020-21 academic year is supposed to be provided by their college.

An NJCAA athlete not signed to a new scholarship by June 15 (which is supposed to be in the form of a new Letter of Intent) becomes recruitable by any other NJCAA college starting on June 16.

For specific questions about recruiting rules, Letter of Intent, or scholarship agreements, call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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How to Navigate the Current NCAA Recruiting Restrictions

Last week, NCAA Division I leaders extended the recruiting Dead Period for all Division I coaches through the end of July due to continued COVID-19 concerns.

Division I coaches are limited to recruiting by phone, text, email, and other messaging, as well as looking at film and by speaking with high school, junior college and/or club coaches.

Meanwhile, Division II coaches entered a recruiting Quiet Period on June 1.

This means that although the Division II coaches are still restricted from conducting any off-campus recruiting activities, they can conduct sports camps and clinics, invite recruits to campus and have in-person recruiting conversations, as long as those interactions take place on campus.

As the parent of a high school or junior college recruit, how should you or your athlete approach this situation?

Some suggestions:

  • Check out opportunities in your state or region to participate in recruiting camps or showcase events this summer. Because coaches can’t leave campus to conduct recruiting, they will be relying more than ever on the word of event organizers and junior college or smaller college coaches on who were the top players at each event.
  • Attend recruiting/skills camps that may be offered at junior colleges or small colleges in your area. Don’t discount the information that junior college coaches may share with NCAA coaches. Also, don’t discount the possibility of starting off your college career at a junior college to improve your skill level, or to gain strength and speed, so that you can then be recruited by NCAA programs from a junior college.
  • Create a recruiting video that you can send out to coaches.
  • Prepare an athletic resume that you can send to coaches along with a recruiting video. Highlight not only your athletic skills and abilities, but also your academic performance and any leadership or other extra-curricular activities you’ve been involved in.
  • Set up a page for your athlete on one of the recruiting websites that permit you to create your own page and profile.

Here are some of the ways that we can provide objective guidance and information to help you and your athlete navigate through this current challenging environment.

  • We can explain the academic requirements that your athlete will need to satisfy to be eligible to compete at the college level, as well as the transfer academic requirements if they want to start off at the junior college level, or just take part-time courses at the beginning of their enrollment.
  • We can explain the differences in the rules regarding athletic scholarships at the various college levels so that you are prepared if an offer of a scholarship is made to your athlete.
  • For a spring sport recruit who may be faced with overcrowded college rosters this next year, we can also explain the rules and implications of taking a gap year after high school graduation. That option may provide some benefits both athletically to gain size and strength and improve skill level, as well as academically to take part-time course work while postponing the start of the athlete’s eligibility clock.

If you have questions, concerns, or are confused about what to do and how to navigate the recruiting process, we can help you understand and provide scenarios and options for what is in the best interest of your athlete. Schedule a private and confidential Scholarship Strategies Consultation online or by calling us at 913-766-1235 or sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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NCAA Division II Recruiting Will Enter a Quiet Period Starting June 1st

In a recent post, I shared that NCAA Division I has extended their recruiting Dead Period for all sports through June 30.

In contrast, NCAA Division II has announced that they will enter a Quiet Period starting June 1 and continuing until June 30.

During the Quiet Period, Division II coaches:

  • Can invite recruits to visit campus
  • Can have face-to-face interaction with recruits and their family members on campus.
  • Can host camps and clinics on their campuses.

However:

  • Coaches are still prohibited from conducting off-campus recruiting activities.
  • Keep in mind that decisions by colleges regarding whether and when to permit these activities will be guided by campus policies and state and local health authorities.
  • Certain Division II conferences may also choose to impose more restrictions on campus activities than are permitted during a Quiet Period.

Schedule a confidential Recruiting Rules consultation online to make sure you’re up to date on what activities are permissible. You can also call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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NCAA Division I Extends Recruiting Dead Period

The NCAA has announced that the Division I recruiting Dead Period for all sports that has been imposed in the wake of COVID-19 has now been extended through June 30.

As a reminder, this means that Division I coaches are not allowed to have any in-person interaction with high school or junior college recruits, or with athletes who are in the process of transferring from one university to another. Phone calls, emails, text messages, or other direct messaging formats remain permissible, however.

If you’ve got any questions on how this could affect your athlete, schedule a Recruiting Rules Consult online, or by calling 913-766-1235.

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Impact of Online Instruction on NCAA Freshman Eligibility Requirements

High school athletes must satisfy the NCAA academic requirements to be certified as a Qualifier and be eligible to compete and receive an athletic scholarship in their freshman year at an NCAA Division I or Division II university.

High schools shifting to online instruction or taking other action due to COVID-19 could have a negative impact on a recruit’s opportunity to satisfy the academic requirements for Division I and Division II eligibility.

As of the date of this post,  the NCAA Eligibility Center has not yet issued any official changes or adjustments to these academic requirements. However, the Eligibility Center will be conferring with NCAA Division I and II governing committees and is expected to release information on possible changes soon.

High school recruits and families should be aware that the NCAA freshman academic requirements to be certified as a Qualifier are also important if your athlete is planning to attend a two-year college before transferring to an NCAA university.

Recruits who are not certified as an NCAA Qualifier by the Eligibility Center will have more extensive academic requirements to satisfy while attending a two-year college in order to be eligible when they transfer to an NCAA university.

Do You Have Questions?

If you are concerned about the impact of online instruction on your academic eligibility, we offer confidential phone consultations. We’ll answer all your questions, discuss the possible impact on your athlete’s eligibility due to COVID-19, and suggest options for your athlete to consider. Schedule a confidential Eligibility Issues consult online here, call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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