Tag Archive for: NCAA recruiting rules
NCAA Division I Dead Period extended again! The recruiting “Dead Period” prohibiting in-person recruiting in all Division I sports has now been extended through May 31. This means that no official or unofficial visits to Division I campuses are permissible until after May 31 at the earliest. Division I coaches will be limited to phone, video, or electronic communication with recruits.
For a free copy of the current NCAA Recruiting Calendars, go here: https://informedathlete.com/services/ncaa-recruiting-calendars/
Recruiting Tip for All College Levels:
When talking to student-athletes or their parents we often hear “The assistant coach that recruited me is no longer with the school.”
Because we hear those comments so often, we suggest that athletes who are being recruited spend as much time as possible with the head coach when visiting a campus. After all, the head coach is the one who decides who will be in the starting lineup.
To learn more about Recruiting Rules, visit our webpage: https://informedathlete.com/how-we-help/recruiting-rules/
For tips and suggestions to improve your recruitment or for questions about NCAA recruiting rules, schedule a Recruiting Rules Consult Online, send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or call us at 913-766-1235.
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.
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.
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.
August 1 is a very important date for certain aspects of recruiting for many NCAA Division I sports programs. Those recruiting opportunities that can begin on August 1 are listed below:
Official Visits – Can be provided August 1 by Division I programs to recruits who will be entering their junior year of high school, with the following exceptions:
- Baseball, Softball, and Lacrosse – Sept. 1 of junior year of HS
- Women’s Basketball and Football – April of junior year of HS
Unofficial Visits – Division I programs can be actively involved in unofficial visits for recruits who will be entering their junior year of high school starting August 1, with the following exceptions:
- Football and Women’s Basketball – Any time, no restrictions.
- Men’s Ice Hockey – January 1 of sophomore year of HS
- Men’s Basketball – August 1 before sophomore year of HS
- Baseball, Softball, and Lacrosse – Sept. 1 of junior year of HS
Off-Campus Contacts – Face-to-face interaction between Division I coaches and prospects (and/or their family) at off-campus locations permissible August 1 before their junior year with the following exceptions:
- Men’s Basketball – Opening day of junior year of HS
- Lacrosse and Softball – September 1 of junior year of HS
- Women’s Basketball – March 1 of junior year of HS
- Baseball and Football – July 1 after junior year of HS
If you have questions about the NCAA recruiting rules for your specific sport of interest, contact us at 913-766-1235 or via email to rick@informedathlete.com
The NCAA Division I Council recently proposed changes to the Division I recruiting timeline that will adjust key recruiting dates in all sports other than football and basketball. The proposed changes are expected to be voted on in April 2019.
One proposal addressed the sport of men’s ice hockey, while the other proposal addressed all Division I sports except hockey, football and basketball.
Proposal One: Prospects being recruited for men’s ice hockey would be allowed to make unofficial visits to campus to meet with coaches and tour athletic facilities as early as January 1 of the sophomore year of high school if this proposal is approved.
Currently, unofficial visits involving athletic staff are not permissible until September 1st of a prospect’s junior year of high school. The hockey proposal would also permit official visits to Division I campuses beginning August 1 before the start of a prospect’s junior year.
Proposal Two: For all sports other than football, basketball, and men’s ice hockey, the proposed changes would permit prospects to have communication with Division I coaches – whether initiated by the coach or the prospect – starting on June 15 after the sophomore year of high school. Also, the permissible date for official and unofficial visits would be moved one month earlier to August 1 from September 1.
NCAA universities and conferences will be providing feedback to the Division I Council prior to their vote in April, so these proposals could be revised before the final vote. Look for updates in the Spring regarding these proposals as we get closer to April.
For more information about NCAA recruiting rules, visit our website. If you’d like a confidential consult as to how these rules or other rules could impact you or your athlete, schedule a phone or email consult online, call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.
Friday, June 15th was the first day for NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball coaches to begin to place recruiting phone calls and send recruiting correspondence (emails, direct messages, etc.) to high school recruits in the graduating class of 2020.
June 15 was also the first day for coaches in all NCAA Division II sports to begin to recruit high school prospects who will graduate in 2020. These activities can include recruiting phone calls, sending recruiting correspondence, AND also offering official visits to a Division II campus.
If you’d like a complimentary copy, click NCAA Recruiting Calendars, and sign up to receive the most current calendars with a summary of important dates and most current need-to-know recruiting info.
Other ways we help student-athletes and their families navigate through the recruiting process include:
Recruiting Rules Consults via phone or email
College Visit Consult Packages
Informed Athlete’s Campus Visits Guide
If you’re a high school recruit competing for an athletic scholarship offer, have you defined your college experience expectations?
Do you want to compete at the highest level possible and try to win a championship for your team – whether that’s a conference, regional, or national championship?
Or, will you be completely happy if you’re enjoying college, making lifelong friendships, and possibly participating on a junior varsity college team to stay physically active and spend more time with some of your new friends?
Many colleges at both the NCAA and NAIA level use their athletic teams to boost their enrollment numbers.
But, some programs take that even a step further by adding junior varsity teams to the athletic program. Those coaches might recruit you to join their teams with the opportunity of being promoted to the varsity level at some point in your college career, but they may primarily be looking to just boost college enrollment.
Don’t get me wrong – if you will be happy being on the JV team and not having as many commitments on your time as you would have with practice and travel commitments of a varsity program, then that’s great.
The point I want to make is to be sure you ask – especially at smaller colleges – if they have both a varsity and junior varsity team in your sport, and where the coach sees you fitting into the program. As the article that I’ve linked below describes, the coach may be more interested in your participation to boost college enrollment rather than for the talent that you can provide to help their team win.
http://blog.naia.org/index.php/2017/11/06/goshen-college-boosting-recruitment-with-junior-varsity-athletics/
If you’re a high school recruit and have questions, click here to learn how to schedule a confidential consult or contact us directly at 913-766-1235.
We’re sharing a story from an Informed Athlete client. His story is not an uncommon one; in fact, you might be facing a similar situation.
His story illustrates how easy it is to make mistakes when you don’t know what questions to ask or what things to look for when talking with college coaches or visiting campus.
“Rick Allen and Informed Athlete is an invaluable resource to athletes and their parents for the D1 Baseball recruiting, transferring and signing process.
I only wish that we knew of Rick and his company when our son was in high school going through the recruiting process. Our son turned down scholarship offers from several schools to play at his “dream school.”
What we did not know was that D1 baseball only has 11.7 scholarships to give to 27 members of their 35 man baseball roster. That meant that 8 players on the roster were not “on money.”
We were ignorant and did not know that this meant those players (along with any walk-ons), could be cut from the team after fall practice and not count against the 35 man roster. In other words, the 27 players on money counted against the roster in the Spring so they were very unlikely to get cut no matter what for that year.
Of course, our dream school did not tell us this. Worse yet, since they had officially recruited my son, he could not simply transfer to another D1 school that wanted him without sitting out a year.
Rick Allen guided us through the transfer from his D1 school to a JUCO program and helped us navigate very difficult and confusing rules on how that transfer had to occur if my son was going to transfer back to a D1 program after a year in JUCO.
Without his help and guidance, I am confident that my son’s career would be in serious jeopardy, if not over completely. Instead, he is thriving at his new D1 program.
College athletics is BIG BUSINESS that makes BIG MONEY. Do not let your son get caught in a numbers game or be put on the shelf like a commodity until the players in front of him move on.
Rick Allen can guide you step by step on every decision so you are armed with the knowledge to ask the right questions of your recruiting coach and program.
Do not risk your son’s career or trust that D1 programs have his best interest in mind. It’s all about the money, so get informed today by the best in the business.
Thank you Rick!!!!! Finally, someone with knowledge that we could trust and rely upon for the advice we needed.”
