Coronavirus Updates: NCAA Suspension of In-Person Recruiting

NCAA dead period extended through January 1, 2021 for Division 1 sports

On this page

• Check up on college recruiting rule updates and how they affect you.
• Find out when and how you can contact college coaches.
• See how NCAA D1, D2 and D3 recruiting rules are different

Updated September 17, 2020 

Effective September 16, the NCAA suspension of all in-person recruiting for D1 sports is extended through January 1. Coaches are not allowed to meet face-to-face with a recruit off campus or do any in-person scouting. However, since June 1, strength and conditioning coaches have been allowed to virtually observe workouts if specifically requested by the student-athlete.  

The NCAA has also encouraged all colleges to stop all official and unofficial visits. Recruiting will not stop completely; coaches and recruits can still communicate over email, phone, text and social media.

Please send any questions about this information to updates@ncsasports.org.

Latest NCAA recruiting updates across Division levels

The NCAA has recently issued updated recruiting rules for the D1 and D2 levels.

• NCAA Division 1: Suspension of in-person recruiting has been extended until January 1.
• NCAA Division 2: A “quiet period” was in place throughout the past several months. However, unlike Division 1, normal recruiting calendars resumed on September 1, and coaches are now able to participate in all types of recruiting activity.
• NCAA Division 3: No major announcements have been made, so we recommend reaching out directly to any programs you have been in contact with to ask about their recruiting plans.

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What recruits need to know about the new NCAA rules

• All D1 in-person recruiting is suspended through January 1.
• Beginning June 1, D1 coaches can virtually observe voluntary workouts if requested by the recruit. 
• As of September 1, Division 2’s quiet period ended, and D2 coaches may resume their normal recruiting calendars and activity.
• Colleges are advised to suspend official visits and unofficial visits to campus.
• All recruits should check with any coaches they have scheduled visits with.
• Coaches and recruits can still communicate via phone and written correspondence (email, text and social media DMs).
• The NCAA will continue to consult experts to determine whether the date needs to be extended.

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What this means for recruits

• Impact on on-campus contact: If you have arranged to meet with a college coach on- or off-campus, contact them directly to reschedule or double check the status of your visit.   
• Impact on off-campus contact: While all off-campus recruiting has been suspended, coaches and recruits can still communicate via email, phone, and private messages like DMs as long as they follow NCAA recruiting rules.
• Impact on scholarship offers: College coaches may be more likely to make recruits  different types of offers that help them retain roster flexibility, such as a grayshirt or redshirt scholarship offer
• Since college coaches will be relying on digital communication now more than ever, it’s important to build a recruiting profile and continue to manage your recruiting process.  

Though these decisions currently apply only to the NCAA D1 and D2 levels, NCAA D3, NAIA and NJCAA level coaches are following suit with their own updates. If you are in contact with coaches at these programs, we recommend checking directly with them to ensure face-to-face meetings or in-person scouting are not canceled or postponed.

Watch the video below to hear NCSA recruiting experts discuss how the latest changes to the NCAA recruiting rules impact recruits and what they can do to stay on track with their recruiting process.

Learn more about how to get recruited during COVID-19.

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What this means for coaches

Over the past few weeks, student-athletes and parents have reached out to NCSA with questions about the dead and quiet period extensions and how these periods impact college coaches’ ability to recruit in-person. We’ve compiled a list of the most commonly asked questions and answered them below: 

1. Can Division 1 coaches still contact rising juniors starting June 15, or has this been pushed back to January 1 with the suspension of in-person contact? Yes, coaches are still allowed to contact recruits via phone, email, social media and other digital communication channels starting June 15 after the athlete’s sophomore year. With the suspension of in-person recruiting, college coaches are heavily relying on virtual recruiting to communicate with student-athletes. Learn more about virtual recruiting.
2. Can college coaches hold camps on campus before January 1 or attend other college camps before January 1? No, Division 1 coaches are not able to host or attend camps on college campuses during the dead period running through January 1. Although the quiet period has ended for Division 2 programs, recruits can likely expect fewer in-person camps compared to previous years, as coaches continue to search for alternatives to evaluate talent. Additionally, many college campuses remain closed.
3. Does this mean sports camps not held on a college campus will still be permitted to take place with coaches in attendance? While some states are allowing sporting activities like camps to resume, Division 1 college coaches are prohibited from attending these events. As part of the NCAA dead period, Division 1 coaches are only permitted to talk to recruits via phone, email, social media and other digital communication channels.
4. Does the ban on in-person recruiting mean that Division 1 coaches cannot attend travel sports tournaments until after January 1? Yes, under the rules of the NCAA dead period, Division 1 coaches are prohibited from recruiting student-athletes in person, both on and off campus, until at least January 1. Division 2 coaches are currently able to attend in-person events.  When will the NCAA announce the end of the Division 1 dead period? The NCSA team is diligently monitoring NCAA updates to the college recruiting rules and calendar and interpreting these changes for student-athletes and their families. To find the latest information and tips for the recruiting process during this time, visit our COVID-19 Impacts and Solutions for College Recruiting page. 
5. When will the NCAA announce the end of the Division 1 dead period? The NCSA team is diligently monitoring NCAA updates to the college recruiting rules and calendar and interpreting these changes for student-athletes and their families. To find the latest information and tips for the recruiting process during this time, visit our COVID-19 Impacts and Solutions for College Recruiting page.  
6. Does NCSA have any resources that explain the differences between a quiet and dead period? Our guide below breaks down what college coaches can and cannot do during a quiet and dead period.

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What are the NCAA Dead Period rules?

The most important rule to remember about dead periods is that coaches may not have any in-person contact with recruits or their families. Learn more about dead periods here. While the NCAA’s rules in response to the coronavirus aren’t identical to an official dead period, they are very similar. Reading up on dead periods will help you understand what to expect from now until January 1. In short, the NCAA D1 is encouraging schools to stop conducting visits and in-person recruiting.

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What are the NCAA Quiet Period rules?

A quiet period as a time when coaches cannot have in-person contact with recruits or their parents outside of the college campus. Simply put, you can talk to college coaches in-person on their college campus but nowhere else. Similarly, the coach is not allowed to watch athletes compete, visit their school or talk to them at their home. Learn more about the NCAA quiet period.

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What does in-person recruiting mean?

In-person recruiting refers to any off-campus contact and in-person scouting. By advising coaches to suspend in-person recruiting, the NCAA essentially aims to take coaches “off the road” and stop recruiting from taking place at the athlete’s school, camp or anywhere else.

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How recruiting still happens during a dead period

During a dead period, recruiting does not completely stop. Recruiting activity moves to phone, email, text and social media DMs. As long as it is within the contact rules, recruits can connect with a coach digitally. Coaches are still actively evaluating recruits online by watching film, researching grades and searching recruit databases.

Learn how to connect with college coaches during the coronavirus recruiting dead period.

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How does this impact seniors in the class of 2020?

The NCAA has provided no updates on recruiting specifically for the class of 2020. Given the unprecedented nature of the impacts of COVID-19 on the recruiting process, the NCAA is focused on ensuring the health and safety of all student-athletes and college coaches. Keep in mind, college coaches are trying to figure out what needs to happen with their current athletes on-campus and are just as uncertain as families at this point. 

Because the new rules do not prevent phone and written communication, coaches can still conduct much of their recruiting over the phone and online. At NCSA, we expect coaches to continue communicating with recruits, seniors in particular, once they have ensured the safety of their current athletes. 

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About NCSA

The impacts of COVID-19 are being felt throughout the sports community. As we head into the spring and summer season, there is a lot of uncertainty into how the youth sports community will be impacted. At NCSA we are believers in the importance of sports first and recruiting experts second. We are making all of our research into the impacts of COVID-19 public to help in any way we can. We will continue to update these materials as updates are necessary. Please send any questions or requests to updates@ncsasports.org.

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