NCAA Division 1 coaches and recruits must wait until September 9 of an athlete’s junior year, to communicate via verbal offers, emails, calls, texts and recruiting letters. Though, recruiting rules do vary from division to division, allowing coaches to contact athletes earlier, most division levels follow the NCAA rules. We’ve created this section to help student-athletes and their families better understand the NCAA lacrosse recruiting rules and calendar, as well as the rules and calendar for the NAIA.
READ MORE: NCAA’s new rules change how many scholarships are offered for D1 lacrosse players.
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Understanding the NCAA lacrosse recruiting rules and calendar
The college recruiting process can be stressful but understanding the NCAA lacrosse recruiting calendar and rules shouldn’t be. This section outlines everything student-athletes and their families need to know about the recruiting process across the NCAA’s three divisions and the NAIA’s two divisions, including when the process begins, early recruitment and the rules and calendar established by the NCAA each year.
When does the men’s lacrosse recruiting process start?
NCAA D1 coaches can begin contacting recruits, sending recruiting materials, communicating digitally and making verbal offers starting September 9 of the athlete’s junior year. Student-athletes can begin contacting college coaches and scheduling official and unofficial beginning September 1 of their junior year. NCAA D2 coaches can begin contacting recruits at any time.
Of course, athletes should be preparing for the lacrosse recruiting process far before this date. Student-athletes and their families should dedicate time to building a strong recruiting profile, creating a quality highlights video and researching schools in advance to the start of the recruiting process. This preparation will help position athletes for a successful recruitment experience.
Early recruiting in men’s lacrosse
The NCAA rules on Division 1 communication were designed to stop all forms of recruiting conversations and early offers before September 9th of an athlete’s junior year of high school. The only forms of communication a college coach can have is with a recruit’s club or high school coach, but even those conversations are limited to simple yes or no answers to the questions of recruiting. Absolutely no verbal offers can be made or suggested.
But early recruiting can still occur before communication between college coaches and recruits is permitted. Before September 9th, D1 college coaches are free to research student-athletes by viewing recruiting profiles, watching highlight videos and watching the student-athlete’s performance at games. When communication with D1 coaches is permitted, starting September 9th of an athlete’s junior year, college coaches will have already done their research and can begin to build a relationship with athletes they are interested in recruiting. This is why it’s important for student-athletes to create a recruiting profile with stats and a highlight video and play in tournaments prior to the start of the lacrosse recruiting process.
Division 2, Division 3, NAIA, NJCAA coaches can all communicate with recruits earlier in the process.
When can college coaches contact men’s lacrosse recruits?
NCAA D1 college coaches can start contacting student-athletes after September 1 of junior year. D2 college coaches are able to contact student-athletes at any time.
NCAA Division 1 men’s lacrosse recruiting rules
NCAA D1 sports follow the most restrictive and limiting set of rules that vary from sport to sport.
- Any time: College coaches can send athletes non-recruiting materials, including camp brochures, nonathletic institutional publications and official NCAA educational materials.
- September 9 of junior year: Coaches can begin calling athletes, as well as send text messages, questionnaires, direct messages and emails. Student-athletes can begin receiving recruiting materials and verbal scholarship offers.
- September 9 of junior year: Unofficial visits or official visits are not permitted before this date.
- September 9 of junior year: Off-campus evaluations can begin. During the athlete’s junior year, evaluations can only occur at the recruit’s school or home.
NCAA Division 2 men’s lacrosse recruiting rules
All NCAA D2 sports adhere to the same recruiting rules, which are more lenient than The NCAA Recruiting Rules for D1 schools.
- Non-recruiting materials: Athletes may receive non-recruiting materials, including camp brochures, questionnaires, and NCAA materials and non-athletic recruiting publications at any time.
- Printed recruiting materials: Student-athletes can begin receiving printed recruiting materials at any time
- Telephone calls: Coaches are permitted to start calling athletes at any time.
- Off-campus contact: Off-campus communications between coaches and athletes and/or their parents may begin on June 15 after an athlete’s sophomore year.
- Unofficial visits: Unofficial visits are permitted at any time.
- Official visits: Starting June 15 after an athlete’s sophomore year, athletes may schedule official visits.
NCAA Division 3 men’s lacrosse recruiting rules
Just as the NCAA D2, D3 schools have the same NCAA recruiting rules for all sports. D3 schools enjoy the most relaxed rules, as compared to the other two NCAA divisions.
- Recruiting materials: Recruiting materials can be sent to athletes at any time.
- Telephone calls: College coaches are not restricted on when they can call athletes.
- Digital communications: College coaches are permitted to contact athletes digitally at any time.
- Off-campus contact: Off-campus communication between an athlete and coaches can begin following the athlete’s sophomore year.
- Official visits: Official visits can begin starting January 1 of an athlete’s junior year.
- Unofficial visits: There is no limit to the number of unofficial visits athletes can make.
NAIA men’s lacrosse recruiting rules
NAIA recruiting traditionally begins later in the recruiting period, as NAIA coaches often look to recruit student-athletes who missed out on an offer from a D1 school. Coaches and athletes are held to fewer and less strict recruiting rules, as compared to the NCAA and are free to communicate at any time during high school. Athletes will find that NAIA coaches make a concerted effort to ensure athletes are not just a good fit athletically, but also socially and academically.
2026-27 Division 1 and Division 2 NCAA lacrosse recruiting calendar
Dead periods: This period prevents coaches from any in-person contact with recruits and/or their parents. Digital communication between athletes and coaches is still allowed via phone, email, social media, etc.
- August 11-31, 2026
- November 9-12, 2026
- November 23-29, 2026
- December 9-13, 2026
- December 24 – January 3, 2027
- May 28-June 1, 2027 (Ends at noon)
- July 1-10, 2027
Contact period: Contact between athletes and coaches is restricted to camp and clinic information, until June 15 after the sophomore year. Once this date passes, coaches and athletes can communicate freely using any NCAA-approved method, including emails, text, calls and direct messages. It is at this time that coaches are also allowed to extend verbal offers. The only communication restrictions in place after June 15 of the athlete’s sophomore year are the dead periods listed above and a quiet period.
- August 1-3, 2026
- September 1 – October 31, 2026
- November 1-22, 2026
- January 4-18, 2027
- March 1- May 27, 2027
- June 1 (noon – July 31, 2027
Division 2
The NCAA lacrosse recruiting calendar for D2 has three dead periods listed below. Student-athletes are free to communicate with coaches beginning June 15 after their sophomore year.
- November 9 (7 a.m.) to 11 (7 a.m.), 2026, (during the 48 hours prior to 7 a.m. on the initial date for the signing of the NCAA financial aid agreement)
What is the quiet period in NCAA lacrosse recruiting?
NCAA D1 men’s lacrosse observes quiet periods, during which college coaches may only talk to prospective student-athletes in-person on campus. During this time, College coaches are prohibited from visiting student-athletes’ homes, high schools and games. The NCAA’s philosophy behind the quiet period is to provide recruits a break from college coach visits, while still allowing communication to flow from coach to athlete in emails, texts, calls and direct messaging.
- August 4-10, 2026
- November 30 – December 23, 2026
- January 19 – February 28, 2027
