As you navigate through the recruiting process, it is important to know when or how college coaches can contact you, watch you compete, or offer you a spot on their roster.
You should first educate yourself on how these coaches are restricted in their contact with you while you are in high school, as well as how it affects when you should be reaching out to them. Knowing the limitations of college coaches during your recruiting process will make you more efficient in your conversations with coaches!
When can I contact college coaches?
You can contact coaches at any time! These recruiting restrictions are only in place for the college coaches reaching out to you. There are no rules surrounding the prospective-student athlete and their outreach to college coaches. Just remember, depending on your age, college coaches may not be able to have in depth recruiting conversations.
When can coaches contact me?
Depending on your sport and the division you are pursuing, college coaches will be able to contact you regarding recruiting like conversation on either this could on June 15th or September 1st after your Sophomore year.
- For Division I, depending on the sport you play, college coaches will be able to contact you, to have recruiting-like conversations, on June 15th or September 1st after your Sophomore year.
- For Division II, college coaches will be able to have recruiting-like conversations on June 15th after your sophomore year.
- For Division III, there are little to no recruiting rules. College coaches will be able to have recruiting-like conversations at any point in your recruiting process.
Recruiting Timelines
Recruiting timelines are split up into periods of recruiting activities. These periods include; contact periods, quiet periods, evaluation periods, and dead periods. These time frames have rules that specifically deal with how and when coaches can have contact with the athletes they are actively recruiting.
To see your specific sport recruiting timeline, check out the NCAA recruiting calendars here.
What is a Contact Period?
During a contact period, a college coach can have direct contact with prospective student athletes and their families during this time. This includes face to face contact (that is more than just a hello), as well as through the phone through email, phone calls, etc.
What is an Evaluation Period?
An evaluation period is when a college coach is allowed to be involved in off-campus activities designed to assess the academic qualifications and playing ability of prospective student-athletes. They are also allowed to contact student-athletes via email, phone, etc. However, they are not permitted to face-to-face, in-person, off-campus recruiting contact with prospective student-athletes.
What is a Quiet Period?
A quiet period is when it is permissible for college coach to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the institution’s campus. They will not be allowed to have in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period.
What is a Dead Period?
A dead period is when there is no in-person face to face contact between student-athletes and college coaches. During this time it is not permissible to allow official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus. However, what is most important is that they are still able to contact recruits by phone and email during this period. This includes any form of video calls, including Facetime, Skype, Zoom etc.
| Contact Period | Face to Face Contact: YES In Person Evaluations/ Visiting their High Schools: YES Contact Athlete by Call/Text/Email: YES |
| Evaluation Period | Face to Face Contact: NO In Person Evaluations/ Visiting their High Schools: YES Contact Athlete by Call/Text/Email: YES |
| Quiet Period | Face to Face Contact: Only on their own College Campus In Person Evaluations/ Visiting their High Schools: Only on their own College Campus Contact Athlete by Call/Text/Email: YES |
| Dead Period | Face to Face Contact: NO In Person Evaluations/ Visiting their High Schools: NO Contact Athlete by Call/Text/Email: YES |
If you are looking to pursue collegiate sports at the NCAA Division I or II level, these different periods will impact your recruiting process. If you are strictly interested in Division III, these contact periods will not apply to you. At the Division III level, there are little to no recruiting rules, college coaches are able to speak with prospective student-athletes during anytime in their recruiting process.
It is also important to note that during this current Division II quiet period, “Coaching staff members are permitted to be employed at a non-institutional camp or clinic.“
To learn more about the current dead periods in place due to COVID-19, check out our article here.
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About the Author
Mike Babich is one of the Insights Analyst at SportsRecruits. Mike has experience in collegiate athletics as a former football student-athlete at Mount Ida College, as well as a Graduate Assistant and Assistant Football Coach at Long Island University. He also served in the role of an Admissions Counselor for two years at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, New York. He has a passion for helping student-athletes better navigate and understand the recruiting process.
