UPDATED July 31, 2023: This past spring, the NCAA approved changes to the Division I Women’s Lacrosse Recruiting Calendar. Among these changes are the addition of “Recruiting Shutdowns.” The first Recruiting Shutdown will take place from August 1 – August 14, 2023. It is important to note that this new rule only applies to Division I coaches. Division II, Division III, and NAIA coaches may still be in contact during these times. 

A Recruiting Shutdown is a specific timeframe set by the NCAA during which no form of recruiting is permitted. The rules of a Recruiting Shutdown state that there is to be NO CONTACT between college coaches and prospects, families, club coaches, or high school coaches during those times. This means college coaches cannot email, call, text, send questionnaires or camp information, nor have any social media interactions (like/follow). 

NCAA Definition of a Recruiting Shutdown

Recruiting Shutdown: A recruiting shutdown is a period of time when no form of recruiting (e.g., contacts, evaluations, official or unofficial visits, correspondence or making or receiving telephone calls) is permissible 

13.02.5.6, NCAA LSDB

New Recruiting Shutdown Dates in 2023-2024:

  • August 1st – 14th
  • November 21st – 26th
  • December 22nd – 26th
  • December 31st – January 2nd
View the full NCAA DI Women’s Lacrosse Recruiting Calendar HERE.

Even though direct communication with college coaches cannot happen during a recruiting shutdown, student-athletes can still make strides during this time on the recruiting calendar. A recruiting shutdown is a great opportunity to update your IWLCARecruits profile, add new video to your profile, and re-evaluate your target list of schools. 

How can IWLCARecruits Help? 

  • Update Your Profile – Take the time to ensure all of your information is fully up to date. This includes GPA, transcript, academic honors, athletic stats. etc. 
  • Upload New Video – With the summer season wrapping up now is the perfect time to take a look at your footage to put together an effective highlight reel. We recommend creating a highlight reel with around 15-20 clips. Make sure to include a variety of different skills and only your top plays. Check out our webinar here to learn more about how to create an eye-catching highlight reel. 
  • Re-Evaluate your Target List of Schools – With the Recruiting Shutdown now is a perfect time to re-evaluate your Target List of Schools. It’s important that you have a good amount of reach, fit, and safety schools both academically and athletically. Make sure you are thinking of schools not just for the athletic fit, but also the academic, social, geographic, and financial fit.
  • Communicate with Colleges in Other Divisions – The Recruiting Shutdown only applies to Division I schools.  This means that if you have Division II, Division III, or NAIA schools on your list, it is okay to message them and give them updates. 
  • Take a break! – Once you’ve gotten everything updated, take some time to unplug and recharge before the school year starts!

Discussion About The Recruiting Shutdown:

Are there penalties for me reaching out to a college coach during the Recruiting Shutdown?

There are not any restrictions or repercussions for student-athletes during a recruiting shutdown. The recruiting shutdown is a rule that should be enforced and followed by Division I women’s lacrosse college coaches. However, this is not an ideal time for student-athletes to reach out to DI coaches. The intention of a Recruiting Shutdown is to give college coaches a break and spend time with their friends and families before a busy recruiting period.  For this reason any messages sent during this time can get lost in the shuffle, which is why you should organize your communication efforts around this date. Spend time focused on your other responsibilities in this process as well as shift communication to schools in other divisions on your list. 

Advice for Athletes Entering their Junior Year on September 1st (Class of 2025)

September 1st marks the day that college coaches at the Division I level will be able to engage in recruiting-related conversations with prospective student-athletes going into their junior year of high school. This communication can include phone calls, emails, video chat software (Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, Etc.), along with social media direct messaging.

For those student-athletes who have not introduced themselves to Division I college coaches on their target list of schools, it will be important for you to reach out before or after the Recruiting Shutdown period and before September 1st arrives.  This outreach should express interest and provide a link to your IWLCARecruits profile with updated video and academic information. 

For those who have already introduced yourself to college coaches, if you have any updates to video, academic information or interest from other colleges in other divisions this should be part of your outreach before September 1st but around the Recruiting Shutdown. 

Another way to prepare for this day is to ask a friend or a family member to practice potential questions you may get on phone calls after September 1st. Continue to follow SportsRecruits for educational resources about September 1st, and tune into our webinar next month to learn more: SportsRecruits Webinar | The Importance of September 1st.