The NCAA’s new Division I recruiting rules are officially in effect. These new rules apply to every DI sport except Football, W/M Basketball, Softball, Baseball and W/M Lacrosse. After moving up the start date for DI campus visits last year, the NCAA has adopted additional rules to curb the growth of early recruiting and normalize the college search for student-athletes. The biggest change is that these new rules limit the timing and nature of communication between college coaches and athletes. Here are the three updates to recruiting rules:
- Zero communication between a coach and athlete before June 15 after sophomore year.
- No official or unofficial visits until August 1 before junior year.
- No recruiting conversations, verbal offers or off-campus contact until August 1 before junior year.
Read more: Everything You Need to Know about New NCAA DI Recruiting Rules
What does coach communication include?
Any phone, text, email or social media communication between a student-athlete or parent/guardian and a DI college coach. In the past, coaches could talk with any athlete as long as the athlete initiated the phone call. But with the new rule, this loophole is no longer allowed. Until June 15 after your sophomore year of high school, you can’t engage in any communication with a DI coach outside of their campus.
Exceptions: Women’s basketball, baseball, football, lacrosse and softball. For these sports, coach communication starts September 1 of junior year.
What do official and unofficial visits include?
Any visit to a college campus that is financed by the school or any visit paid for by the family that includes a recruiting conversation with the coaching staff. You can still check out a campus before August 1 of junior year, but you can’t talk about recruiting with the coach.
Exceptions: Baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse and softball. Both official and unofficial visits will still begin September 1 of junior year for baseball, lacrosse and softball. For football, official visits start April 1 of junior year, while unofficial visits are allowed anytime. For women’s basketball, official visits start the Thursday after the Women’s Final Four (April 9, 2020). Unofficial visits are still allowed anytime for both men’s and women’s basketball.
Read more: How does an official visit work?
What are recruiting conversations?
College coaches are no longer allowed to make verbal offers, hints at scholarship opportunities, offer assistance with the admission process/financial aid or engage in any other conversation that relates to the recruiting process until August 1 before your junior year. In addition, recruiting conversations between DI coaches and your high school or club coach are also prohibited before this date. College coaches can discuss you with your club or high school coach and communicate their interest in recruiting you. However, they can’t make any suggestions about an offer or inquire about your interest in committing to their college.
Exceptions: Baseball, basketball, football. Off-campus contact starts July 1 before senior year for baseball and football. For men’s basketball, it can begin at the start of junior year. For women’s basketball, off-campus contact can begin March 1 of junior year.
What are the new rules for DI men’s ice hockey?
Men’s ice hockey adopted slightly different rules that recognize the unique opportunities for top players to go pro out of high school. The new dates also better align its recruiting process with the sport’s schedule. For men’s ice hockey, coach communication and unofficial visits can begin January 1 of sophomore year. However, official visits and recruiting conversations don’t begin until August 1 before junior year.
Which sports are most impacted by the new rules?
Track and field, swimming, tennis, water polo and rowing. Since the majority of student-athletes who compete in these sports don’t get contacted by coaches until junior year anyway, the new rules could significantly speed up the recruiting timeline. In sports like soccer and volleyball—where early recruiting is more common—the impact is harder to predict and will likely be less overt.
How do the new DI rules impact the other division levels?
The new rules don’t directly change the recruiting timeline for DII, DIII, NAIA or Junior College schools. However, DI recruiting behavior can have a ripple effect. Coaches at the other levels often wait for DI coaches to fill up their recruiting classes before making offers to prospects. This allows them to get commitments from talented recruits who just missed out on the DI level for one reason or another. A ramped up DI recruiting timeline will speed everything up at the lower levels as well.
How do these rule changes impact your recruiting process?
These rules give you more time to get to know college coaches and check out a few schools before you commit. But keep in mind—the ramped up timeline means coaches will be looking to make scholarship offers as soon as possible. Here are a few ways to get your ducks in a row ahead of time:
- Take the ACT/SAT early
- Create an NCAA Eligibility Center Account–You need this certificate before you take an official visit to a D1 or D2 school
- Compile a list of recruiting questions for the coach
- Discuss the possibility of receiving a scholarship offer with your parents
