September 1st and the NCAA Recruiting Calendar
September 1st is considered a big day in recruiting because it signifies important dates for when NCAA DI schools can begin contacting senior recruits. It’s important to understand what rules change September 1, but more important is understanding the NCAA Recruiting Calendar and how you can take advantage of the rules to get ahead in the recruiting process. Here is a breakdown of the rules by your graduating class.
Class of 2014 (Seniors)
NCAA DI
- Coaches can begin calling July 1st after your Junior year – Coaches can now begin calling recruits once per week with unlimited phone calls allowed during the contact period. This means a coach can now call you instead of you having to call them. The rules still allow a coach to speak with a recruit anytime you make the phone call. If you are not talking to DI coaches on the phone by this point in your senior year it is time to reevaluate your recruiting options.
- NCAA DI Men’s Basketball coaches can begin calling June 15th following your Sophomore year
- NCAA DI Women’s Basketball coaches can begin calling September 1st of your Junior year
- NCAA DI Men’s Hockey coaches can call recruits until August 1st
- Off-Campus contact is allowed – This means coaches are allowed to begin visiting (talking to you) off of their campus. This rule is misleading because coaches are always allowed to go watch you play in tournaments, they are just restricted in the interactions they can have with you. Also, you can always go visit a coach on their campus and talk with them there (you should have been doing this since your Junior year at least).
- Coaches can bring you in on Official Visits starting the first day of classes – This means a coach can now pay to bring you in on a visit, host you on campus and pay for meals and game tickets. Given the fact many coaches are getting verbal offers from recruits in the Sophomore and Junior years, official visits are more of a treat and not essential recruiting tool. You should have already been making Unofficial Visits to the campus you are interested in.
NCAA DII – The only thing that changes for DII recruiting is that coaches can now bring recruits in on official visits. Coaches at DII schools have been allowed to call and email recruits for over a year.
NCAA DIII – DIII coaches can now bring you in on official visits. They have been allowed to call or email you since your freshman year.
Class of 2015 (Juniors)
NCAA DI
- You can being receiving recruiting materials starting September 1st – coaches can begin sending recruiting materials, basically this means they can begin sending you letters or emailing you. The rules do not prevent you from emailing coaches, something you should have been doing since your sophomore year at least.
- Men’s Basketball coaches can begin sending recruiting material starting June 15th after your Sophomore year
- Coaches can begin making one phone call per week starting July 1st – You should still be calling coaches outside of this time period because coaches are allowed to talk to recruits on the phone if you call them; these rules only limit when coaches can call recruits.
- NCAA DI Men’s Basketball coaches can begin calling June 15th following your Sophomore year
- NCAA DI Women’s Basketball coaches can begin calling once per week starting September 1st of your Junior year
- NCAA DI Football coaches are only allowed to call once between April 15 and May 31
- There is no Off-Campus contact allowed – This means a coach is not allowed to meet with you anywhere off of their campus. This is the key, you are allowed to visit a coach on their campus and can talk with the coach there. They are not allowed to make home visits of talk with you when they come to watch you play.
- For Men’s and Women’s Basketball coaches can have off-campus contact at the start of classes your Junior year.
- Official Visits are allowed for Men’s and Women’s Basketball recruits only – For men, recruits can make visits at the start of the school year. For women, they can begin making visits the Thursday after the NCAA Women’s Final Four.
NCAA DII – There is no change in the recruiting rules, coaches have been allowed to call or email you for several months.
NCAA DIII – At the end of your Junior year coaches can begin having off-campus contact with you. They have been allowed to call or email you since you started high school.
Class of 2016 and 2017 (Freshman and Sophomore)
NCAA DI
- For the most part coaches are restricted in initiating contact with recruits. They are not allowed to call, email or send letters to recruits in their freshman or sophomore years, the few exceptions are listed below. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be doing anything; you should be emailing coaches, attending camps and playing in tournaments and showcases to get your name out there and get on the coaches recruiting boards.
- Men’s Basketball coaches can begin calling, sending letters to and emailing recruits June 15th after your sophomore year
- Men’s Ice Hockey can call recruits once per month starting June 15th after their sophomore year
- Women’s Ice Hockey can make one phone call to an international recruit between July 7 and 31 after their sophomore year.
NCAA DII – Coaches can begin calling, emailing, sending letters to and having off-campus contact with recruits starting June 15th after their sophomore year. This means there is no excuse for a coach not to be responding to you unless you are contacting the wrong coaches or not contacting them in a way where they will respond to you.
NCAA DIII – Coaches are allowed to email and call recruits at any point once you begin high school. Many DIII coaches shy away from beginning the recruiting process too early because a lot can change with a recruit from their sophomore year and senior year. You should still be emailing and calling these coaches if you are interested in their school.
The most important thing to remember is that these recruiting rules almost never stop a coaching staff from establishing contact with recruits that they are interested in. College coaches can always contact your high school or club team coaches to set up a time to talk to you. The most popular reason coaches aren’t contacting recruits is because they don’t know about them. If you are reaching out to coaches but not getting a response, it is because you are either contacting schools that are the wrong fit or not giving coaches enough to evaluate you. We have plenty of resources below to help you get started in the recruiting process.
Building a recruiting resume for coaches
How to tell if you are being recruited
Create an online recruiting profile
by David Frank