New NCAA Rules Starting Today
January 1 is the start of the calendar year, July 1 is the start of many fiscal years, but August 1 marks the start of a new NCAA year. That is the date which most new NCAA legislation becomes effective. Below is a list of all the proposals that become effective August 1, 2014. They are highlighted by the NCAA’s looser limits on food to athletes, the proposal which enables the College Football Playoff, and the elimination of phone call and text message limits for most Division I sports.
2012-13: College Football Playoff: This proposal creates an exception to the maximum number of football games an FBS team can play for a game between the winners of two licensed bowl games. It was necessary to enable the new four-team College Football Playoff.
2013-15: Catastrophic Injury Reporting: Institutions are now required to report fatalities, near fatalities and catastrophic injuries (including those related to the head, neck, spine, cardiac, pulmonary, heat, sickle cell trait, and eyes) annually to the NCAA.
2013-16: Designation of Team Physician: All Division I teams must now designate a team physician.
2013-17: First Aid, AED, CPR Certification: An individual certified in first aid, automated external defibrillator (AED) use and CPR must be present any time an athlete is engaged in any required physical activity.
2013-19: Three Hour Recovery Between Sessions During Preseason Football Practice: During fall preseason football practices, coaches must give athletes a three-hour break between any sessions involving physical activity. Meetings and film review may occur during the three-hour recovery period.
2013-21: Women’s Triathlon: Women’s triathlon is added to the list of emerging sports for women with all the necessary regulations. It can now be used to meet sport sponsorship minimums.
2013-22: Women’s Rugby Sport Sponsorship Requirements: Women’s rugby has switched from counting contests to dates of competition for minimum and maximum limits. Sevens rugby is also counted the same as 15-a-side rugby.
2013-24: Countable Coach Definition: This proposal clarified the activities that separate countable coaches from noncoaching personnel. This change was made with an eye toward an eventual limit on noncoaching personnel with sport specific responsibilities and potential changes to the number of countable coaches.
2013-25-A: Men’s Ice Hockey Initial Date for Recruiting Contact: Men’s ice hockey coaches may make phone calls and send any form of private electronic correspondence to prospects starting January 1 of the prospect’s sophomore year in high school. In-person off-campus contact can be made with recruits in men’s ice hockey starting June 15 at the end of a prospect’s sophomore year in high school.
2013-26: Initial Date for Recruiting Communication: In sports other than football, track and field/cross country, swimming and diving, men’s ice hockey and men’s basketball, coaches may make phone calls and send any form of private electronic correspondence starting September 1 of the prospect’s junior year in high school. All limits on the frequency of telephone calls for these sports are eliminated. Men’s basketball and men’s ice hockey have earlier start dates for communication and the other three sports retain existing limits.
2013-27: Recruiting Materials and Electronic Correspondence: Printed materials sent to prospects are now limited to general correspondence (with no limit other than size), materials provided by the NCAA, nonathletics materials from the institution, camp and clinic brochures, and questionnaires. Restrictions on attachments to general correspondence are eliminated except that audio and video materials may not be personalized for prospects or include their name, image, or likeness.
2013-28: Maximum Meal Plan: Institutions may now provide athletes on a board scholarship with any meal plan available to all students.
2013-29: Elimination of Financial Aid Certification Requirement: Institutions no longer have to certify in writing that nonathletics scholarships awarded by the school were awarded without taking athletics ability or participation into account.
2013-30: Squad List Procedures: The athletic director is no longer required to compile and sign the official NCAA squad list and may now designate another staff member so long as that person is not a coach.
2013-31-B: Meals and Snacks Incidental to Participation: Institutions may now provide meals and snacks to student-athletes at their discretion as a benefit incidental to participation (not necessarily “unlimited”).