College Football Recruiting Calendars

When you first look at the recruiting calendar and the rules associated with it, it can be daunting. But if you have a good understanding of what takes place in each important recruiting window, it can make the recruiting process easier to navigate.

What is a Contact?

A contact occurs any time a college coach says more than hello during face-to-face contact with a college-bound student-athlete or their parents off the college's campus.

What is a Contact Period?

A contact period is when coaches can interact in person and off-campus with recruits. This includes taking phone calls, visiting a prospective recruit's school or home, or attending one of their events for evaluation purposes.

It's important to remember that NCAA programs can only engage in these interactions under certain restrictions based on the program's division and the prospective athlete's age.

What is an Evaluation Period?

During an evaluation period, coaches can assess prospective student-athletes' academic qualifications and playing ability through off-campus activities. However, they are not allowed to have in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts with the prospective student-athlete.

This means that college coaches can watch recruits compete but are not allowed to contact players and their families directly during this period. However, many times, coaches will go out of their way to ensure that prospects know they're watching you.

What is a Quiet Period?

During a quiet period, recruiting contacts are allowed only in person on the college or university's campus. So, you can participate in a school's prospect camp hosted on their campus during a quiet period. However, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations are not permitted during this time, meaning coaches may not contact you in person at an off-campus recruiting event.

What is a Dead Period?

A dead period is exactly what it sounds like. During a dead period, in-person recruiting contacts and evaluations are prohibited, whether they occur on or off the college campus. Recruits are also not permitted to make official or unofficial visits to the campus during this time.

Summary Table of Periods

• Contact Period: In-person contact (Yes), In-person evaluation (Yes), Call/text/email contact (Yes)
• Evaluation Period: In-person contact (No), In-person evaluation (Yes), Call/text/email contact (Yes)
• Quiet Period: In-person contact (Only on campus), In-person evaluation (Only on campus), Call/text/email contact (Yes)
• Dead Period: In-person contact (No), In-person evaluation (No), Call/text/email contact (Yes)

IMPORTANT: Communication with college coaches via email or phone is still allowed, even though face-to-face interactions are restricted.

Direct Recruiting Conversations: June 15 after sophomore year

Starting June 15, coaches can initiate recruiting conversations with recruits who have completed their sophomore year. These conversations can be about where you stand on their list, what you have been doing in your recruiting process, and their recruiting timeline. This communication can include phone calls, emails, video chat software (Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, etc.), and social media direct messaging.

Official Visits: After April 1 of junior year

Starting on and after April 1 of a recruit's junior year, players can plan and take paid official visits to schools. Recruits are allowed to have visits starting April 1 through the Sunday before the last Wednesday in June. They can then take official visits during contact periods of their senior year.

• On official visits, a prospect plus two family members may receive transportation expenses, meals, and lodging in transit.
• Recruit plus four family members may receive meals/snacks, lodging, entertainment, and tickets to home games.
• All official visit activities must occur within a 30-mile radius of campus.
• Transportation to an official visit may be provided from any location. Return transportation must be to the original point of departure or a prospect's home, school, or competition site.
• Generally, a school may provide two nights of lodging for an official visit.
• An additional night of lodging may be provided prior to starting the official visit if a recruit arrives at the school too late to begin the visit.
• Lodging and meals provided on an official visit should be comparable to what is provided to student-athletes.
• A school may provide entertainment valued at up to $60 per person, which does not include the cost of meals or tickets to home games.

Unofficial Visits: Any time

An unofficial visit can happen at any time during the recruiting process. An unofficial visit is completely paid for by the recruit, and assistance from the college is not allowed. Take as many as you can! The more times you can get on campus, the better. The more times you can get face time with a coach, the better. Take advantage of these. The good news is that they're unlimited – meaning you can go as many times as you can.

• On unofficial visits, a prospect plus three family members may receive tickets to home games. A nontraditional family may receive two additional tickets.
• A prospect may receive transportation to practice and competition facilities while on an unofficial visit.
• All unofficial visit activities must occur within a one-mile radius of campus.

Verbal Offers: June 15 after sophomore year

D-I coaches can extend verbal offers to recruits starting on June 15 after their sophomore year. Remember that a verbal offer is not a binding agreement. There's nothing holding the coach to the offer and schools will often blanket offer hundreds of players, even double-digit at your position, early on in the recruiting process. The offer only becomes binding when you sign paperwork with the school.

• Quiet Period: A quiet period is that period of time when it is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution's campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period.
• Dead Period: A dead period is that period of time when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution's campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution's campus.
• Evaluation Period: An evaluation period is that period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to be involved in off-campus activities designed to assess the academic qualifications and playing ability of prospective student-athletes. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts shall be made with the prospective student-athlete during an evaluation period.
• Contact Period: A contact period is that period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.

The FCS recruiting calendar is very similar to the FBS calendar outside of a few contact and quiet periods in December and a few subtle differences throughout the spring.

The NCAA Recruiting Rules for Division II schools are more relaxed than those for Division I, and the rules are the same across all sports:

• As of August 2024, Division II coaches can communicate with prospective student-athletes of any age through email, phone, text, and social media.
• Unlike Division I, which restricts communication for many sports until June 15th after a student-athlete's sophomore year, D-II now permits earlier recruiting conversations.
• However, face-to-face contact – such as official and unofficial visits – remains limited until June 15, after the athlete's sophomore year.

D-III schools have the most relaxed NCAA recruiting rules of all the division levels. They are the same for all sports:

• Recruiting materials: Athletes can receive recruiting materials at any time.
• Telephone calls: There is no limit on when college coaches can call athletes.
• Digital communications: There is no limit on when college coaches can contact athletes digitally.
• Off-campus contact: After the athlete's sophomore year, college coaches may begin to conduct off-campus communications.
• Official visits: Athletes can begin taking official visits after January 1 of their junior year.
• Unofficial visits: Athletes can make an unlimited number of unofficial visits at any time.

NAIA recruiting rules encourage coach-student and personal relationships. Benefits of NAIA recruiting rules include:

• No recruiting calendar restrictions of any kind
• Ability to freely communicate with NAIA coaches directly
• Direct interaction with NAIA coaches

Visiting campus for tryouts: Students are permitted a maximum of two days of tryouts throughout their entire athletic career. If a school has a policy for reimbursing all students for such visits, the same can be applied to you as a prospective student-athlete.

What about letters of intent? As an association, the NAIA does not have a letter of intent program in which students sign a binding agreement to participate in athletics at a particular institution.