Understanding the NCAA Recruiting Periods: A Guide for Athletes and Parents
- Darius Willis
- Mar 16
- 4 min read
Navigating the NCAA recruiting calendar can be confusing for athletes and their families, but understanding how each recruiting period works is crucial to making the most of the opportunities available. Schools and coaches follow a structured calendar to determine when they can evaluate and contact prospective student-athletes. Let’s break down each recruiting period and explain how schools approach them.
Quiet Period
What It Means for Coaches:
During the Quiet Period, coaches are allowed to make in-person recruiting contact only on their own campus. This means they can meet with athletes, watch them practice, and have personal meetings, but only if the athlete comes to the school. No off-campus contact or evaluations are allowed.
Coaches will often use the quiet period to host official visits where recruits can experience campus life, facilities, and meet the coaching staff. This period can be used to build relationships and recruit the athlete if they are already familiar with them.
What It Means for Athletes:
For athletes, the quiet period is a time when you may visit campuses and meet with coaches, but you can’t expect to be evaluated off-campus (e.g., at games or events). You are encouraged to use this time to explore schools, attend recruiting events, and have discussions about scholarships and opportunities.
Tips for Athletes and Parents:
Use the quiet period to visit campuses, get a feel for the school, and see if it’s a good fit. These visits are a great chance to connect with the coaching staff and ask questions.
Stay proactive: Coaches may be evaluating you in other ways (e.g., through film or other media), so stay active and continue to work on your athletic and academic profiles.
Dead Period
What It Means for Coaches:
The Dead Period is the most restrictive period in the recruiting calendar. During this time, coaches cannot make any in-person recruiting contact. This includes no visits to the athlete’s high school or off-campus evaluations.
It’s a time when schools are essentially in a "hold" mode for recruiting, and they can’t host recruits on their campuses either.
What It Means for Athletes:
For athletes, the dead period means you cannot visit schools or meet with coaches in person. Coaches also cannot evaluate you in person, which can be a setback if you are relying on these evaluations.
However, communication can still happen through phone calls, emails, and virtual meetings. Coaches may still express interest and continue to recruit you, just without face-to-face interaction.
Tips for Athletes and Parents:
During the dead period, use other methods of communication to stay in touch with coaches. This can include sending highlight videos, updating your academic information, and ensuring your profile is complete.
Focus on academics and personal development during this time, as maintaining good grades can only increase your chances of being recruited.
Evaluation Period
What It Means for Coaches:
The Evaluation Period is when coaches are allowed to go off-campus and assess the academic and athletic qualifications of recruits. This is often done through scouting athletes at high school games, practices, or other events.
Coaches cannot make direct contact with the recruits during an evaluation period, so they observe from a distance and may gather more information about a player’s performance, attitude, and fit for their program.
What It Means for Athletes:
For athletes, this is a critical time as coaches are actively watching you in competition. If you’re a high school athlete, coaches may attend your games or look at your performance during showcase events.
While coaches can evaluate your skills, they cannot interact with you directly. However, they may follow up after watching you perform by reaching out for further discussions.
Tips for Athletes and Parents:
Perform at your best during this time. Coaches are looking for not just athletic ability but also work ethic, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
Ensure that your highlight reel is updated and easy to access. Coaches may be reviewing film during the evaluation period to help them make decisions.
Contact Period
What It Means for Coaches:
The Contact Period is the most flexible for coaches, allowing them to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations. They can attend games, visit schools, and meet with athletes in person wherever they are located.
During this period, coaches can actively recruit and even offer scholarships, making it a time when athletes may receive official offers or invitations to visit campuses.
What It Means for Athletes:
This is the period when athletes will see the most direct contact with coaches. Expect phone calls, in-person meetings, and official visits. Coaches may visit your high school, attend games, or invite you to visit their campus.
You may receive more formal recruiting communications, including scholarship offers and opportunities to sign National Letters of Intent (NLI).
Tips for Athletes and Parents:
Be prepared during this period. Have your recruiting materials (highlight reel, academic transcripts, etc.) ready to share with coaches.
Take official visits to the schools that offer you spots, and ask questions about the program, coaching staff, and facilities.
Be open and responsive to communication during this time, as coaches are actively trying to make decisions.
Additional Tips for Athletes and Parents:
Timing is Key: Each period has its own importance, and it’s crucial to understand what you can and can’t do during these phases. Planning visits and making sure coaches have the right information at the right time can be critical.
Stay Engaged: Keep coaches updated on your academic progress, athletic accomplishments, and overall development. Coaches want to see that you’re committed not only to your sport but to being a well-rounded student-athlete.
Understand the Differences: While both FBS and FCS recruiting calendars follow similar structures, certain teams may have variations. For example, service academies may have extended evaluation days, and there may be school-specific differences in how programs approach each period.
By understanding these periods, athletes and parents can better navigate the recruiting process, ensuring that they’re taking full advantage of the opportunities each recruiting phase provides. Keep in mind that the calendar is structured to ensure fairness, so being proactive and informed will help you stand out in the eyes of coaches.
Comments