Athletics Veritas is a weekly series aimed at helping higher education executives, faculty, and other stakeholders stay tuned in on trending national issues impacting college athletics, especially NCAA Division I. Athletics Veritas is created by senior DI athletic administrators around the nation.
Term-in-Ology: The Fall FBS Recruiting Calendar
As summer turns to fall, the college football season has kicked off and is in full bloom. Practices and game-days are not the only focus of football coaches in the fall.
Recruiting is a 365-day undertaking some would say— and for the sport of football, the recruiting cycle doesn’t go on hiatus.
In Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), from June 1 through the last Saturday in November except for (1) through (3) below, FBS football is in a Quiet Period for recruiting purposes. A quiet period is a time where recruits could make visits to campus, but coaches may not evaluate or contact prospects off campus.
The exceptions within this June to November time frame are:
(1) The Monday before the last Wednesday in June through July 24 which is a Dead Period;
(2) August 1-31 [except for (i) below] which is Dead Period (i) Forty-eight hours before a home contest (on the institution's campus or in a facility normally used for its home games) that occurs in August or on September 1 or 2 through 48 hours after the conclusion of the contest is a Quiet Period; and
(3) Forty-two (54 for U.S. service academies) evaluation days during the months of September, October and November selected at the discretion of the institution are permitted and authorized off-campus recruiters shall not visit a prospective student-athlete's educational institution on more than one calendar day during this period. During these fall evaluation period days, an FBS football coach, whose team is on the road for a Saturday away game for example, may be recruiting on Friday night by attending a high school game to evaluate prospects in the area of their away game opponent the next day – a busy work trip indeed.
Athletics Veritas is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered advice or counsel on NCAA compliance matters. For guidance on NCAA rules and processes, always consult your university’s athletics compliance office, conference office, and/or the NCAA.
