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: Recruiting Questionnaires
Although most communications with prospects are regulated by when a coach or staff member may send the communication, one long-standing exception to any timeline restrictions are recruiting questionnaires – which can be sent to any individual at any time.
One long-standing conundrum with questionnaires and the NCAA regulatory field is that the questionnaire can’t be used as “cover” to essentially send general recruiting correspondence to a prospect not old enough to receive such communications or to create a questionnaire that convert to something construed as having separate, tangible value such as a team poster.
Historically, the NCAA national office has stayed out of the business of regulating the content of such questionnaires, however, it was agreed by NCAA staff years ago that such questionnaires may not have a detachable portion that is utilized as a poster.
More recently, the NCAA revisited the role and use of questionnaires and noted that the content of a questionnaire is left to institutional discretion. However, prior to the first permissible date to receive recruiting materials, a questionnaire may not include any recruiting language intended to solicit a prospect’s enrollment, including general information about the institution's athletics programs. An institution may, however, include images of institutional or athletics facilities without any accompanying descriptions at any time. In addition, there is no restriction on the size of a questionnaire; however, at no time may a questionnaire include a detachable portion (e.g., poster, postcard).
In terms of additional language accompanying a question (like a hand-written note), it was confirmed that an institution may include correspondence with a questionnaire or camp brochure that is sent to a prospect prior to the first permissible date to provide general and electronic correspondence, provided the correspondence is generic in format and content, does not include information related to the institution's athletics program and does not contain recruiting language or solicitation of the prospect to enroll at the institution. Such correspondence may include a personalized salutation (e.g., Dear John) and/or instructional language. Institutions may including a self-addressed stamped envelope with a questionnaire for the prospect to use in returning the completed paperwork.
Questionnaires are a good example of a seemingly straightforward and innocuous theme within the NCAA recruiting landscape that can be retooled and tinkered with by coaches and non-coaching staff to gain a perceived advantage that, in time, creates angst among the NCAA membership and necessitates rules interpretations to reset the guardrails.
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.
