Changes to the college recruiting process are here! After meeting on April 18th and April 19th, the NCAA Division I Council passed sweeping NCAA recruiting legislation that significantly impacts the recruiting calendar for college coaches and prospective student-athletes.
What Was Passed?
- June 15th Entering Junior Year – Allowable date for college coaches to initiate or engage in recruiting-related discussions with prospective student-athletes (Formerly September 1st)
- August 1st Entering Junior Year – Allowable date for unofficial/official visits (Formerly September 1st)
When Does This Go Into Effect?
This new legislation went into effect May 1st. For any 2021 student-athlete who has been waiting until September 1st to officially speak with college coaches, that time will now come 11 weeks sooner, on June 15th.
Why Was This Passed?
Discussions surrounding the concern of early recruiting have been taking place within the Division I Council and the Student-Athlete Experience Committee for quite some time now. The overarching goal is to make the student-athlete’s college search process more in line with that of the general student body.
By preventing communication with student-athletes on the coaches end until June 15th following the sophomore year, student-athletes will hopefully no longer be pressured into making decisions on where to attend school at such a young age.
The primary purpose of moving the date from September 1st to June 15th is to allow college coaches to build relationships with student-athletes through communication (email, text messages, phone calls, etc.) before official and unofficial visits are allowed. Before this legislation change, allowable communication and official/unofficial visits began concurrently on September 1st. This pressured college coaches to invite prospective student-athletes on campus and discuss offers before a true relationship was even established.
How Does This Affect You?
As with any new NCAA legislation, there most likely will be some bumps in the road and adjustments for all parties to be made. Undoubtedly, the class most affected will be the 2021 class, as the September 1st date has now been moved up 11 weeks.
However, there should be no panic with this sudden change. This change will give you time to explore schools, feel out coaching styles, build relationships with coaches, etc. before being pressured into making a decision.
The CRYSC CPP Role:
Recruiting conversations, including discussions of scholarships or financial aid, between NCAA Division I coaches and intermediaries such as parents, club coaches and high school coaches, will also be forbidden prior to June 15 following the player’s sophomore year of high school, as no recruiting activity is allowed before then.
However, coaches will still be allowed to communicate with club and high school staff to discuss freshman and sophomore players that the college coach is interested in recruiting. Those conversations will be limited to college coaches discussing players they are specifically interested in, as part of their evaluation process, not as a communication method for making unofficial verbal offers to players.
Additionally, athletes can still reach out to college coaches whenever they want, as the regulations apply only to the college coaches.
The College Soccer page on the CRYSC website offers a great starting point for parents and players interested in college soccer. For more information, visit our webpage here. For any questions or concerns, please contact CRYSC’s College Placement Director at [email protected].
