Basic NCAA Guidelines: Premier Volleyball Recruiting

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Basic NCAA Guidelines

Basic Recruiting Facts and Terms From the NCAA

Prospective Student Athlete: A prospective student-athlete (“prospect”) is a student who has started classes for the 9th grade. An individual remains a prospective student-athlete until one of the following occurs (whichever is earlier).

The individual officially registers and enrolls in a minimum full-time program of studies and attends classes in any term of a 4 year collegiate institution’s regular academic year; or
The individual participates in a regular squad practice or competition at a 4 year collegiate institution that occurs before the beginning of any term

Recruiting: Recruiting is any solicitation of a prospect or a prospect’s relatives (or legal guardian) by an institution staff member or by a representative of the institution’s athletic interests for the purpose of securing the prospects enrollment and ultimate participation in the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program.

Recruited Prospective Student-Athlete: Actions by staff members or athletics representatives that cause a prospective student-athlete to become a recruited prospective student-athlete at that institution are:

Providing the prospect with an official visit

Having an arranged in-person off-campus encounter with the prospect, the prospect’s relatives or legal guardian(s).

Initiating or arranging a telephone contact with the prospect, the prospect’s relatives or legal guardian(s)

Recruiting Periods, Timelines and Definitions

Contact period – During this time a college coach may have in person contact w/you and your parents on or off the college’s campus. The coach may also watch you play or visit your high school. You and your parents may visit a college campus and the coach may write and telephone you during this period.

Dead period –The college coach may not have any in person contact with you or your parents at any time in the dead period. The coach may write or telephone you or your parents during this time.

Evaluation period – The college coach may watch you play or visit your high school but cannot have any in person conversations with you and your parents of the college’s campus. You and your parents can visit a college campus during this period. A coach may write and telephone you or your parents during this time.

Quiet period –The college coach may not have any in person contact with you or your parents off the college’s campus. The coach may not watch you play or visit your high school during this period. You and your parents may visit a college campus during this time. A coach may write or telephone you or your parents during this time

Women’s Volleyball Evaluation Days- Even though there are 365 days in a year, a college athletic institution is limited to only 80 evaluation days from August 1 thru July 31. This does not include a college coach employment at camps or clinics or the observation of prospective student-athletes taking part in high school volleyball games or tournaments. This does include though the involvement outside the contact and evaluation period with a local sports club.

A college coach who is attending a prospective student-athletes practice or game in an individual sport on a specific day shall use an evaluation day only for those participants the he or she observes engaging in practice or games and the evaluation is counted even if a contact is made during the same day.

Recruiting Time Period Signing Dates

SPORT
Volleyball and All Other Sports (Including Early Date)
Volleyball and All Other Sports (Including Late Signing Date)
Basketball (Early Period)
Basketball (Regular Period)
Football (Mid year JC)
Football (High School)
Field Hockey, Soccer, Men’s Water Polo Initial Signing Date
Nov 9, 2005
April 12, 2006
Nov 9, 2005
April 12, 2006
Dec 21, 2005
Feb 1, 2006
Feb 1, 2006 Final Date
Nov 16, 2005
August 1, 2006
Nov 16, 2005
May 17, 2005
Jan 15, 2006
April 1, 2006
Aug 1, 2006

Women’s Volleyball Recruiting Calendar:

For more detailed information:
NCAA Recruiting Calendar

Contact: Is any type of face to face meeting between the prospective student-athlete, his/her parents or legal guardian(s) and a colleges staff member or athletic representative at which time a discussion occurs that is more than “hello” or a greeting.

In sports other than football and basketball, each college institution is limited to 7 recruiting contacts and evaluations combined per prospect. During April of one’s junior year in high school, 1 of the 7 recruiting opportunities may include a contact with a prospective student-athlete or his/her parents or legal guardian(s) which can take place on the student-athletes high school campus based off of the recruiting calendar. In person off-campus recruiting contacts shall not be made with a prospect or his/her parents or legal guardian(s) before July 1 following his/her completion of the junior year in high school.

Recruiting Materials, Mailings and Questionnaires: A prospective student-athlete may receive a questionnaire at any time in your high school career, including as a freshman. But a coach may not provide a prospective student-athlete with any RECRUITING MATERIALS until September 1st, at the beginning of the prospects junior year of high school.

Telephone Calls: In all sports other than football, one telephone call to a prospect or a prospect's relatives or legal guardians may be made during March of the prospect's junior year in high school. In all sports other than football, it is permissible to make one in-person, off-campus recruiting contact with a prospect or a prospect's relatives or legal guardians on the prospect's high-school campus during April of the prospect's junior year in high school. Additional telephone calls or in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts shall not be made with a prospect or the prospect's relatives or legal guardians before July 1 (September 1 in Divisions I-A and I-AA football) following the prospect's completion of the junior year in high school

Telephone Calls: All Electronic voice exchange shall be considered a telephone call. All electronically transmitted communications (electronic mail, faxes, text messages, instant messenger) shall not be considered phone calls

Prospective Student-Athletes Initiating Phone Calls: Institutional staff members may receive phone calls placed by a prospective student-athlete at the prospects own expense at any time which also includes before or prior to the prospective student-athletes junior year (July 1st) of high school

Emails: High school student-athletes are allowed to send emails to college coaches but coaches are not allowed to send personal letters or emails to student-athletes until one’s junior year in high school per NCAA regulations.

Definition and meaning of the term REDSHIRT: The term "red shirt" is used to describe a student-athlete who does not participate in competition in a sport for an entire academic year. If you do not compete in a sport the entire academic year, you have not used a season of competition. For example, if you are a qualifier, and you attend a four-year college your freshman year, and you practice but do not compete against outside competition, you would still have the next four years to play four seasons of competition.

For more detailed information: http://www.ncaa.org/eligibility/faqs/faqs_eligibility_seasons.html

National Letter of Intent (NLI): The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an institution in which the institution agrees to provide a prospective student-athlete who is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules athletics aid for one academic year in exchange for the prospect's agreement to attend the institution for one academic year. The NLI must be accompanied by an institutional financial aid agreement. If the student-athlete does not enroll at that institution for a full academic year, he/she may be subject to specific penalties, including loss of a season of eligibility and a mandatory residence requirement.

Keep in mind a student-athlete attending a college institution renews his/her scholarship each year. It is not a guaranteed 4 year scholarship whether it is a full ride or not. Most colleges and the coaching staff make it very clear that the student-athlete must maintain good academic standards and practices as a requirement to renew the scholarship.

The National Letter of Intent has many advantages to both prospective student-athletes and participating educational institutions:

Once a National Letter of Intent is signed, prospective student-athletes are no longer subject to further recruiting contacts and calls.
Student-athletes are assured of an athletics scholarship for one full academic year. (If not for the National Letter of Intent program, a student could find his or her scholarship taken by a more highly recruited student only weeks or days before classes begin.)
Institutions can be certain that once the student-athlete has signed a Letter of Intent, there is no need to continue recruiting for that position. (Without the program, last-minute changes by student-athletes could open scholarships and positions on teams.)
By emphasizing student-athletes' commitments to educational institutions, not particular coaches or teams, the program focuses university athletics on educational objectives. The program promotes student-athletes' academic objectives and helps to sustain the amateur nature of college sports.

For more detailed information: http://www.national-letter.org/guidelines/

NCAA Clearing House: This is an absolute must for any and all D1 or D2 student-athletes. As a student-athlete you must first meet a number of specific requirements that gives you the right and the opportunity to participate in athletics. It is very important that you take care of this late in your junior year and continually work with your academic advisor at you high school. If you intend to participate in Division I or II athletics as a freshman, you must register and be certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. The NCAA will certify that the athlete is academically qualified to participate in sports at that level.

For more detailed information: http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net/ncaa/NCAA/common/index.html

Official Visit: An official visit to a member institution by a prospective student-athlete and parent(s) paid for by the college. These visits are in one’s senior year and you may take up to 5 official visits. In volleyball, a college or university may pay for only 1 visit to its campus for a single prospective student-athlete. A prospective student-athlete may not take an official visit earlier than the opening day of school or classes of the prospective student-athletes senior year of high school.

Unofficial Visit: An unofficial visit to a member institution by a prospective student-athlete is a visit made at the prospects own expense. You can take as many unofficial visits as you wish and you may make contact and meet with and speak to coaches without violating rules.

Permissible Number of Contacts: In sports other than D1-A and 1-AA football, each institution shall be limited to not more than 3 in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts per prospect at any site (which shall include contacts made with the prospect’s relatives or legal guardian(s) but shall not include contacts made during an official visit per Bylaw 13.7. In sports other than football and basketball, each institution shall be limited to 7 recruiting opportunities (contacts & evaluations combined) per prospect and not more than 3 of the seven opportunities may be contacts.