NCAA RECRUITING TERMS & DEFINITIONS RECRUITING TERMS & DEFINITIONS PROSPECTIVE STUDENT-ATHLETE You become a prospective student-athlete when: You start ninth-grade classes; or Before your ninth-grade year, a college gives you, your relatives or your friends any financial aid or other benefits that the college does not provide to students generally. You become a "recruited prospective student-athlete" at a particular college if any coach or representative of the college's athletics interests (booster or representative) approaches you (or any member of your family) about enrolling and participating in athletics at that college. Activities by coaches or boosters that cause you to become a recruited prospective student-athlete are: Providing you with an official visit; Placing more than one telephone call to you or any other member of your family; or Visiting you or any other member of your family anywhere other than the college campus. In addition to general recruiting regulations, no alumni, boosters or representatives of a college's athletics interests can be involved in your recruiting. There can be no phone calls or letters from boosters. The restriction doesn't apply to recruiting by alumni or representatives as part of a college's regular admissions program for all prospective students, including non-athletes. You (or your family) may not receive any benefit, inducement or arrangement such as cash, clothing, cars, improper expenses, transportation, gifts or loans to encourage you to sign a National Letter of Intent or attend an NCAA college. Letters from coaches, faculty members and students (but not boosters) aren't permitted until September 1; at the beginning of your junior year.
CONTACT A contact occurs any time a coach has any face-to-face contact with you or your parents off the college's campus and says more than hello. A contact also occurs if a coach has any contact with you or your parents at your high school or any location where you are competing or practicing. A college coach may contact you in person off the college campus only on or after July 1 after completion of your junior year. Any faceto-face meeting between a college coach and you or your parents, during which any of you say more than "hello" is a contact. Also, any face-to-face meeting that is prearranged or that occurs at your high school or competition or practice site is a contact, regardless of the conversation. Currently in all sports other than football and basketball, have seven recruiting opportunities (contacts and evaluations) during the academic year, and not more than three of the seven opportunities may be in-person, off-campus contacts. However, a college coach may visit your high school only with the approval of your high-school principal. CONTACT PERIOD During this time, a college coach may have in-person contact with you and/or 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 It is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on- or off-campus or permit official or unofficial visits. The coach may write and telephone you or your parents during this time.
EVALUATION An evaluation is any off-campus activity used to assess your academic qualifications or athletics ability, including a visit to your high school (during which no contact occurs) or watching you practice or compete at any site. Currently in all sports other than football and basketball, institutions have seven permissible recruiting opportunities (contacts and evaluations) during the academic year, and not more than three of the seven opportunities may be in-person, off-campus contacts. In all sports, competitionon consecutive days within a tournament (and normally at the same site) or that involves a tier of a tournament (e.g., regional) counts as a single evaluation. In addition, once you sign a National Letter of Intent, you may be evaluated an unlimited number of times by a college coach from the college with which you have signed. EVALUATION PERIOD The college coach may watch you play or visit your high school, but cannot have any in-person conversations with you or your parents off 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. PRINTED MATERIALS Beginning September 1 of your junior year, colleges can mail any printed recruiting materials (e.g., letters, note cards, academic
pamphlets, photos, unbound programs/books). In addition, a Division I college may show you a highlight film/videotape, but may not send it to or leave it with you or your coach. Finally, a Division I college also may provide you a questionnaire, camp brochure and educational information published by the NCAA (such as this guide), and any institutional academic program information generally available through the admissions office at any time. TELEPHONE CALLS The NCAA recently adopted legislation that now allows for college coaches in sports other than football, swimming & diving, track & field, and cross country to communicate with prospective studentathletes beginning September 1st of their junior year in high school. This type of communication includes but is not limited to: Text messages Telephone calls Emails Snap Chat Facebook or Twitter DIRECT messages Instant messaging The only stipulation is that all communication must be private. Therefore, messages should be sent directly from the coach to the prospective student-athlete or his/her parents and not made publicly visible (e.g., wall posts, mass emails, twitter feeds). UNOFFICIAL VISITS Any visit by you and your parents to a college campus paid for by you or your parents is considered an unofficial visit. The only expense you may receive from the college is three complimentary admissions to a home athletics contest. You may make as many unofficial visits as you like and may take those visits at any time. The only time you cannot talk with a coach during an unofficial visit is during a dead period (unless you have already signed a NLI, financial aid agreement, or made a financial deposit to the school).
OFFICIAL VISITS Any visit to a college campus by you and your parents paid for by the college. The college may pay the following expenses: Your transportation to and from the college; Room and meals (three per day) while you are visiting the college; and Reasonable entertainment expenses, including three complimentary admissions to a home athletics contest. Before a college may invite you on an official visit, you will have to provide the college with a copy of your high school transcript (Division I only) and SAT, ACT or PLAN score and register with the NCAA Eligibility Center and provide them with your IE number. During your senior year, you can have one expense-paid (official) visit to a particular campus. You may receive no more than five such visits. This restriction applies even if you are being recruited in more than one sport. You can't have an official visit unless you have given the college your high-school (or college) academic transcript and a score from a PSAT, an SAT, a PACT Plus or an ACT taken on a national test date under national testing conditions and provided them with your NCAA Initial Eligibility number. Your academic transcript may be a photocopy of your official high-school (or college) transcript. [Note: In this instance, the Division I school may use the services of the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse to validate your credentials.] During your official visit (which may not exceed 48 hours), you may receive round-trip transportation between your home (or high school) and the campus, and you (and your parents) may receive meals, lodging and complimentary admissions to campus athletics events. A coach may only accompany you on your official visit when the transportation occurs by automobile and all transportation occurs within the 48-hour period. Meals provided to you (and/or your parents) on an official visit may be provided either on or off the institution's campus.
The complimentary admissions you receive may provide you seating only in the facility's general seating area. You may not be given special seating (e.g., press box, bench area). In addition, a student host may help you (and your family) become acquainted with campus life. The host may spend $40 per day to cover all costs of entertaining you (and your parents, legal guardians or spouse); however, the money can't be used to purchase souvenirs such as T-shirts or other college mementos. VERBAL COMMITMENT This phrase is used to describe a college-bound student-athlete's commitment to a school before he or she signs (or is able to sign) a National Letter of Intent. A college-bound student-athlete can announce a verbal commitment at any time. While verbal commitments have become very popular for both college-bound student-athletes and coaches, this "commitment" is NOT binding on either the college-bound student-athlete or the school. Only the signing of the National Letter of Intent accompanied by a financial aid agreement is binding on both parties. Detailed information about recruiting is available in the online edition of the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete