DIVISION I RECRUITING: OFFICIAL AND UNOFFICIAL VISITS DJ Brown Jenn Samble Overview Official Visits. Unofficial Visits. Game Day Simulation. Photos of Prospective. Entertainment. NCAA Division I. Requests/Self-Reports Online. 1
Official Visits Prospective student athlete's visit to an NCAA member institution's campus that is financed in whole, or in part by the institution. Each institution must have written departmental policies related to official visits that apply to PSAs, student hosts, coaches, and other administrators that are approved by the institution's chancellor or president and kept on file. One visit, per institution. Official Visits Exception: After a new head coach is hired, an institution may finance one additional visit for a PSA who previously received an official visit to the institution (NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2017-33). Official visits shall not exceed 48 hours in length. A maximum of five expense paid visits. Prospective student athlete may receive five additional visits beginning October 15 after completion of high school. Maximum number of visits (per nonservice academies). o Baseball (25), MBB and WBB (24 per rolling two year period), Football 56 Official Visits Institution must have: High school or college transcript; PSA registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center; and PSA placed on Institutional Request List. Transfers: 2-4: A PSA, who is a nonqualifier, shall not be provided an official visit in his or her first year of enrollment at a two year institution. 4-4: A PSA from a four year institution is permitted to take an official visit to a second four year institution after receiving permission from his original four year institution.* 2
Official Visits First permissible date of visit: Men's basketball January 1 of PSA's junior year. Women's basketball Thursday after women's basketball championship of PSA's junior year. Football April 1 of PSA's junior year through Sunday before last Wednesday in June. All other sports September 1 of junior year (NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2017-111). Official Visits Transportation: Institution may pay a PSA's actual transportation costs for his or her official visit to its campus from any location, provided the PSA returns to the original point of departure or travels to his or her home, educational institution or site of competition (Proposal No. 2017-110). In basketball, an institution may pay round trip costs for PSAs parents or legal guardians (maximum of two people). In Football Bowl Subdivision, an institution may pay round trip costs for PSAs family members (maximum of two people). Official Visits Meals: The cost of actual meals, not to exceed three per day, on the official visit for a PSA and up to four family members accompanying the PSA. Meals must be comparable to those provided to student-athletes during the academic year. Snacks: During an official visit, an institution may provide, at its discretion, reasonable snacks to a PSA and up to four family members accompanying the PSA (Proposal No. 2017-102 - Autonomy). 3
Unofficial Visits A PSA may visit a member institution's campus at his or her own expense an unlimited number of times. First permissible date of visit. Sports other than basketball and football. September 1 of junior year (Proposal No. 2017-112). Men's basketball - PSA may not make an unofficial visit during the month of July or dead period unless he has signed a National Letter of Intent. Women's basketball - PSA may not make an unofficial visit during the month of July evaluation periods or dead period, unless she has signed an NLI. Football - PSA may not make an unofficial visit during a dead period unless he has signed an NLI. Unofficial Visits Contact is limited to campus, or contact within one mile of campus boundaries. Institutional staff members. Enrolled student-athletes. Contact with former student-athletes is permissible on-campus. Contact with parents of current student-athletes on-campus. Unofficial Visits Prospective student-athlete's visit is financed by the PSA or PSA's family except the PSA may receive: Three complimentary admissions (through a pass list) to a home athletics facility within 30-mile radius of campus. (A PSA with a nontraditional family may receive up to two more); One meal from admissions open house (sports other than football and basketball). One meal (NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for institutions who schedule only 25 official visits). Housing in institutional dormitories (if PSA pays the going rate). 4
Official and Unofficial Visits Transportation: An institution transporting a PSA (and those accompanying a PSA) around campus during an official visit or providing permissible transportation during an unofficial visit may use institutional vehicles normally used to transport prospective students or the institution's athletics teams (Proposal No. 2017-32). Activities: An institution may decorate common areas in athletics facilities for an official or unofficial visit, provided the decorations are not personalized and the common areas are not accessible or visible to the general public while they are decorated (Proposal No. 2017-34). Gameday Simulations A gameday simulation is any activity that would normally be conducted on game day involving student-athletes. Examples include but are not limited to: Staged press conference. Running out of tunnel. Smoke machine. Announcing names over the public-address system. Video board announcements. On field/court simulation of game activities (e.g. use of equipment or ball). Staged action shots on the field/court. Photographs: Any time during a PSA's official or unofficial visit, it is permissible for him or her to photograph the visit and post the photograph on social media provided the photograph: Is not arranged or taken at the direction of an institutional staff member. Is not posted on social media by or at the direction of an institutional staff member. 5
Photographs: Institutional staff members may arrange for or direct a prospective student-athlete to leave the locker room or equipment room to enter an adjacent field/court while in the uniform or equipment. Must be in private; May not constitute a gameday simulation; and May wear uniform, but may not be personalized. Photographs: PROPOSAL NO. 2016-47: RECRUITING -- PUBLICITY BEFORE COMMITMENT -- PHOTOGRAPH OF PROSPECTIVE STUDENT-ATHLETE Intent: To eliminate the restriction on providing a prospective student-athlete a photograph of him or her that is taken during a campus visit for the purpose of the institution's permissible publicity and promotional activities. 6
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Official Visits: Entertainment Cost of entertainment must be paid by student host money. Host money increased to $75/day (Proposal No. 2017-101 - Autonomy). This may include special additions (e.g., carnival games, recreational vehicles). Not permissible to arrange for appearance of mascot, cheerleaders, or band as entertainment, even if there is no cost associated. Does not restrict the use of items of nominal value (e.g., bag toss, frisbees) that are usually used at campus events (e.g., tailgates and picnics). Unofficial Visits: Entertainment No special additions to event or area (e.g., carnival games), even if the PSA pays for additions. Not permissible to arrange for appearance of mascot, cheerleaders, or band as entertainment, even if there is no cost associated. Does not restrict the PSA from attending/engaging in activities open to the general public (e.g., use of campus bowling alley, climbing wall) as long as PSA pays the cost for the entertainment. Does not restrict PSA of those items in their normal location (not a special addition for a recruiting visit) that SAs have use of (e.g., video games or ping pong table in locker room). Recruiting Area First Opportunity for a PSA to Visit Prior to 9th Grade OVs may not be provided. Official Visits (OVs) In 9th Grade In 10th Grade In 11th Grade In 12th Grade OVs may not be provided. OVs may not be provided. OVs may be provided beginning September 1 of the PSAs junior year in high school. OVs may be provided. 10
Recruiting Area First Opportunity for a PSA to Visit Prior to 9th Grade UOVs may not involve the athletics department. Unofficial Visits (UOVs) In 9th Grade In 10th Grade In 11th Grade In 12th Grade UOVs may not involve the athletics department. UOVs may not involve the athletics department. UOVs may involve the athletics department beginning September 1 of the PSAs junior year in high school. UOVs may involve the athletics department. Complimentary Admissions Involving Athletics Complimentary Admissions An institution may not provide complimentary admissions to a PSA as part of an unofficial visit prior to September 1 of the PSAs junior year in high school. ***Exception Complimentary admissions may be provided for visits unrelated to athletics recruitment prior to junior year in high school.*** Recruiting Conversations at an Institutional Camp/Clinic Recruiting Conversations An institution may not engage in recruiting conversations with a PSA at a camp/clinic prior to September 1 of the PSAs junior year in high school. 11
Phase 1A: Official and Unofficial Visits Recruiting Conversations at Camps and Clinics Phase 1B and Phase 2: Communication Telephone Calls Correspondence Off-Campus Contacts Verbal Offers Recruiting Period 1 Communication / Visits / Verbal Offers / Contacts Telephone calls (incoming and outgoing) / Text messages / Correspondence / Official Visits / Unofficial Visits / Off Campus Contacts Timing: September 1 of junior year in high school Recruiting Period 2 Written Offers Timing: August 1 of senior year in high school 12
Recruiting Period 1 Communication Telephone calls (incoming & outgoing) / Text messages / Correspondence Timing: Prior to junior year in high school Recruiting Period 2 Visits / Verbal Offers / Contacts Official Visits / Unofficial Visits / Off Campus Contacts Timing: September 1 of junior year in high school Recruiting Period 3 Written Offers Timing: August 1 of senior year in high school RSRO Questions RSRO Question No. 1: Can the institution pay for hotel incidentals (internet/in-room movie) for PSA on his or her official visit? RSRO Questions RSRO Question No. 2: Would it be permissible to have a DJ (disc jockey) playing music during an official visit? 13
RSRO Questions RSRO Question No. 3: May a student host contribute their own funds toward the entertainment of a PSA on an official visit? RSRO Question No. 4: RSRO Questions The head coach of our baseball team is a member of a private, on-campus faculty club. Generally this faculty club is private for specific members unless accompanied by a member of the club. If PSAs are accompanied by a faculty member of the club and pay the going rate of the meal they received at the club would this fall under permissible entertainment or meals on an official visit? RSRO Question No. 5: RSRO Questions During an official visit, is it permissible for a coaching staff to entertain and provide a meal at a professional sports stadium in a suite overlooking the field while a highlight video of the institution's team is playing? The meal itself that is being provided to the PSA will be comparable to meals that student-athletes consume during the academic year. The professional stadium is within a 30-mile radius of the institution and the highlight video that will be shown is not created for recruiting purposes. 14
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