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Recruiting

Table of Contents

1. Football
How many contacts and evaluations are allowed?
How are contacts and evaluations counted for multi-sport athletes?
When can a prospect be contacted by telephone?
Can we use a 1-800 number or accept collect calls?
Can non-student athletes call prospects?
Exception to the one-call-a-week limit
Where can prospects be contacted and evaluated?
How are contacts and evaluations that occur on the same day counted?

2. Basketball
How many contacts and evaluations are allowed?
How are contacts and evaluations counted for multi-sport athletes?
When can a prospect be contacted by telephone?
Can we use a 1-800 number or accept collect calls?
Can non-student athletes call prospects?
Exception to the one-call-a-week limit
Where can prospects be contacted and evaluated?
How are contacts and evaluations that occur on the same day counted?

3. Other Sports
How many contacts and evaluations are allowed?
When can prospects be contacted and evaluated?
When can a prospect be contacted by telephone?
Can enrolled student-athletes call prospects?
Can we use a 1-800 number or accept collect calls?
Exception to the one-call-a-week limit
Where can prospects be contacted and evaluated?
When and how can prospects be contacted or evaluated after they have signed the NLI?


Football Recruiting: How many contacts and evaluations are allowed?

Contacts
Number -- Seven in-person contacts per prospect are permitted during the contact period either at the prospects educational institution or any other location. No more than one contact is permitted in any calendar week (Sunday throughout Saturday)or partial calendar week.

A coach may make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts with a prospect (or the prospects relatives or legal guardians) only as follows:

High School Prospect - On or after July 1 following the completion of the prospects junior year.

Two-Year College Prospect - A prospect who was not a qualifier may not be contacted during the prospects first year in a two-year college.

Four-Year College Prospect - Only after written permission has been obtained from the institution from which the prospect is transferring.

(Note: In-person, off-campus contacts with prospects may be made only during the permissible contact period.)

Any number of contacts made during the same calendar day counts as a single contact.

NLI -- Any in-person, off-campus contact made with a prospect regarding the signing of a letter of intent or other commitment to attend your institution is prohibited.

Evaluations
Number -- You are limited to two evaluations during the academic year; however, only one evaluation may be used during the fall evaluation periods and one during the May evaluation period. Evaluations may take place from May 1 through April 30 of the following academic year.

Visit without a Contact -- A visit to a prospects school (without contact) counts as an evaluation for all prospects in that sport at the school, unless the coach is only observing competition between prospects who do not attend that school.

Evaluation Occurring in Contact Period -- Any evaluation activity or observation that occurs during a permissible contact period shall count only as a contact.

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Football Recruiting: How are contacts and evaluations counted for multi-sport athletes?

Contacts
A multi-sport athlete being recruited by your institution for more than one sport, one of which is football, all staff members from your institution are permitted only one visit per week to the prospects institution, and all visits must take place on the same day of the week.

Evaluations
A prospect being earnestly recruited by an institution in more than one sport may be evaluated the permissible number of occasions in each of the sports. Evaluations are counted against the sport of the coach making the evaluation.

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Football Recruiting: When can a prospect be contacted by telephone?

One telephone call to a prospect may be made during the month of May of the prospects junior year in high school. Additional calls to a prospect may not be made before September 1 of the beginning of the prospects senior year in high school. Thereafter, telephone contact with a prospect is limited to once per week outside the contact period. During a contact period, telephone contact may be made with a senior prospect at the institution's discretion.

Multi-Sport Athlete -- An institution that is recruiting a multi-sport athlete, is subject to the one-telephone-call-per-week restriction (as opposed to one for each sport in which the prospect is being recruited).

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Football Recruiting: Can we use a 1-800 number or accept collect calls?

Coaches and other staff members at your institution can accept collect calls from prospects on or after July 1, after their junior year; your institution may utilize a toll-free (1-800) number to receive calls from prospects and prospects' parents.

Calls at Prospects Expense -- Institutional staff members may receive telephone calls placed by a prospect at the prospects expense at any time.

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Football Recruiting: Can non-student-athletes call prospects?

Enrolled students, except student-athletes, can make telephone calls to prospective student-athletes, if the calls are part of a regular admissions program directed at all prospective students.

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Football Recruiting: Exception to the one-call-a-week limit

You can make an unrestricted number of calls to a prospect:

  1. During the five days immediately before the prospects official visit to your campus;
  2. On the initial signing date for the fall or spring NLI and for the two days after that signing date;
  3. After the calendar day on which the prospect signs an NLI with your institution; and
  4. On the day of your institution's permissible off-campus contact with the prospect.

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Football Recruiting: Where can a prospect be contacted and evaluated?

Prospects may be visited or evaluated at their homes, schools, or other off-campus sites, as well as on your institution's campus.

Once-a-week Limit -- Authorized coaches can visit a prospects school no more than once a week during a contact period, regardless of whether the visit is for contact or evaluation purposes or if there is more than one prospect that you are recruiting at a particular school.

Not before Competition -- You cannot contact a prospect before any athletics competition at any site on the days that the prospect is a participant. Such contact includes the passing of notes to a prospect by a third party on behalf of an institutional staff member.

After Final Competition -- You can contact prospects after final competition, once they have been released by the appropriate institutional authority and leave the dressing and meeting facilities.

Competition on your Campus -- Prospects who participate in athletics events on your campus outside a contact period may not have recruiting contacts with members of your athletics department staff who may be involved with the event. Note Bylaw 13.1.10.

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Football Recruiting: How are contacts and evaluations that occur on the same day counted?

Any visit to a prospects educational institution by coaching staff member during a contact period shall count as a contact for all prospects in that sport at the institution.

During contact periods, authorized coaches may have in-person, off-campus contacts and evaluations with prospects.

During evaluation periods, authorized athletics department staff may evaluate prospects off campus, but may not have contact with them.

During quiet periods, coaches may contact prospect only on campus. They may not evaluate the prospects.

During dead periods, coaches cannot have in-person contacts or evaluations with prospects, on or off your campus. Prospects may not visit your campus at this time, and coaches may not make speeches at events where prospects or their parents are in the audience. Coaches may call or write to prospects during these times.

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Basketball Recruiting: How many contacts and evaluations are allowed?

Contacts
Number -- You may contact a prospect no more than three times at any off- campus site (regardless of the number of sports in which the prospect is being recruited).

Number -- You are limited to five recruiting opportunities (contacts and evaluations combined) per prospect, of which not more than three may be contacts.

Calendar Day -- Any number of contacts made during the same day (12:01 am to midnight) counts as a single contact.

NLI -- Any in-person, off-campus contact made with a prospect regarding the signing of a letter of intent or other commitment to attend your institution is prohibited.

Evaluations
Number -- You are limited to five recruiting opportunities (contacts and evaluations combined) per prospect, of which not more than three may be contacts.

Number -- In team sports, each prospect in a contest you observe is considered evaluated, even if contact is made. You cannot count the evaluation for only one or some of the participants.

Calendar Day -- Any number of evaluations or observations made during the same calendar day (12:01 a.m. to midnight) shall count as one evaluation.

Multiple Contests -- If you evaluate multiple contests in a tournament that occurs on consecutive days and normally at the same site, this counts as only one evaluation. So does evaluating multiple contests in a tournament tier. Also, in women's basketball, evaluation on more than one day at official tryouts for the USA Basketball Olympic Festival conducted during a permissible evaluation period counts as a single evaluation.

Academic Evaluations -- If you make contact with a prospect at the prospects school and engage in additional evaluation activities (other than observing a prospects practice or competitions that day) at the prospects school, you do not use one of the permitted evaluations in that sport.

Visit without Contact -- A visit to a prospect's school (without contact) counts as an evaluation for all prospects in that sport at the school, unless the coach is only observing competition between prospects who do not attend that school.

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Basketball Recruiting: How are contacts and evaluations counted for multi-sport athletes?

Contacts
A multi-sport athlete being recruited by your institution for more than one sport, one of which is basketball, all staff members from your institution are permitted only one visit per week to the prospects institution, and all visits must take place on the same day of the week.

Evaluations
A prospect being earnestly recruited by an institution in more than one sport may be evaluated the permissible number of occasions in each of the sports. Evaluations are counted against the sport of the coach making the evaluation.

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Basketball Recruiting: When can a prospect be contacted by telephone?

One telephone call to a prospect may be made on or after June 21 of the prospects junior year in high school. In addition, only three telephone calls to a prospect may be made during the month of July after the prospects junior year in high school, with no more than one telephone call per week. Thereafter, telephone contact with a prospect is limited to once per week.

Multi-Sport Athlete -- An institution that is recruiting a multi-sport athlete, is subject to the one-telephone-call-a-week restriction (as opposed to one in each sport in which the prospect is being recruited).

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Basketball Recruiting: Can we use a 1-800 number or accept collect calls?

Toll-Free and Collect Calls -- Coaches and other staff members at your institution can accept collect calls from prospects on or after July 1 after their junior year; your institution may utilize a toll-free (1-800) number to receive calls from prospects or prospects' parents.

Calls at Prospects Expense -- Institutional staff members may receive telephone calls placed by a prospect at the prospects expense at any time. When a prospect calls a staff member at his or her expense, there is no restriction on the content of the conversation.

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Basketball Recruiting: Can non-student-athletes call prospects?

Yes, if the calls are part of a regular admissions program directed at all prospective students.

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Basketball Recruiting: Exception to the one-call-a-week limit

You can make an unrestricted number of calls to a prospect:

  1. During the five days immediately before the prospects official visit to your campus;
  2. On the initial signing date for the fall or spring NLI and for the two days after that signing date;
  3. After the calendar day on which the prospect signs a NLI with your institution; and
  4. On the day of your institution's permissible off-campus contact with the prospect.

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Basketball Recruiting: Where can prospects be contacted and evaluated?

Prospects may be visited or evaluated at their homes, schools, or other off-campus sites, as well as on your institution's campus.

Once-a-week limit -- Authorized coaches can visit a prospects school no more than once a week during a contact period, regardless of whether the visit is for contact or evaluation purposes or if there is more than one prospect that you are recruiting at a particular sport.

Not Before Competition -- You cannot contact a prospect before any athletics competition at any site on the days that the prospect are participants. Such contact includes the passing of notes to prospect by a third party on behalf of an institutional staff member.

After Final Competition -- You can contact prospects after their final competition, once they have been released by the appropriate institutional authority and leave the dressing and meeting facilities.

** The restriction of one visit per week to the prospects school is also applicable to evaluation periods (except during the July evaluation period).

Tournament at Prospects School -- Visiting a prospects school on consecutive days to observe a tournament or tier of a tournament counts as a single visit.

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Basketball Recruiting: How are contacts and evaluations that occur on the same day counted?

Any visit to a prospects educational institution by a coaching staff member during a contact period shall count as a contact for all prospects in that sport at the institution.

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Other Sports Recruiting: How many contacts and evaluations are allowed?

Contacts
Number -- You may contact a prospect no more than three times at any off- campus site beginning on July 1 after the completion of the prospects junior year of high school.

Any number of contacts made during the same calendar day counts as a single contact.

NLI -- Any in-person, off-campus contact made with a prospect regarding the signing of a letter of intent or other commitment to attend your institution is prohibited.

Evaluations
Number -- You are limited to four evaluations during the academic year. Evaluations are counted on a per-sport basis and only during the prospects academic year.

Visit without Contact -- A visit to a prospects school (without contact) counts as an evaluation for all prospects in that sport at the school, unless the coach is only observing competition between prospects who do not attend that school.

Any number of evaluations or observations made during the same calendar day shall count as one evaluation.

Team Sports -- You must count one evaluation for every prospect who participates in a team sport contest.

Individual Sports -- Only those participants you observe engaging in practice or competition should be considered countable evaluations.

Observing a contest or practice during the academic year shall count as an evaluation for each prospect in the contest or practice, even if contact is made during the same day.

Tournament Observations -- If you evaluate multiple contests in a tournament that occurs on consecutive days and normally at the same site, this counts as only one evaluation. So does evaluating multiple contests in a tournament tier.

Academic Evaluation -- If you make contact with a prospect at the prospects school and engage in additional evaluation activities (other than observing a prospects practice or competition on that day) at the prospects school, you do not use one of the permitted evaluations in that sport.

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Other Sports Recruiting: When can prospects be contacted and evaluated?

Open Events -- You do not utilize an evaluation if your team competes in an open event (e.g. track and field meet) in which prospects also compete.

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Other Sports Recruiting: When can prospects be contacted by telephone?

Prospects can be contacted and evaluated at any time except a dead period. The dead period begins Monday through Thursday the initial week for the signing of the NLI.

Institutional staff members such as faculty members and coaches can make telephone calls to prospects (or the prospects parents or legal guardians) on or after July 1, after prospects have completed their junior year in high school. Your institution is permitted only one call per week to each prospect (or their parents or guardians).

Facsimiles and other electronically transmitted correspondence are not considered telephone calls.

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Other Sports Recruiting: Can enrolled student-athletes call prospects?

Enrolled students, including student-athletes, may not make telephone calls to prospects for recruiting purposes at the direction of coaching staff members, if those calls are paid for by your institution or an athletics representative. Student-athletes may receive telephone calls from prospect after July 1 of the prospects' junior year in high school, as long as the calls are made at the prospects' expense.

Enrolled students, but not student-athletes, can make telephone calls to prospective student-athletes, if the calls are part of a regular admissions program directed at all prospective students.

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Other Sports Recruiting: Can we give prospects our 1-800 number or accept collect calls?

Your institution may utilize a toll-free (1-800) number to receive calls; you can also accept collect calls from prospects on or after July 1.

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Other Sports Recruiting: Exceptions to the one-call-a-week limit

  1. During the five days immediately before the prospects official visit to your institution;
  2. On the day of your institution's permissible off-campus contact with the prospect;
  3. On the initial signing date for the fall or spring NLI and for the two days after that signing date; and
  4. After the calendar day on which the prospect signs a NLI with your institution or accepts the institution's written offer of admission.

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Other Sports Recruiting: Where can prospects be contacted and evaluated?

Prospects may be visited or evaluated at their homes, schools, or other off-campus site, as well as your institution's campus. If you are an authorized coach:

  1. Visits to a prospects school during the academic day (the time when classes are being conducted for all students) must receive approval of the executive officer of the prospects school;
  2. You do not use your one visit per week to the prospects school if you observe competition between prospects who do not attend that school, provided you do not engage in recruitment activities with any prospect who attends the school where the competition is being held;
  3. You cannot contact prospects before any athletics competition at any site on the days that the prospects are participants. Such contact includes the passing of notes to a prospect by a third party on behalf of an institutional staff member; and
  4. You can contact prospects after their final competition, once they have been released by the appropriate institutional authority and leave the dressing and meeting facilities.

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Other Sports Recruiting: When and how can prospects be contacted or evaluated after they have signed the NLI?

After the calendar day on which a prospect has signed a Letter of Intent to attend your institution, there are not limits on the number of contacts you can have with the prospect (or the prospects relatives or legal guardians) or evaluations of the prospect. However, the following guidelines apply:

  1. Any contact with signed prospect at their schools may occur only during a permissible contact period and visits to prospects' school cannot occur more than once a week.
  2. In Division I, no in-person contacts, either on or off campus, can be made during a dead period.
  3. Boosters may only contact prospects with regard to summer-job arrangements. In Division I, no other contact is allowed, including telephone calls and letters.
  4. No contacts with prospect are permitted before any athletics competition in which the prospects are participating, during the day (or days) of competition, including the passing of notes to a prospect by a third party on behalf of an institutional staff member. You cannot contact prospects from the time they report on call at the direction of the coach and become involved in competition- related activity until the end of the competition.
  5. You can contact prospects after their final competition, if they have been released by the appropriate institutional authority and leave the dressing or meeting facilities. You may contact a prospects relatives or legal guardians at the site of the prospects competition, provided the contact occurs during a permissible contact period.

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