NCAA DI oversight committee recommends overhauled recruiting model for football

The NCAA’s Division I football oversight committee has recommended some substantial changes to the recruiting calendar, along with changes to the frequency of contact between college coaches and prospects. The proposed changes to the recruiting model are expected to be considered by the NCAA Division I council when it meets on April 12-13.

The biggest potential change being considered is opening up the restrictions around the “bump rule” and off-campus visits for juniors. With the new rules, coaches would be free to visit prospects that are juniors in high school for off-campus visits during the spring contact period for one visit.

This is currently not permissible under the so-called “bump rule,” which requires coaches who bump into a prospect outside of the allowable parameters to keep the interaction to a brief greeting.

The proposed package of rules would also standardize the point at which approved off-campus recruiters — namely, coaches — can make telephone calls with prospects: June 15 after the conclusion of a prospects sophomore year of high school. Notably, it removes any cap on telephone calls between coaches and prospects after that June 15 date.

One notable potential change that has not been suggested is moving or eschewing the early signing day in December. The only change to anything signing day related was created a dead period surrounding the traditional signing day in February.

“We wanted to maintain and strengthen the scholastic recruiting model for football, prioritize coach work/life balance and attention to current student-athletes and rules that are enforceable and monitorable, as well as creating transparency in the recruiting process,” said Jean Gee, the chair of the subcommittee reviewing recruiting and a senior associate athletics director at Montana, in a release announcing the proposed changes. “The subcommittee developed these recommendations through regular and numerous meetings, review of membership feedback from a variety of constituents and collaboration with FBS and FCS conferences.”

The complete list of the proposed recruiting calendar changes are as follows, and apply to FBS and FCS equally:

• Schools would have 33 evaluation days (42 for U.S. service academies) during the months of September, October and November to be picked by the school. Only authorized off-campus recruiters could visit a prospect’s high school and on just one calendar day during this period.
• The Monday of the week that includes the initial date for the regular signing period of the National Letter of Intent through the first Sunday in March would be a dead period.
• For service academies, the Friday immediately after the initial date for the regular signing period of the National Letter of Intent through the first Sunday in March would be a quiet period.
• At the discretion of the membership school, coaches would have 140 recruiting person days (180 for U.S. service academies) from April 15 through the Saturday preceding Memorial Day for a contact period.
• The Sunday before Memorial Day and the next three calendar days would be a dead period.

The new proposed omnibus changes to recruiting rules would also greatly alter the mechanics and timeline of visiting prospects at their high schools.

All the proposed tweaks to off-campus recruiting are as follows:

• Off-campus recruiting contacts can’t be made with an individual or their family before Jan. 1 of the individual’s junior year in high school.
• A school would be limited to eight off-campus, in-person contacts with a prospective student-athlete and the prospect’s family members for the prospect’s junior and senior years combined and contact can only occur once per week.
• Contacts that occur during the prospective student-athlete’s junior year in high school could occur only at the prospect’s high school.
• Schools would be allowed up to two off-campus contacts during the January contact period of a prospect’s junior year of high school. A school would also be allowed one off-campus contact during the spring contact period of a prospect’s junior year of high school.
• The head football coach could make only one off-campus contact during the prospect’s junior year and one off-campus contact during the prospect’s senior year in high school with them or their family members. The model would not change the off-campus recruiting prohibition of FBS head coaches during the spring contact period. 

Additionally, the proposed rule changes would create a mechanism for FCS programs to workout prospects on-campus under a strict set of rule — namely that the workout must be led by an approved coach and off-campus recruiter.