NCAA Division I Returning to Normal Recruiting Activities June 1
It's about time for college coaches to get back on the recruiting trail.
On Thursday, the NCAA announced Division I sports will return to their normal recruiting schedules starting June 1. The Division I Council approved the scheduling move.
"We are delighted to announce that as of June 1, all sports will return to their normal recruiting calendars," said M. Grace Calhoun, the Council chair and athletics director at Pennsylvania. "We want to thank all prospective student-athletes, their families, coaches and current student-athletes for their patience as we determined the best way to move forward safely with recruiting in Division I."
Outside of the recruiting announcement, the Council put a process in place that would allow Division III schools to reclassify straight to Division I instead of spending time in Division II. Such a process would require the schools to spend a year in the pre-application stage and then reclassify if they meet the necessary criteria.
As for football recruiting, the Council put a schedule in place for when phone calls are permitted with prospects and issued a waiver that will allow on-campus evaluations during unofficial visits in June and July.
There will be 56 evaluation days instead of 42 during the fall 2021 evaluation period.
These changes come after the Council kept a recruiting dead period in place since March 13, 2020, in an effort to protect the health of prospects and coaches during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea was to minimize travel and in-person recruiting activities that could spread the virus.
It figures to be a busy summer for football staffs and recruits looking to make up for lost time.
Look for plenty of in-person visits and on-campus evaluations as the top prospects decide which schools they will attend in the coming years.
The Georgia Bulldogs currently have the No. 1 recruiting class for 2022 and are followed by Ohio State, LSU, Notre Dame and Texas A&M, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
