Zoom recruiting is here to stay – for at least the next five months. The NCAA has officially extended its recruiting dead period again. The Division I Council on Wednesday officially extended the dead period to April 15, 2021.
“The COVID-19 numbers are not trending in the right direction for the Council to allow in-person recruiting and the associated long-distance travel for coaches, prospective student-athletes and their families,” said Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Pennsylvania. “We acknowledge the impact the restrictions are having on student-athletes who dream of being Division I athletes, but we must prioritize the health and safety of current and potential student-athletes and their families, as well as coaches and others on campus.”
Members also voted to permit additional flexibility in virtual recruiting in football by allowing all coaches, full-time school staff members and current students to conduct recruiting calls (telephone calls and video calls) without a countable coach being present. This flexibility, proposed by the Football Oversight Committee, includes volunteer coaches in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Council plans to address similar flexibility for other sports at its December meeting.
For class of 2021 prospects, this means if they did not get in a campus visit before last March, they won’t be able to do a traditional campus visit before National Signing Day in February. Some prospects have paid their own way to visit campuses, but without officially interacting with any program’s players or staff.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
