In-person college sports recruiting set to resume
After high school graduation, becoming a college athlete takes incredible skill, both athletically and academically. Colleges and universities use the recruiting process to find student athletes with the right combination of talent, strong character and academic success.
Recruiting begins with contact, defined by the NCAA as any face-to-face conversation between a college coach and a college-bound student-athlete or their parents that happens off campus. This is typically when coaches ask preliminary questions to make sure the prospective recruit could be a good fit.
“Our first focus when considering an athlete is always on academics. We need to ensure that our recruits will meet all admissions and NCAA eligibility requirements. Even if they are the best athlete in the world, they won’t make it unless they are academically eligible,” said Lauren DuBois, senior associate athletics director for academics, compliance and financial aid at the University of Houston. “Usually after that, we reach out to them via their current coaches to determine if they would be a good fit for our team and culture.
“Then, we want to evaluate their athletic abilities either in person or via film.”
Evaluations take place during NCAA-designated evaluation periods, the time during which college coaches are allowed to watch athletes compete in person or visit their school. Coaches are not allowed to talk to recruits while off college campus grounds during this time, but they may sit in the stands to watch the student-athlete and assess their talent as well as speak to the prospective recruit’s coaches or teachers to better know the player’s personality and character.
“We’re looking for someone who will be a good fit for our team, academically and athletically successful and a hard worker and be coachable, and we want someone who will stay out of trouble,” DuBois said. “Head and assistant coaches are the designated recruiters by the NCAA, so they do all in-person evaluations. However, recruiting staffs can evaluate film and help identify talent to look at, too.”
If a college-bound student-athlete has sufficiently impressed the college coaching staff and met all requirements, an unofficial offer will be made by the school.
“Until Aug. 1 of their senior year, offers can only be made verbally. On Aug. 1, programs usually send a graphic via social media or through the mail offering a spot on the team or a scholarship in writing,” said DuBois. “It is not official until the student-athlete signs a financial aid agreement or National Letter of Intent with the program, which cannot occur until the National Signing dates set forward by the NCAA.”
A National Letter of Intent is the official agreement that the student athlete will attend the college for one academic year.
“Signing a National Letter of Intent ends the recruiting process since participating schools are prohibited from recruiting student-athletes who have already signed letters with other participating schools,” writes the NCAA.
Pandemic curve ball
While usually clear and organized, the recruiting process was thrown into disarray during the global pandemic. The NCAA instituted a national “dead period” for all sports in March 2020, meaning coaches have not been able to do any in-person recruiting, whether on campus or off.
“NCAA rules on recruiting have constantly changed throughout the past year, sometimes even weekly. All coaches have had to be nimble and able to adapt,” DuBois said. “All recruiting moved to a virtual format, so coaches have become experts in Zoom just like everyone else and have had to get to know their recruits that way. Most recruits had to sign with a school without ever stepping foot on campus or meeting their future teammates or coaches in person.”
The NCAA announced that all in-person recruiting for D1 sports will resume June 1, 2021. Coaches will be able to return to their normal recruiting calendars and activities.