The NCAA Division I Council extended the recruiting dead period for all Division I sports through April 15, 2021. That will mean that the dead period in recruiting will last for over one full calendar year since the start of the COVID pandemic.
“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.”
The council did vote to allow more flexibility in virtual recruiting for football. Hockey was not given any new specific direction, but the council did say that it hoped to address similar “flexibility” issues for other sports at its December meeting.
The dead period extension was supported by the oversight committees for football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball. Members acknowledged that while Divisions II and III had loosened recruiting restrictions, Division I schools are managing active fall sport seasons, which is not the case at most schools in Divisions II and III.
