Recruiting Periods Defined
Recruiting calendars help promote the well-being prospective student-athletes and coaches and ensure competitive equity by defining certain time periods in which recruiting may or may not occur in a particular sport. There are four distinct periods - contact, evaluation, quiet and dead period. These are defined below:
Recruiting Communications
Coaching staff member are permitted to communicate with prospective student-athletes through the following methods:
Telephone Calls: The first permissible date to make telephone contact with a prospect depends on the sport who is recruiting that prospect. In sports other than men's basketball, football and swimming & diving, the first permissible date to make telephone contact with a prospect is September 1st at the beginning of their junior year in high school. In men's basketball, the first permissible date to make telephone contact with a prospect is June 15th at the conclusion of their sophomore year in high school. In the sport of football, a coach may place one telephone call to a prospect beginning the Sunday after the American Football Coaches Association Convention (i.e., January 16, 2022). Lastly, swimming and diving may not place telephone calls to a prospect until July 1st following their junior year in high school.
As a prospective student-athlete, telephone calls may be placed to college coaches at any time, even prior to the dates mentioned above.
Electronic Correspondence (e.g., emails, text messages, direct message on social media): In all sports, the first permissible date to send electronic correspondence to a prospective student-athlete is September 1st at the beginning of their junior year in high school.
As a prospective student-athlete, college coaches may not respond to any electronic correspondence sent by a prospect until September 1st of their junior year in high school.
Recruiting Materials: In all sports, the first permissible date to send recruiting materials to a prospective student-athlete is September 1st at the beginning of their junior year in high school. Types of recruiting materials that may be provided to a prospective student-athlete include:
General Correspondence- there are no restrictions on the design or content of general correspondence and attachments, except that the size of the printed material may not exceed 8.5 by 11 inches when opened in full. There are no restrictions on the design or content of an envelope used to send general correspondence and attachments, except the size of the envelope may not exceed 9 by 12 inches.
Camp or Clinic Information- may be provided at any time.
Questionnaire- may be provided at any time.
Non-athletics Institutional Publications (e.g., official academic, admissions and student services publications published by the institutional and available to all students)- may be provided at any time.
Educational Material Published by the NCAA (e.g., NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete)- may be provided at any time.
RECRUITING Visits
Any visit to a college campus by a college-bound student-athlete or his or her parents paid for by the college is an official visit. Visits paid for by college-bound student-athletes or their parents are unofficial visits.
During an official visit the college can pay for transportation to and from the college for the prospect, lodging and three meals per day for both the prospect and the parent or guardian, as well as reasonable entertainment expenses including three tickets to a home sports event.
The only expenses a college-bound student-athlete may receive from a college during an unofficial visit are three tickets to a home sports event.
Recruiting visits to LSU are expected to serve the academic and athletic missions of the University while assuring public confidence in the integrity of the recruiting process.
Approved by the University Chancellor, the Louisiana State University Policy for Recruiting of Prospective Student-Athletes is designed to outlined these expectations and establish a set of principles and regulations for the conduct of the recruiting process with full regard for reasonable and acceptable forms of behavior.
Each coach and sport-specific non-coaching staff member is required to certify their understanding of the Policy through the annual submission of the Recruiting Principles & Policies Acknowledgement.
Coaches and staff members should contact the Compliance Office with any questions or concerns regarding the Policy or the recruiting process in general.
To view the Recruiting Guidelines for 2023-24, click here. | For more information, look to the NCAA Recruiting FAQs.