NCAA Recruiting Calendar: How To Use It To Get Recruited

If you are a high school athlete or parent, recruiting probably feels random. One month college coaches are liking your posts, watching your games, or replying to emails. The next month, it is radio silence.

Most of that is not about you. It is about the NCAA recruiting calendar.

The NCAA recruiting calendar is the set of dates that tells college coaches when they are allowed to call you, watch you, text you, invite you on visits, or see you at events. It is basically the schedule behind every recruiting conversation.

When you do not understand that schedule, it is easy to panic or take silence personally. When you do understand it, you stop guessing, start planning, and make way better decisions about when to email, when to visit, and when to push for offers.

In this guide, we will walk through how the NCAA recruiting calendar works, what the different periods mean in real life, and how to build a strategy around it. We will also show you how an AI-powered platform like Pathley can keep you ahead of the calendar instead of always reacting to it.

What is the NCAA recruiting calendar?

At the simplest level, the NCAA recruiting calendar is a sport-by-sport schedule the NCAA gives to Division I and Division II college programs. It labels every day of the year as one of four things:

Contact period
Evaluation period
Quiet period
Dead period

Each label comes with rules about what a coach can and cannot do with a prospective student-athlete.

A few key things to know up front:

The calendar is mostly about what coaches are allowed to do, not what you are allowed to do. You can always send emails, film, and updates. Their ability to respond or meet in person might be limited.
Every sport has its own version of the calendar in Division I, and some sports have more complex calendars than others (football and basketball, for example).
Division II also uses calendars, but they are a lot simpler and have fewer restricted periods.
Division III does not use formal recruiting calendars the same way. Coaches still have contact rules, but they are allowed to recruit almost year-round.

You can see the official sport-by-sport calendars on the NCAA website here: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2013/11/27/recruiting-calendars.aspx.

Those PDFs are important, but they are not exactly written for a 17-year-old who is juggling school, club, and social life. So let us translate the four main recruiting periods into plain language first.

The four main recruiting periods explained

Contact period

This is the most open and flexible period for Division I and II coaches.

During a contact period, coaches can:

Have in-person contact with you and your parents on or off campus
Watch you compete or practice
Call, text, email, and DM you (within the normal recruiting rules for your sport and grade)
Invite you for unofficial or official visits

What this means for you:

If a program is seriously interested, this is when you are most likely to hear from them directly.
You should be proactive about updating coaches, sending film, and setting up campus visits that align with contact periods.
If coaches are allowed to talk to you and are not, that is useful information about where you realistically stand.

Evaluation period

During an evaluation period, coaches are focused on watching, not talking.

Coaches may:

Attend your games, tournaments, practices, or camps to evaluate your athletic and academic fit
Call, text, or email you (again, within grade-specific rules)

But they may not:

Have face-to-face, off-campus recruiting conversations with you or your family

On your end, that means:

Do not panic if a coach sees you at an event but does not come up to talk afterward. Often, they are literally not allowed to.
These periods are huge for your highlight film. Get your best clips from evaluation-period events in front of coaches quickly.
Strong communication before and after evaluation periods helps coaches connect what they saw with who you are.

Quiet period

A quiet period is about limiting off-campus recruiting.

During a quiet period, coaches may:

Meet you face-to-face on campus
Host you on unofficial or official visits
Call, text, and email you

They may not:

Have in-person contact with you or your parents off campus
Go watch you compete off campus for recruiting purposes

What you should do:

Quiet periods are great times to schedule campus visits, especially if your sport has heavy dead or evaluation periods during the season.
If a coach is pushing for you to visit during a certain weekend, there is often a calendar reason behind it.

Dead period

The phrase sounds harsh, but a dead period does not mean recruiting is over. It just limits in-person contact.

During a dead period, coaches may not:

Have any face-to-face recruiting contact with you or your parents, on or off campus
Host you for unofficial or official visits tied to athletics
Watch you compete in person for recruiting purposes

They still may:

Call, text, DM, and email you
Review your film, grades, and test scores
Talk to your high school or club coach

So if you suddenly stop seeing college coaches on the sideline or you are told you cannot visit a campus for recruiting during a certain weekend, it is likely because of a dead period.

Many Division I sports have dead periods built around big events like national signing days and major championships. The NCAA defines these periods in more detail in its Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete and sport-specific manuals, which you can find at https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2013/11/8/eligibility-center-student-resources.aspx.

How Division I, II, and III calendars differ

The core periods are the same across divisions, but the way they show up on your calendar is different.

Division I

Division I has the most specific recruiting calendars. Each sport has its own document that spells out exactly which dates are contact, evaluation, quiet, or dead.

A few high-level realities:

For many sports, real recruiting conversations (calls, texts, and recruiting-specific emails) cannot start until June 15 after your sophomore year or September 1 of your junior year.
Official visits can now begin August 1 before your junior year of high school in Division I.
Sports like football and basketball have more frequent and longer dead periods than many Olympic sports.

If you are aiming for Division I, understanding your sport's specific calendar is non‑negotiable. It shapes everything from when coaches can call to when you can take official visits.

Division II

Division II recruiting calendars are much simpler.

In many Division II sports:

Coaches can begin most recruiting communications on June 15 after your sophomore year.
The majority of the year is considered a contact period.
There are a few dead periods (often around signing dates), but far fewer quiet or evaluation periods than in Division I.

That extra flexibility can be a big advantage if you are a late bloomer or still developing physically. If you feel behind with Division I dates, Division II might still be right on schedule for you.

Division III and other associations

Division III does not use sport-by-sport recruiting calendars in the same way. Coaches have more freedom to recruit year-round, as long as they follow the general recruiting rules for their division.

What that means for you:

You might hear from Division III coaches earlier or more consistently than Division I coaches.
You will not see as many dead or quiet periods, so campus visits can be more flexible.

If you are also considering NAIA schools, the rules are different again. The NAIA has far fewer restrictions on recruiting calendars, and coaches are often allowed to contact you earlier and more often. You can read more about that directly from the NAIA here: https://www.naia.org/student-athletes/recruiting.

Why the NCAA recruiting calendar matters for you

Once you understand the NCAA recruiting calendar, a lot of confusing recruiting behavior suddenly makes sense.

Here is why it matters:

You stop taking silence personally. If a coach is in a dead period or not yet allowed to call your class, their lack of response is about rules, not your talent.
You time your outreach better. Sending your best film two days into a contact period is usually more effective than dropping it right before a long dead period.
You plan smarter visits and events. There is no point flying across the country to tour a campus during a dead period when that coaching staff is not even allowed to meet you.
You choose camps and showcases that make sense. Big recruiting events are usually placed on the calendar when coaches are allowed to evaluate. If a camp is during a dead period, it may be more about money than exposure.

In other words: the calendar is not just an NCAA compliance document. It is a strategy tool for you.

Year-by-year: how the calendar usually hits each class

Every sport is different, and the rules change, so think of this as a general framework, not a legal document. Always double-check your sport's current calendar on the NCAA site.

Freshman year (9th grade)

You can email coaches, fill out online questionnaires, and attend camps or showcases.
Most Division I coaches are not allowed to have recruiting conversations with you yet, but they can send you generic camp information.
This is a great time to build a base: highlight video, academic track, and a starter list of schools that fit you.

You should not stress about how quiet things feel right now. Focus on getting better, getting stronger, and putting yourself on the radar with solid emails and film.

Sophomore year (10th grade)

Things start to warm up, especially in the second half of this year.

For many sports, June 15 after your sophomore year is a big date: that is when Division I and II coaches can start real recruiting communications.
Division III and NAIA programs may be allowed to reach out earlier and more often.
Coaches may watch you in evaluation periods without talking to you directly afterward.

You want to be ready before those key dates hit:

Have an updated highlight video and academic information ready to send.
Know which programs are realistic fits athletically and academically.
Be ready to answer the phone or respond quickly when coaches are finally allowed to reach out.

Junior year (11th grade)

This is prime time for most recruits.

Division I and II coaches can usually call, text, and email freely by now.
Official visits can start August 1 before your junior year in Division I, and earlier in some other divisions.
Dead periods and evaluation periods become more important as offers and decisions pick up.

During junior year, smart athletes build their schedule around the calendar:

Use contact periods to schedule campus visits, overnight stays, and meetings with coaches.
Play your club and high school seasons knowing when coaches can evaluate in person.
Have honest conversations with coaches about where you sit on their board and what their timeline looks like.

Senior year (12th grade)

Senior year can feel very different depending on your sport and division.

Some athletes are signing early in the fall; others are committing in the spring or even summer after graduation.
Dead periods around signing dates can slow things down temporarily.
Division II, Division III, and NAIA programs may still be filling spots deep into your senior year.

If you are still uncommitted:

Keep using the calendar to identify windows when coaches can see you or talk with you.
Lean into levels and conferences that are still actively recruiting your position.
Make sure your grades and eligibility pieces are fully in order so you can move quickly when an opportunity opens.

Common mistakes athletes make with the recruiting calendar

Understanding the rules is one thing. Using them well is another.

Here are mistakes we see over and over:

1. Assuming a coach is not interested because they do not respond

If it is before the first contact date for your sport and grad year, a Division I coach may not be able to call, text, or DM you about recruiting yet, even if they like your game.

They might:

Follow your social media
Talk to your high school or club coach
Watch you in person during evaluation periods

But until the calendar opens that door, their hands are tied. This is where having a coach or platform that understands the rules is huge.

2. Wasting visits during dead periods

Families sometimes plan a big campus visit without realizing their dream program is in a dead period.

You can still walk around, see the facilities from the outside, and get a feel for campus life, but that staff is not allowed to meet with you or show you around for recruiting. That is a tough way to burn time and travel money.

Always cross-check the dates for dead and quiet periods before booking major trips.

3. Playing in the wrong events at the wrong times

A showcase or tournament is only a recruiting opportunity if coaches are actually allowed to evaluate you.

If you are paying serious money to travel for an event, make sure:

Your target programs are in an evaluation or contact period.
Those staffs know you will be there and have your schedule.
The level of competition lines up with the schools you are targeting.

If a camp or showcase is scheduled during a dead period for your sport, ask hard questions about who can actually be there.

4. Not adjusting expectations by level

It is common to see athletes panic because Division I coaches are quiet, without realizing that Division II, Division III, or NAIA coaches are still actively recruiting their class.

The right move is not always to push harder at the same level. Sometimes, it is to shift your focus to levels where the calendar and your current development stage are better aligned.

How to build your recruiting plan around the calendar

Here is a simple framework you can use with your family, club coach, or high school coach.

1. Find your sport's official calendar

Start with your governing body:

For Division I and II, download the official calendar for your sport and grad year from the NCAA.
For Division III, look at the general recruiting rules and contact dates.
For NAIA, review the recruiting overview from the NAIA website.

Print it or save it where you and your family will actually see it.

2. Mark key dates for your class

Highlight:

First date coaches can start calling or texting your class
First date you can take official visits
Dead periods during your main season and important tournaments
National signing days and decision-heavy windows

This becomes your master recruiting calendar for the year.

3. Plan communication and visits around open windows

Once you know when coaches are allowed to talk and meet:

Schedule important emails and film updates right before or during contact periods.
Line up unofficial and official visits during quiet or contact periods when staffs can host you.
Use evaluation periods as times to play in front of your top schools, then follow up quickly.

You will feel less like you are throwing messages into a black hole and more like you are working with the rules instead of against them.

4. Reassess every few months

The NCAA can and does update recruiting rules. Coaches also change jobs, rosters shift, and your own goals evolve.

Every few months:

Check for updated calendars on the NCAA and NAIA sites.
Update your board of target schools based on who is actually recruiting your position.
Adjust your event schedule so you are playing in front of the right programs at the right times.

This is where having tools that track roster changes, coaching moves, and calendar shifts can save you a ton of time and stress.

How Pathley keeps you ahead of the NCAA recruiting calendar

Trying to track all of this in a spreadsheet or your notes app is exhausting, especially if you are balancing multiple sports, club seasons, and honors classes.

Pathley is an AI-powered college recruiting platform built to make this entire process smarter and less stressful.

With Pathley, you can:

Match with colleges that fit your sport, position, academics, and budget in minutes, not weeks.
Build a clean, modern athletic resume that coaches can actually use.
See where you realistically stack up for different levels based on data, not hype.
Track roster changes and coaching moves so you know when new opportunities open up.
Use AI guidance to plan outreach, visits, and events around the recruiting rules and calendar.

Instead of spending hours trying to decode PDFs, you get a clearer picture of when and where to focus your energy.

You can learn more about how Pathley works here: https://www.pathley.ai/.

If you want a deeper dive into the rules that sit underneath the calendar, check out Pathley's plain-language guide to NCAA recruiting rules: https://www.pathley.ai/blog-posts/ncaa-recruiting-rules-explained.

Final thoughts: control what you can control

You cannot change the NCAA recruiting calendar. You cannot make a coach call before they are allowed to, or erase a dead period so they can watch you play.

What you can do is:

Understand the rules as well as any coach or recruiter.
Plan your communication, visits, and events around the calendar instead of guessing.
Target levels and programs whose timelines match where you are right now.

That is how you move from feeling stuck and in the dark to feeling like you have an actual game plan.

If you want help turning that plan into day-to-day actions, create your free Pathley profile and let AI do some of the heavy lifting. In a few minutes, you can see real college matches, build your athletic resume, and get guidance tailored to your sport and grad year.

NCAA Recruiting Calendar Explained: Dates, Periods & Strategy