DI council extends recruiting dead period

Update: the NCAA confirmed this announcement on Wednesday.

The NCAA Division I Council is set to extend the recruiting dead period for all Division I sports through May 31, according to a report from The Athletic on Wednesday. NCAA announced an extension of the recruiting dead period until April 15, back in November. 

“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,” Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Pennsylvania, said at the time.

The additional six weeks added on the recruiting dead period is a bleak outlook for 2021 recruits hoping for a late chance with soccer coaches during the spring and for 2022 recruits hoping to make an official on-campus visit before committing. The possibility of June being open to recruiting would align with the club soccer playoffs but that might be an overly optimistic outlook considering the cautious nature of the DI Council over the past year. 

Division II and Division III loosened restrictions on recruiting last year. 

Division I Council extends recruiting dead period through May 31: https://t.co/B89I052c1z pic.twitter.com/eRLyILmMkL

— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) February 17, 2021