EARLY RECRUITING

NEW NCAA RULE

NO CONTACT or COMMUNICATION with a college coach before Sept. 1 of prospective student-athlete’s junior year in high school

NEW RULE:  In April 2017, the NCAA approved landmark early recruiting legislation for men’s and women’s lacrosse that went into effect immediately.  The legislation is intended to delay the early recruiting process until September 1 of a prospective student-athlete’s junior year in high school.

Early Recruit-2014 Girls Club Lacrosse - Yellow Jackets #17 cradles the ball left handed in the midfield with a red white and blue American bandana, goggles and black mouthguard sticking out of her mouth at Lax4Cure © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt

NCAA RULE

DIVISION I - LACROSSE

Kerstin Kimel - Duke Head Women's Lacrosse Coach watches early recruiting at 2015 Girls Club Lacrosse - Nike Elite G8 Tournament with hands on her hips, sunglasses, water bottle and Duke Lacrosse t-shirt © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt

OFF-CAMPUS CONTACTS

Off-campus recruiting contacts shall NOT be made with an individual (or his or her relatives or legal guardians) before September 1 at the beginning of his or her junior year in high school.  Contacts that occur during a prospective student-athlete’s (“PSA’s”) junior year may occur only at the PSA’s educational institution or residence.

Ricky Fried - Georgetown Women's Lacrosse Head Coach on the phone at early recruiting girls club lacrosse tournament wearing a "flawless" 2014 NCAA Tournament t-shirt and Nike baseball hat © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt

TELEPHONE CALLS

Institutional staff members may NOT receive telephone calls from an individual (or his or her legal guardians) before September 1 at the beginning of his or her junior year in high school.

Early Recruit Taylor Lawrence of DC Capital Girls Club Lacrosse committed early to Stanford wearing an orange jacket, goggles, North Face black headband and Lax4Cure bow in her hair - Hotlon-Arms © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt

UNOFFICIAL VISITS

An unofficial visit with athletics department involvement (e.g. contact with athletics department staff, athletics-specific tour, complimentary admission) shall NOT occur with an individual (or his or her relatives or legal guardians) before September 1 at the beginning of his or her junior year in high school.

#77 Schneider throws lacrosse ball left handed in yellow jackets purple and yellow tank top with goggles and red, white and blur headband - 2015 Girls Club Lacrosse - Nike Elite G8 - Yellow Jackets © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt

CAMP OR CLINIC

Recruiting conversations during an institutional camp or clinic are NOT permitted between an institution’s coach and a participating PSA before September 1 at the beginning of the PSA’s junior year in high school. 

"GREY AREAS"

Telephone Calls / Contact

Ricky Fried - Georgetown Women's Lacrosse Head Coach on the phone at early recruiting girls club lacrosse tournament wearing a "flawless" 2014 NCAA Tournament t-shirt and Nike baseball hat © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt
Cathy Reese reads her Maryland cell phone with a red Maryland baseball hat and sunglasses with assistant women's lacrosse coach watching early recruits at 2015 Nike Elite G8 girls club lacrosse tournament both coaches are sitting in chairs on the sidelines © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt
Michigan and Florida women's lacrosse coaches walk on a cold day at an early recruiting tournament wearing winter hats and jackets with their college logos on them. Photo by Leigh Ernst Friestedt © Equity IX - SportsOgram

QUESTION:  What is a college coach permitted to say if a PSA initiates a call or contact with an institution’s coach pro to September 1 of the PSA’s junior year?

ANSWER:  The Coach may NOT engage in any recruiting conversations.  However, the coach may confirm the PSA’s age, explain the recruiting rules and then must end the call or contact.

High School / Club Coaches

Chris Sailer - Princeton Women's Lacrosse Head Coach in orange and black speaks with Yellow Jackets girls club lacrosse coach in yellow and blue for early recruiting tournament -2015 Nike Elite G8 © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt
Kathy Jenkins (DC Capital Club Lacrosse Coach) speaks with Karin Corbett (Head Coach Penn Women's Lacrosse) - talking about prospective student-athletes for Penn - early recruit © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt
Yellow Jackets male Coach wearing yellow t-shirt with sunglasses and Under Armor baseball hat- Girls Club Lacrosse coach walks sidelines at Nike Elite G8 Tournament (2015) © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt

Recruititng Messages

QUESTION:  May an institution’s coach send recruiting messages through a PSA’s high school/club coach or another third party?

ANSWER:  Yes.  However, these conversations should NOT be used to indirectly send recruiting messages (e.g. verbal offer of aid) to a PSA.

Evaluation Converations

QUESTION:  May an institution’s coach have evaluation conversations (e.g. athletics ability) with PSA’s high school/club coach before September 1 of the PSA’s junior year?

ANSWER:  NO. If a coach cannot contact a prospective student-athlete directly, then he or she can NOT send recruiting messages indirectly through a high school/club coach or another third party.

Permissible:  Evaluations with high school/club coach:

  • High school/club coach’s evaluation of the PSA’s academics, athletic skills, speed, agility, personality, character, work ethic, coachability…
  • Institutions’s coach expression of interest in the PSA

Impermissible:  Evaluation topics with high school/club coach:

  • Confirming a PSA is on institution’s recruiting list, including ranking on list
  • Requesting the high school/club coach tell the PSA to: 
    1. Send transcript, report card or board scores
    2. Attend camp where college coach will be present
  • Asking if the PSA is interested in the school, including level of interest
  • Any discussion with high school/club coach of potential financial aid or athletic scholarship offers
  • Setting up future phone calls or visits for the PSA

QUESTION:  May a college coach have an evaluation conversation with a high school/club coach with the PSA listening to the conversation?

ANSWER:  NO. This would be using a high school/club coach to circumvent the recruiting rule prohibiting contact with a PSA until September 1 of junior year.

QUESTION:  May an institution’s coach ask a high school/club coach to inform his or her team of the recruiting legislation?

ANSWER:  Yes.

Camp or Clinic

Early recruits from DC Capital Girls Club lacrosse team walk off the field with their lacrosse sticks - Olivia Pugh wears a white t-shirt with 600 wins on the back referencing 600 wins at her high-school St. Stephens & St. Agnes - Jordan Marcus and the other girls are wearing lacrosse back packs - 2015 Girls Club Lacrosse - Nike Elite G8 © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt
Three yellow jackets girls club lacrosse players sit on the ground smiling between games at Nike Elite G8 Girls Lacrosse Tournament © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt
South Jersey Select goalies in pink and black uniforms with oversized goalie sticks with pink strings warm up at 2015 Nike Elite G8 Girls Club Lacrosse Tournament © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt

QUESTION:  During an institutional camp or clinic, may a coach have recruiting conversations with a lacrosse PSA prior to September 1 of his or her junior year?

ANSWER:  NO. 

QUESTION:  During an institutional camp or clinic, may a coach provide a campus tour to a lacrosse PSA prior to Sept. 1 of his or her junior year?

ANSWER:  Yes. A campus tour would be permissible; however, no recruiting conversations may occur.

QUESTION:  During an institutional camp or clinic, may a coach provide in informational session about the recruiting process and the student-athlete experience to a lacrosse PSA prior to Sept. 1 of his or her junior year?

ANSWER:  Yes. A general informational sessions would be permissible; however, no institution-specific information may occur at these informational sessions. Recruiting conversations are NOT permissible.

QUESTION:  Are an institution’s coaches still permitted to make calls related to camps and clinics logistics prior to Sept. 1 of the PSA’s junior year?

ANSWER:  Yes. The content of the call must be limited to camp logistics and may NOT include recruiting content.

QUESTION:  May a younger sibling (a PSA who is not yet a junior) accompany an older sibling on an unofficial or official visit?

ANSWER:  Yes, provided no recruiting conversations occur with the younger sibling.

Early Recruit-2014 Girls Club Lacrosse Capital player #10 wearing navy headband, goggles and a pink bow holding a black STX lacrosse stick in her hand with a yellow lacrosse ball - Lax4Cure © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt
#77 Schneider throws lacrosse ball left handed in yellow jackets purple and yellow tank top with goggles and red, white and blur headband - 2015 Girls Club Lacrosse - Nike Elite G8 - Yellow Jackets © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt

NCAA LEGISLATION

Article 13 - Recruiting

13. 1.1.1. 5  Exception – Lacrosse.  In lacrosse, off-campus recruiting contacts shall not be made with an individual (or his or her relatives or legal guardians) before September 1 at the beginning of his or her junior year in high school.  Contcts that occur during a prospective student-athlete’s junior year may occur only at the PSA’s educational institution or residence. 

13. 1. 3. 2. 2.  Telephone Calls Initiated by PSA at His or Her Expense –Sports Other Than Lacrosse.  In sports other than lacrosse, institutionsl staff members may receive telephone calls placed by a PSA at the PSA’s own expense at any time, inlcuding before September 1 at the beginning of the PSA’s junior year in high school.

13. 1. 3. 2. 2. 1  Telephone Calls From a PSA – Lacrosse.  
In lacrosse, institutional staff members may not receive telephone calls from an individul (or his or her relatives or legal guardians) before September 1 at the beginning of his or her junior year in high school.

13. 7. 1. 3  Exception – Lacrosse
In lacrosse, an unofficial visit with athletics department involvement (e.g., contact with athletics department staff, athletics-specific tour, complimentary admission) shall not occur with an individual (or his or her relatives or legal guardians) before September 1 at the beginning of his or her junior year in high-school. 

13. 12. 1. 5. 1 Exception – Recruiting Conversations – Lacrosse
In lacrosse, recruiting conversatons during an institutional camp or clinic are not permitted between an institution’s coach and a participating PSA beforeSeptember 1 at the beginning of the PSA’s junior year in high school.

Source:  2017-18  NCAA Division I Manuel – Article 13 Recruiting.

#42 Francesca Whitehurst (Roland Park) an early recruit at Georgetown cradles left handed against #14 Olivia Jenner (McDonogh) and early recruit at Duke at IAAM Girls Lacrosse Finals (2015) © Equity IX - SportsOgram - Leigh Ernst Friestedt - ZyGoSports

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