Recruiting Dead Period Will Reportedly End On June 1

Prospective student-athletes have been unable to conduct on-campus visits for more than a year.

According to a report from CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, the NCAA Division I Council will soon announce June 1 as the end of the ongoing recruiting dead period.

NCAA expected to end 15-month-long recruiting dead period on June 1 in council meetings this week - https://t.co/Do0GY2YbwU https://t.co/FE6cgK5pae

— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) April 11, 2021

The dead period was implemented in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has been extended eight times since, most recently in February, and currently runs through May 31.

Recruits have been unable to conduct official or unofficial visits or have any in-person interaction with coaches during this time, though some have taken matters into their own hands with self-guided campus visits. Others have simply relied on virtual visits and Zoom meetings with the coaching staff to learn more about the football program and university as a whole.

The dead period had a significant impact on the 2021 recruiting class, with many high-profile players signing with the school of their choice without ever having stepped foot on campus – the lone holdout being Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, who is hoping to take visits before choosing among Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Washington and USC in the coming months. The class of 2022 (and beyond) will have a much easier time making their college decisions, however.

“With widespread distribution of the coronavirus vaccine, it has become easier to envision more in-person contact, including football camps and official visits, beginning in June,” Dodd said.

If the dead period is actually lifted on June 1, it will have lasted a total of 445 days – or 1 year, two months and 19 days. That said, the NCAA is still reportedly considering two different models for how to handle the resumption of recruiting activities.

“One would pick up where a normal recruiting calendar would be in each respective sport on June 1. The other would be a hybrid model that would phase in what has been called a ‘modified quiet period,’” Dodd said.

Either way, football programs would be allowed to host recruits for official and unofficial visits immediately, as well as conduct camps. Ohio State is already planning for the first weekend in June to be a massive recruiting weekend, with all 11 commits from the class of 2022 and several priority targets set to be in attendance. It’s unclear at this time, however, if the Buckeyes will hold any summer camps, which typically take place in early June.

The NCAA Division I Council is set to meet on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and an official announcement could follow at any time.

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