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Recruiting Guidelines and Steps |
| When looking into colleges and obtaining a scholarship in volleyball, it is important for each athlete and parent to understand the NCAA recruiting rules. Here are some Questions and Answers that will guide you in your search for a college scholarship. |
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Q: Is a college volleyball coach allowed to talk with a prospective student-athlete’s parents while the coach is recruiting at a tournament? |
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A: College volleyball coaches may only make contact (talk to) with the parents or legal guardians of prospective student-athletes after July 1 following the prospect’s junior year of high school. Coaches may not speak to parents of high school freshmen, sophomores or juniors, beyond a simple greeting (This same rule applies to talking to parents of athletes in 7th and 8th grade). In addition, the contact must take place during a contact period, as is defined by the NCAA’s recruiting calendar.
In Division I, a coach’s permissible contact with the prospect's relatives or legal guardians will count against the number of total recruiting opportunities for a particular prospect. After the calendar day on which a prospective student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent, there shall be no limit on the number of contacts by the institution with which the prospective student-athlete has signed. In Division II, contact outside of the academic year with prospects or their relatives or guardians is not counted toward the permissible number of recruiting contacts.
In a situation where a prospect’s parent is also her coach, college coaches may speak to that parent about the abilities of his or her daughter that are directly related to evaluation without such an arrangement constituting an impermissible contact or a countable contact, as long as no contact is made with the prospect. |
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| Q: When can a coach begin mailing, faxing or emailing materials (such as letters, media guides, etc) to individuals (prospects, non-prospects, and parents/guardians) for the purpose of recruitment? |
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| A: NCAA Division I institutions may provide recruiting materials to individuals on and after September 1 of the prospect’s junior year in high school. Institutions may provide non-personal information such as questionnaires, camp brochures, educational material produced by the NCAA, and non-athletics institutional publications (e.g., official academic, admissions and student services publications available to all students) at any time. It is not permissible for college coaches to provide materials except for the ones listed above for the purpose of recruitment to coaches, club recruiters, or parents of individuals until September 1 of the individual’s junior year with the intent that that club coach or club recruiter will pass the information along to the prospect who is a freshman or sophomore. This parameter applies to students who have not yet started classes for his/her freshman year in high school (grade 9). |
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| Q: What types of printed recruiting materials may be sent (standard mail, electronic mail, or via facsimile) to juniors and seniors in high school? |
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A: NCAA Division I institutions may provide the following printed materials to prospective student-athletes, their parents or legal guardians, or their coaches after September 1 of the prospect’s junior year of high school:
- Business cards
- Recruiting brochure or media guide (but not both)
- Game programs (may not be mailed; may only be provided during unofficial or official visits)
- Institutional note cards
- Questionnaires, camp brochures, NCAA educational materials, and non-athletics institutional publications may be provided to individuals prior to September 1 of their junior year. The initial letter with questionnaires to pre-ninth graders, freshmen and sophomores may not personalized nor contain any recruiting conversation or information about the program or the recruit.
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| Q: How many volleyball coaches from one institution may engage in off-campus recruiting activities at one time? |
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A: In Division I, a women’s (men’s is the same) volleyball program is allowed to have three coaches on the staff, but only two of them are permitted to contact or evaluate prospective student-athletes off-campus at any one time. It is permissible for a coach to leave campus to engage in an off-campus contact or evaluation before another coach who is off campus actually returns to campus, provided the total number of coaches recruiting on behalf of the institution at any time does not exceed two. The coach being replaced must complete his or her recruiting activities before another coach may begin any off-campus recruiting activity. In addition, it is important to note that the replaced coach may not engage in additional recruiting activities until after he or she has returned to the institution's campus.
Example #1: Coach 1 and Coach 2 are off-campus recruiting at a tournament in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday evening, Coach 3 wishes to attend a club match that is being played near campus that begins after the end of the tournament that is being attended by Coaches 1 and 2. Is Coach 3 permitted to attend the club match? NO, because Coach 3 would be the third coach engaged in off-campus recruiting activities, and the NCAA only permits two coaches to be off-campus recruiting at one time. Even though Coaches 1 and 2 are finished recruiting for the day, Coach 3 is not permitted to attend the club match until Coach 1 or Coach 2 returns to campus.
Example #2: Coach 1 and Coach 2 are off-campus recruiting at a tournament in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday. Coach 2 leaves Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon and returns to campus that night. Would Coach 3 be permitted to leave campus on Saturday night attend a tournament on Sunday morning? YES, as long as Coach 3 does not engage in any off-campus recruiting activities until Coach 2 has completed her recruiting activities for the day. Coach 2 may not engage in any additional recruiting activities once Coach 3 departs until she has returned to campus; therefore, if Coach 3 has left campus for the tournament, Coach 2 could not call prospects from the airport. |
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