The NCAA defines the quiet period as a time when “a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents off the college campus and may not watch student-athletes compete or visit their high school.” To break it down, the NCAA Quiet Period is a time you can talk to college coaches in-person on their college campus. However, the coach is not allowed to watch athletes compete in-person, visit their school, talk to them at their home—or talk to them anywhere outside of the college campus.
The goal of this period is to give elite recruits a break from getting visited by college coaches at their games and at their home. For average recruits, this time will feel like a contact period. You can still text, call, email or direct message coaches during this time—and you should be reaching out to stay proactive in your recruiting.
The quiet period is a specific recruiting period in the NCAA calendar for Division I and Division II sports to regulate when and how coaches can contact athletes throughout the year. While it’s up to the coaches to comply with the NCAA calendar, it’s important for athletes to know the different recruiting periods on the calendar so they develop realistic expectations of the type of recruiting that will take place throughout the year.
Insider Tip: The NCAA Quiet Period only applies to Division I and Division II schools. Division III and NAIA schools (see the NAIA recruiting rules) allow coaches to watch a recruit in person at any point throughout the year.
For a quick recap on the topic, check out this video of former college coach Danny Koenig discussing what a quiet period is.
Recruiting tips for the NCAA Quiet Period
Even though coaches can’t visit prospects during the quiet period, recruiting is still happening. Many recruits choose to take unofficial visits during this time. Since the coach can’t come to them, they go to the coach. Unofficial visits give recruits the chance to tour a college campus, meet with the coach, see the athletic facilities and experience the campus culture. Because coaches are still able to text, call and email recruits during this time, it’s easy to set up a visit.
If you’re an elite recruit who’s feeling a little run down after a few months of coach visits, you can take this time to catch your breath and figure out which schools you’re most interested in. Create a list of your top schools with pros and cons for each one. If you have any lingering questions about a program, you can still send those questions to the coach during the quiet period.
When is the NCAA Quiet Period?
Division I Football FBS
- 48 hours before a home contest (on the institution’s campus or in a facility normally used for its home games) that occurs in August or on September 1 or 2 through 48 hours after the conclusion of the contest
- September 1 – November 26, 2023
- Except: 42 (54 for U.S. service academies) evaluation days (see Bylaw 13.02.7.2) during the months of September, October and November selected at the discretion of the institution; authorized off-campus recruiters shall not visit a prospective student-athlete’s educational institution on more than one calendar day during this period.
- December 17, 2023
- The seven days immediately before the first day of classes of the institution’s second academic term that are not part of the contact period (applicable only to prospective student-athletes who intend to enroll midyear).
- February 4, 2024
- March 4 – April 14, 2024
- Any days between April 15 – May 31 (excluding Memorial Day and Sundays) not selected for evaluation opportunities (168 evaluation days (216 for U.S. service academies) permitted) 1
- June 1-23, 2024
- July 25–31, 2024: Official visits may not be provided to high school juniors (class of 2023).
Division I Football FCS
- December 17, 2023
- March 4 – April 14, 2024
- May 30-31, 2024
- June 1-July 31, 2024
Division I Baseball
- August 21 – September 14, 2023
- October 9- November 5, 2023
- November 10-20, 2023
- November 27 – December 21, 2023
- December 28, 2023 – January 3, 2024
- January 8 – February 29, 2024
Division I Men’s Basketball
- August 1-5, 2023
- August 21 – September 8, 2023
- May 3-15, 2024
- June 1-21, 2024
- June 23-28, 2024
- June 30 – July 5, 2024
- July 26-31, 2024
Division I Women’s Basketball
- August 1-13, 2023
- August 21-31, 2023
- April 9-18, 2024
- April 22 – May 5, 2024
Division I Men’s Golf
- December 1-4, 2023
- December 8-22, 2023
Division I Men’s Lacrosse
- August 8–14, 2023
- December 1-5, 2023
- December 11-23, 2023
- January 16 – February 28, 2024
Division I Women’s Lacrosse
- August 15–27, 2023
Division I Women’s Volleyball
- August 1–31, 2023
- December 1-13, 2023
- December 18, 2023 – February 15, 2024
- May 1-30, 2024
Division I Softball
- November 20-21, 2023
- November 27 – December 5, 2023
- December 10-21, 2023
- December 27-30, 2023
Division I Women’s Ice Hockey
- Monday prior to the American Hockey Coaches Association Convention through May 31, 2023
Division I Men’s Soccer
- December 23–25, 2023
Division II Football
- June 1 – August 31, 2023
- March 12 – April 14, 2024
- April 21 & April 28, 2024
- May 5, 12 & 19, 2024
- May 26-27, 2024
Division II Men’s and Women’s Basketball
- June 1–14, 2023
- August 2 – September 6, 2023
- October 15 – November 6, 2023
- May 21-31, 2024
