This past April the NCAA voted to change it's recruiting legislation which directly affects Men's Volleyball at the division 1 level (these changes do not affect D2 or D3). We wanted to provide a quick run down on what these changes are and how it could affect our Bay to Bay players as prospective student-athletes.
Chief among the changes is the date of the first official visit. Now, that first visit may not be earlier than Sept. 1 of the prospect/recruit’s junior year in high school. Previously, it was the first day of classes of the prospect’s senior year. This went into effect April 25, 2018.
The new recruiting model, supported by the national Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, is intended to allow potential student-athletes more time to make thoughtful decisions about their next steps after high school, rather than having to wait until their senior year to make official visits to campuses. In general, the idea is to try and combat the pressures of players making collegiate decisions earlier and earlier (it is commonplace in the girls game for players to commit when they are Freshman in high school, the boy's are still on a much later time line when it comes to college recruitment with the majority of recruitment happening between Junior and Senior year of high school) Another significant change is that coaches and other college athletic department officials can NOT participate in a prospect’s unofficial visits. Instead, prospects should treat unofficial visits just like any other student would treat a visit to the campus. If a prospect and coach meet incidentally on campus during an unofficial visit, they may not talk about the recruitment process.
How does this affect Bay to Bay players?
In previous years, Bay to Bay has set up college visits for our players on 16's, 17's and 18's teams while we were attending a tournament that was near division 1 men's volleyball programs like in Southern California or Chicago. Players would get a chance to meet with college coaches and players, tour athletic facilities, asks questions about the program and school, and get a feel for the life of an athlete on campus. (Check out our itinerary from last years College visits to UC Irvine, Pepperdine, UCLA, and Concordia-Irvine for an example) With this new rule change, only our Junior and Senior student-athletes will be allowed to attend these coordinated visits. Furthermore, recruits and college coaches are not allowed to have any recruiting conversations during camps prior to Sept. 1 of the athlete’s junior year of high school. More information about rules is found below:
Bay to Bay has sent over 75+ athletes to collegiate volleyball programs. We are proud to support our athletes through their journey before, during, and after college athletics. Check out more about Bay to Bay alumni on this page.
Official Visits
The first official visit may not be earlier than Sept. 1 of the prospect’s junior year of high school (previously first day of classes of senior year)
A prospect may only visit an institution one time when paid for by the institution.
A prospect may take a maximum of five official visits to Division I schools.
The visit may last no longer than 48 hours.
Lodging, meals and entertainment must all be within 30 miles of campus.
If there is a head coaching change at the school where the prospect has signed, the prospect may have one additional expense-paid visit to the school.
Transportation During Official Visits
The institution can pay for the prospect’s round-trip transportation to campus from any location, or reimburse automobile mileage at the same rate it allows its personnel.
A coach can pick up and drop off the prospect by automobile (thus starting the 48-hour clock).
Entertainment During Official Visits
A student host may receive $40/day to cover expenses of entertaining the prospect.
A maximum of three complimentary admissions to a home event are allowed (with nontraditional families getting an additional two tickets)
The institution can provide three meals and one snack for the prospect and parents or guardians.
The prospect may only meet with current student-athletes, employees and spouses (not boosters). Prospects may also meet with alumni.
The prospect may not engage in any workout activities or tryouts.
Unofficial Visits
An unofficial visit is any visit paid for by the prospective student-athlete where the athletic department (including the coach) is involved in the visit. This legislation regarding unofficial visits went into effect April 25.
Unofficial visits can only be done after Sept. 1 of the athlete’s junior year of high school.
It is not permissible to take an unofficial visit during a dead period (times when college coaches may not have face-to-face contact with prospective student-athletes on or off campus). Coaches may still write and telephone athletes and families during this time. For information on dead periods, visit NCSA.
Prospective student athletes may get three free passes to athletic events held on campus at an unofficial visit.
Athletes can take an unlimited number of unofficial visits as long as they are after Sept. 1 of the athlete’s junior year.
Sources: NCAA, USA Volleyball, and AVCA