I'm not sure if everyone is aware, but there is currently a NCAA proposal to change the recruiting calendar to allow contact starting 6/15 after 10th grade and visits and offers to begin 8/1. This would change the current date of 9/1 of junior year for all contact. This proposal has been recommended by the NCAA Student-Athlete Experience Committee for all sports but Football, Basketball, Baseball and Hockey. This proposal was approved for a final vote in April by the NCAA Council. This week the ACC has submitted a request to amend this proposal to keep the 9/1 date for lacrosse. This will now also be voted on in April. I'm not sure if most of you agree, but the current 9/1 date has several issues. First off, we are all forced to blindly spend money for our kids to attend camps, clinics, etc. While we can hear if a school has "general interest" some schools don't even offer that much. Allowing contact on 6/15 would make it possible to have real discussions with the coaches to gauge their actual level of interest, where the player is on their list and other useful information. It also provides an opportunity to begin to create a relationship with the coaches that will be coaching your child for 4 years. As you all are aware, the 9/1 date does not remove the recruiting pressure on the kids. Coaches still watch the games years prior to that date. If anything the pressure is worse because the kids have no idea where they stand. Moving the visit date to 8/1 also allows the kids to more easily play fall sports. Most soccer, field hockey, football coaches aren't going to be too thrilled with kids missing Friday and weekend practices or even games because they need to go visit colleges for lacrosse. Coaches say they want multiple sport athletes yet pass rules that make it very difficult to play a fall sport junior year.
It has been expressed to me that it would be very beneficial for as many parents as possible to send letters/emails to the chair of the NCAA council prior to the April vote expressing concerns with the 9/1 date and support for the new proposal which is Proposal 2018-93. I am including the email below for the current and incoming Chairs. I hope we as a community can come together and try to make sure this positive change can pass.
Current Chair:
Blake James bjames@miami.edu
Incoming Chair:
Dr. M. Grace Calhoun athdir@pobox.upenn.edu
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