(Photo: File)
The Ivy League has proposed NCAA legislation that it hopes will slow the ever-quickening pace of the recruiting process by not allowing scholarship offers or contact before the student of a recruit’s junior year.
Among the issues addressed are the timeline for verbal commitments, contact during camps, and expanding limits on telephone calls and unofficial visits, the Ivy League said in a news release.
The proposal includes:
- Coaches would not be allowed to make verbal offers of financial aid or support in the admission process before the start of a recruit’s junior year.
- Before the start of the junior year, coaches and prospects would not be able to initiate or receiving phone calls, plan unofficial visits or have recruiting conversations at camps and clinics.
“The pressure on prospective student-athletes to commit to a specific college earlier and earlier is a national issue,” Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris said in a news release. “It causes stress for prospects and their families, as they are often asked to make a life-altering decision as high school freshmen or sophomores, and sometimes even before they have started high school.
“Our goals are to elevate the national conversation about the negative effects of early recruiting, and to challenge the NCAA membership to change the culture of recruiting that forces prospective student-athletes to verbally commit before they are academically, athletically, or emotionally ready to make their college choice.”
As noted by the Ivy League and many others, even with existing rules that set a later timeline, various workarounds such as social media or using summer or non-high school coaches have allowed coaches to make contact with recruits earlier than the rules allow.