NCAA news: Recruiting dead period extended through the end of May
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on the country, the world of sports continues to adjust and react accordingly. The NCAA has made decisions about its sports and seasons on the fly throughout the process and this week marks another notable week for the organization as it continues to try do its part to help prevent the spread of the disease.
NCAA extends recruiting dead period to May 31
A few weeks ago the NCAA made the decision to halt all in-person recruiting and enact an emergency dead period that was set to expire on April 15. That date coincided with the start of the spring evaluation period for college football and the first weekend of the live evaluation for college basketball programs.
Wednesday that initial decision was updated as the NCAA Division I Council Coordination Committee and the Division II Administrative Committee decided to extend the current dead period by several weeks with a new tentative ending date of May 31.The additional six weeks means the previous spring evaluation period for football coaches will be lost in its entirety since it was scheduled to span from April 15-May 31.
The two live evaluation periods for men's basketball programs have also been lost, although most of the major events originally scheduled for both weekends had already been postponed.
What it means is there will be plenty of uncertainty for college coaches as they look to continue building rosters for the upcoming seasons and beyond. The rules for the current dead period remain the same in that coaches are still permitted to reach out to prospects over the phone or through other methods of communication that can be accomplished remotely.
In-person recruiting, both on and off campus, are still not permitted at this time in all sports.
That is particularly important for Arizona's football and basketball programs as both coaching staffs are still looking to build their rosters for the upcoming season. Transfers and graduate transfers plus high school prospects who weren't able to see campus ahead of the dead period could have to end up making decisions without ever seeing their eventual school in person.
It is a difficult hurdle for college coaches to have to work around, but the decision is one that has been made with the health of student athletes and recruits in mind as well as that of the coaches themselves.
On Tuesday the Pac-12 announced that its restrictions that have halted organized team activities will run through May 31 after being extended from its original ending date of March 29.
Heeke comments on NCAA's decision to grant extra eligibility to spring sports athletes
Earlier in the week the NCAA Division I Council voted to give athletes who participate in spring sports an extra season of eligibility. It was considered a victory for those athletes since most of the spring sports were only about 25 percent into their seasons when the NCAA decided to cancel its remaining NCAA Championships to effectively end the season for those players.
The NCAA is going to leave the logistics of making it all work up to conferences and schools, which could end up being another issue all its own. However, the NCAA granting athletes an extra season to make up for the one that was just lost was certainly supported by many fans of college sports.
Many Arizona coaches were outspoken about the need to approve the extra eligibility and on Wednesday, UA athletic director Dave Heeke broke his silence about the situation and decision.
"After a very tough couple of weeks for all Wildcats, I am pleased that the NCAA Division I Council voted to extend the eligibility for spring sport student-athletes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic," Heeke wrote in a statement.
The push to have the same type of decision for the winter sports athletes, including men's and women's basketball players, came up short as the NCAA decided not to extend the eligibility of those players.
"It's truly unfortunate that some student-athletes from our winter sports have seen their careers officially come to an end," Heeke said. "I want to recognize their sacrifices, achievements and leadership as proud representatives of Arizona Athletics, the University of Arizona and Southern Arizona."