The NCAA Division I Council met virtually on Thursday and decided to once again extend the current recruiting dead period until Aug. 31. The end date was previously extended from June 30 to July 31 with the option of changing the date being left open after the group's previous meeting. Rather than shorten the dead period to allow for prospects to take visits and for coaches to leave campus to evaluate, however, the NCAA will move ahead through most of the summer with the current restrictions in place.

The recruiting dead period has been in place since the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States was felt back in March. At that time it brought an end to all in-person campus visits for recruits and any off-campus visits for college coaches at the Division I level.

Since that time coaches and recruits have had to get creative with virtual Zoom visits and meetings taking place in the last several months as college programs and prospects look for alternatives to the usual relationship-building process that takes place over the spring and summer months.

For football it has meant the loss of a critical portion of the recruiting calendar when official visits can take place between April and June. Typically camps happen in the summer months that allow coaches to have prospects on campus and for coaches to work with recruits off campus at various satellite camps across the country.

All of it has not been allowed to take place this year presenting challenges for the current 2021 class with many prospects opting to commit to a school sight unseen. Some recruits have taken matters into their own hands and have visited colleges despite the restrictions simply to feel more confident in their decisions. Coaches or school representatives are not allowed to be present during these visits.

In other sports, such as basketball, the months of July and August are crucial for recruiting with many visits taking place during that time in addition to evaluation opportunities for coaches in other sports. July has long been arguably the most critical month of recruiting for men's and women's basketball programs with various travel ball events taking place around the country leading to visits in August and commitments in the weeks and months that follow.

The uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted the spring and summer recruiting calendars, but as of now the early signing periods set for the fall and early winter remain in place.

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