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Arlington Soccer - College Recruiting Update (COVID-19)
For more information about NCAA recruiting during this COVID-19 pandemic click link below:
Introduction
This information will be updated frequently to inform all players and families of changes to the college soccer landscape, recruiting process, timeline or events related to COVID-19.
Can colleges recruit players during COVID-19?
Yes - but Division I and Division II coaches can’t evaluate at live events for the purpose of recruitment. This includes coming to training sessions, watching scrimmages or tournaments games. They can still recruit by email, texting, talking on the phone, and watching videos. Furthermore, Division I and Division II schools have slightly different restrictions when it comes to in-person contact: Division I cannot have in person contact whatsoever (dead period), while Division II can only have in-person contact on their own campus (quiet period).
Division III institutions are not under the same restrictions as DI and DII, and are permitted to do many of the things that Division I and II schools are prohibited from, including attending club team training sessions, games, and tournaments.
Can College Coaches contact (Phone/Email/Text) players at this time?
Yes - per NCAA rules, any player of age for permissible contact (2022 grads and older) can be contacted by college coaches at Division I and II for the purpose of recruitment. Division III schools can contact players during any stage of a player’s high school years.
Are colleges going to play soccer in the fall of 2020?
Currently there are several conferences in all divisions that are not playing this fall but there are others who tentatively have a later start date. The fall playing situation keeps evolving, but is likely to be greatly influenced by the pandemic and will feature a reduced amount of games for those electing to move ahead with a playing season.
What can Players & Families do during COVID-19 to get recruited?
All players should utilize this time to research targeted institutions and educate themselves on academic and athletic programs at those schools using College Fit Finder, by visiting college websites, and taking online tours of college campuses.
Utilize the Arlington Soccer College Pathway Process on the club website. Create or update your highlight film, continue to update your target schools on your anticipated soccer schedule and academic progress. Try to set up phone calls with those institutions you’re primarily interested in and get a feel from the coaching staff how COVID-19 has affected their program and intended timelines for securing recruits.
Why am I still getting emails to college ID Camps?
Privately owned college ID camps could still be running in some locations with no Division I or Division II coaches permitted to attend per NCAA rules. Some Division III colleges may be running ID camps depending on locations, as Division III schools are not under the same “dead” period or “quiet” period restrictions as their Division I and Division II neighbors.
Am I allowed to conduct official or unofficial visits to my target schools during the summer?
You are free to visit colleges on your own, but only Division II and III institutions can conduct visits with the purpose of recruitment (meeting coaching staff, staying overnight with current players etc). Division I institutions are not allowed to bring prospects in for unofficial or official visits to campus under the current “dead” period restrictions. NCAA Division II institutions are currently in a “quiet period” - meaning they can meet with and conduct visits with prospects on campus, but cannot attend off-campus events or meet face-to-face with recruits off campus for the purpose of recruiting.
I’ve heard about a “dead period” for recruiting currently in operation. What is this and how does it affect me?
Since the NCAA tries to create a fair environment for all schools to recruit players to their sports teams, there are periodic blanket “dead periods” for all schools in the Division whereby they cannot bring in recruits for visits, and they cannot evaluate potential players in person. This creates a level playing field. Since COVID is affecting parts of the country more so than others, and local health guidelines in those areas may shut down normal operations at those schools, the NCAA has introduced a blanket dead period for all Division I schools until further notice. Allowing for one part of the country, and its schools, to recruit while others are closed is unfair and imbalanced.
When does the current dead period expire?
Currently, this dead period expires August 30th, meaning that normal operations would commence September 1st.
Will it be extended?
Since COVID brings with it a constantly evolving environment, it may be extended. It has been extended before for COVID concerns, so it may be again. However, this will be communicated if and when that happens.
Are coaches really interested in evaluating players from video alone?
The fact is, they cannot take advantage of any other medium at this time unless they are a Division III school. Sending video, and coaches watching video, has been a fantastic tool for all uncommitted players to continue their recruitment process with targeting institutions at the DI and DII levels. It is useful when establishing an initial connection to a program, and useful still during ongoing evaluations from schools that may have seen a player play in person before the shutdown.
Each program recruits differently and therefore utilizes video differently throughout the recruiting process. Video usually doesn’t replace in person recruiting but with the current COVID situation it may be the only tool that some college coaches have to evaluate players.
What do players do if they don’t have video from last year to create a highlight video?
Any player is encouraged to exhaust all options to obtain their respective game footage in order to have video for the purpose of creating a highlight tape. This includes old game footage, having parents video games from the stands or sidelines, asking a volunteer to video a practice game or training session. Limited video is better than no video. As a reminder, each of our HS aged players has free access to College Fit Finder, and CFF has a tool for our players to cut video for the purpose of sending to interested collegiate coaches.
For those who do not have video, and do not anticipate having video any time soon, consider attending ID clinics. DIII schools can currently conduct camps and clinics, and perhaps some organizations permitted to conduct camps and clinics will plan on filming games.
While it is difficult to be recruited without on-site evaluations, or video, players can still reach out and discuss recruiting timelines, or have their coaches provide testament to colleges on their behalf.
With some college conference seasons being delayed will college coaches have more time to recruit in the fall?
Possibly, if it’s not a dead period still for Division I and a quiet period for Division II. Should seasons be canceled but recruiting be permissible, we anticipate a surge in evaluations with coaches attending training sessions, scrimmages, tournaments etc. Coaches will be making up for lost time since only Division III schools have been permitted to recruit in person since approx Spring Break 2020, yet even then there has been little-to-no activity to recruit at.
Who can I talk to at Arlington Soccer about College Recruiting?
Boys: Jake Ouimet - jake@arlingtonsoccer.com
Girls: Declan Coll - declancoll@arlingtonsoccer.com
