The window is five weeks and counting
Senior-year official visits opened September 1. They close November 29. After that, the FBS dead period runs from November 30 through December 31 — meaning no in-person recruiting, no campus visits, and no coach contact beyond phone and email.
That is the calendar. The early signing period opens December 2, inside the dead period. Programs will be signing athletes without seeing them in person again.
For families still working through their choices, that leaves roughly five weeks to complete any official visit they intend to take.
How official visits work now
The NCAA lifted the cap on total official visits in 2023. There is no longer a five-visit limit. Each school can fund one visit per prospect — typically a weekend, up to 48 hours — and athletes can take visits to as many programs as they choose.
The removal of the cap creates more flexibility. Families can visit multiple schools without the old rationing calculus. But the November 29 deadline applies to all of them equally.
What an official visit provides that no other recruiting activity does: access to the coaches, the facility, the players, and the campus at the same time. A phone call can cover significant ground. A visit covers the rest.
What the dead period means in practice
November 30 falls on a Monday. From that point, coaches cannot evaluate athletes in person or host campus visits until January. Recruiting communication continues by phone and text, and programs can still extend or firm up offers. But the in-person evaluation window is closed.
That matters because many families use late official visits to test their instincts. Does the facility match what the visit felt like in the spring? Does the offensive coordinator answer questions differently in November than he did on a junior day? Those conversations only happen in person.
What this means for families now
If a program you are seriously considering has not extended an official visit invitation, that is worth noting. Programs managing scholarship offers in October have a clear reason to schedule visits — they want to close the families they intend to sign.
If you have received an invitation and have not scheduled the visit, this is the window.
Official visits are not pressure tools. They are information. The campus at midseason looks different from a spring junior day — classes are in session, the football facility is in game-week mode, and the coaches are managing their roster and their schedule simultaneously. What families observe during a November visit is closer to the real operating environment than almost anything else they will see before signing.