Most recruiting language is borrowed from coaches, the NCAA, and the agency world, and a lot of it gets used loosely. This page is the plain version. What each term actually means, and where it tends to matter for families.
The NCAA-defined windows that govern when coaches can contact, evaluate, or visit prospects, and when families can visit campuses.
A window in the NCAA calendar when college coaches may have in-person contact with prospects and their families both on and off the coach's campus.
Why it mattersThese are the windows when in-home visits, school visits, and most direct conversations happen.
A window when in-person contact between coaches and prospects is prohibited anywhere. Phone calls, emails, and texts are still allowed.
Why it mattersNo campus visits and no in-home meetings during these windows. Communication stays remote.
A window when coaches may evaluate prospects at the prospect's school or competition, but cannot have off-campus in-person contact.
Why it mattersExpect coaches at practices and games. Conversations are limited to the coach's campus or phone.
A coordinated on-campus event hosted by a college program, typically in spring, where invited juniors tour the facility, meet coaches, and watch practice.
Why it mattersAn invitation signals serious interest. Treat it as a substantive evaluation moment, not a tourism stop.
A campus visit paid for by the school, typically including travel, lodging, meals, and a host program with current players.
Why it mattersOfficial visits signal real interest. Programs use a limited number per cycle.
A window when coaches may only have in-person contact with prospects on the coach's campus. Off-campus contact and evaluation are prohibited.
Why it mattersVisits go one direction. The athlete travels to the school.
A campus visit paid for by the family. There is no NCAA limit on how many a prospect can take.
Why it mattersUseful early in the process. Less indicative of program-level interest than an official visit.
The terms families encounter as a recruitment moves from interest to verbal commitment to a binding agreement.
When a prospect publicly withdraws a prior verbal commitment to a school.
A multi-day window in mid-December when football prospects may sign a Letter of Intent. Most committed prospects sign during ESP rather than waiting for February.
An informal way of describing a verbal commitment the prospect treats as final. Still non-binding until signing day.
A written agreement between a prospect and a single school in which the prospect agrees to attend for at least one academic year in exchange for athletic financial aid. Once signed, all other schools must stop recruiting the athlete.
Why it mattersThis is the moment the commitment becomes binding. The advisory at 12 Sports Consulting ends at LOI signing.
The date a prospect signs a Letter of Intent. Football has two signing windows: an Early Signing Period in December and a Regular Signing Period beginning in early February.
An informal way of describing a verbal commitment that the prospect or program may still revisit.
A non-binding announcement by a prospect that they intend to attend a particular school. Either side can change course without penalty until a written agreement is signed.
Why it mattersVerbal commits are statements of intent, not contracts. Recruitment continues for everyone involved until ink is on paper.
Name, Image, Likeness deals, revenue share, scholarships, and the financial structures that increasingly shape recruiting decisions.
The 2024 federal class-action settlement in House v. NCAA that established revenue sharing between schools and athletes and imposed roster caps across most college sports.
Why it mattersThe settlement is the structural reason the current recruiting and compensation landscape looks different from the pre-2024 model.
Name, Image, and Likeness. Compensation an athlete can receive for the commercial use of their identity, including endorsements, autographs, social-media activations, and licensing.
Why it mattersNIL is real income, but it is not part of the scholarship. Families should evaluate NIL offers separately from the academic and athletic fit.
A donor-funded organization, typically aligned with a specific school's athletic program, that pools resources to compensate athletes for NIL activities.
Why it mattersA collective's funding level and structure are often more predictive of an athlete's NIL earning floor than the program's on-field performance.
A walk-on offer extended in advance by the coaching staff, with a guaranteed roster spot but no scholarship. Distinct from a regular walk-on tryout.
Why it mattersA PWO is a real recruiting outcome. Programs use them to lock in evaluation-worthy prospects without committing scholarship dollars.
A framework, formalized by the House v. NCAA settlement, that allows schools to directly share a portion of athletics revenue with student-athletes, subject to a per-school annual cap.
Why it mattersDistinct from NIL. Revenue share is paid by the school itself; NIL is paid by third parties.
A House-settlement-era limit on how many athletes a school may have on a sport's roster. For FBS football, the cap is 105.
Why it mattersRoster caps tighten opportunity. Programs evaluate harder and walk-on slots are scarcer than they used to be.
Institutional athletic financial aid covering some or all of the cost of attendance. Football scholarships at the FBS level are full grants-in-aid (tuition, fees, room, board, books).
A roster spot without an athletic scholarship. Walk-ons train and compete with the team but pay their own way unless or until they earn a scholarship.
The NCAA-administered process by which currently enrolled athletes notify schools of an intent to transfer, and the dynamics that follow.
The defined periods during which football athletes may enter the transfer portal. The current structure includes a winter window in December and a spring window in April.
Unauthorized contact between a coaching staff and an athlete enrolled at another school, before that athlete has entered the transfer portal.
Why it mattersOfficially prohibited; enforcement is uneven. Families hearing about transfer-portal activity should evaluate any second-hand stories with caution.
The NCAA database in which a currently enrolled athlete registers their intent to transfer. Once entered, other schools may legally contact the athlete.
Why it mattersPortal dynamics affect high school recruits indirectly. A program that lost a position group to the portal may recruit that position more aggressively, and vice versa.
Divisions, conferences, and the coaching-staff roles families will interact with throughout the process.
The position coach assigned a specific geographic region as their primary recruiting territory. Often the first point of contact for prospects from that area.
The senior position coach on a side of the ball. Coordinators design the scheme and lead recruiting for their unit's positions.
Football Bowl Subdivision. The top competitive level of NCAA football, comprising the highest-resourced programs. Full scholarships at FBS football schools are grants-in-aid covering tuition, fees, room, board, and books.
Football Championship Subdivision. The second tier of Division I football. Operates a playoff-style championship rather than a bowl system. Scholarship allocations are typically partial.
The five FBS conferences outside the Power 4: American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, and Sun Belt.
The senior coach in charge of the program. Sets the staff, philosophy, and recruiting board. In recruiting, the head coach's direct involvement is a signal of program-level priority.
The coach responsible for a specific position group (quarterbacks, offensive line, defensive backs, etc.). Often the prospect's primary day-to-day evaluator.
The four largest FBS conferences: the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12. Previously called the Power 5 before Pac-12 realignment.
Why it mattersPower 4 programs operate at a different resource level than Group of 5 schools, and the recruiting dynamics reflect that.
A staff member who manages the operational side of recruiting: scheduling visits, tracking communication, organizing junior days, and supporting the coaching staff's evaluation work.
Camps, visits, and the materials coaches actually use to evaluate prospects.
A multi-day or single-day session at a college campus where prospects work out under that program's coaching staff. Some camps are evaluation-focused; others are revenue events.
Why it mattersNot every camp is worth the trip. Programs that already know a prospect rarely need to evaluate at a camp.
A measurable-focused event where prospects record 40-yard dash times, vertical jumps, broad jumps, shuttle times, and similar metrics in a controlled setting.
Full, unedited video of complete games. Used by coaches who want to evaluate a prospect against full-snap context rather than highlights.
A curated video of a prospect's best plays, typically 3 to 6 minutes. Often the first piece of film a coach watches.
Why it mattersA weak highlight tape can close a door before a coach ever requests full game film.
The video platform most high school and college football programs use to upload, share, and analyze game film and highlight tape.
A controlled-setting evaluation video that captures a prospect's full skill set on camera, similar in format to an NFL Pro Day. Used by 12 Sports Consulting as part of the recruiting package.
An off-campus event organized by a third party where prospects compete in front of college coaches. Quality varies widely. The coaching attendance roster is the primary indicator.
Knowing what the terms mean is the start. Knowing which ones will actually shape your athlete's path is the conversation.
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