Contact Period
Active recruiting window.
Coaches can call, text, visit in person, and evaluate your athlete at games and camps.
Coach actionsIn-person off-campus contacts and evaluations are permitted.
← ResourcesRecruiting Calendar
When coaches can contact your athlete.
The NCAA periods that govern Division I football recruiting, in plain language. FBS and FCS calendars side by side. Today's status, every period defined, and the differences that matter for your family.
Today
Where we are right now.
Division I FBS
Dead Period
No in-person contact at all, and no campus visits (official or unofficial). Phone calls, texts, and emails are still permitted.
Next changeDead Period begins August 1 (35 days away).
Division I FCS
Quiet Period
Coaches can meet your athlete only on the college's campus. No off-campus visits or evaluations.
Next changeDead Period begins August 1 (35 days away).
What each period means
Four periods. Four sets of rules.
Each period controls a different combination of what coaches can do, where they can do it, and how a family can engage. Below is the plain version.
Evaluation Period
Coaches can watch, not approach.
Coaches can attend games and visit the high school, but cannot make off-campus in-person contact with the athlete or family.
Coach actionsOff-campus evaluations permitted. No off-campus contacts with the prospect.
Quiet Period
On-campus only.
Coaches can meet your athlete only on the college's campus. No off-campus visits or evaluations.
Coach actionsIn-person contacts permitted only on the institution's campus.
Dead Period
No in-person contact.
No in-person contact at all, and no campus visits (official or unofficial). Phone calls, texts, and emails are still permitted.
Coach actionsNo in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off campus. No campus visits.
The differences that matterDecember 5-18 June 22 - July 31 April 15 - May 23 September 1 - November 30
FBS and FCS run different calendars.
The two divisions share the spring contact period, but diverge sharply in December and over the summer. Knowing where your athlete is targeted changes when visits, evaluations, and conversations are even possible.
FBS
Dead Period (no in-person contact)
FCS
Contact Period (live recruiting window)
What it meansFor FCS-target families, the two weeks before Christmas are live recruiting. For FBS-target families, December is a phone-and-text-only month except for the early signing window. The same week looks completely different depending on what level your athlete is targeting.
FBS
Dead Period (no in-person contact, no campus visits)
FCS
Quiet Period (on-campus visits permitted)
What it meansFBS-target families: there is no point planning a summer campus drive after June 21. FCS-target families: an unofficial visit to campus is still on the table all summer. Budget your gas and your time accordingly.
FBS
Contact Period (140 recruiting-person days)
FCS
Contact Period (140 recruiting-person days)
What it meansSpring is the same for both divisions. The single most active recruiting window of the year. If a coach is going to come see your athlete or call your home in the spring, this is when. Anchor everything around it.
FBS
Evaluation Period (33 evaluation days)
FCS
Evaluation Period (33 evaluation days)
What it meansFall is also the same. Coaches can come watch but cannot speak to your athlete off-campus. Expect them at games. Treat them like the evaluators they are.
Related
Read the rest of the picture.
- → Recruiting Glossary — definitions of every term on this page, plus the rest of the recruiting vocabulary.
- → Camp Calendar Guidance — Rudy's curated list of camps worth the trip, organized against the recruiting periods.
- → Industry Insights — commentary on how NIL, House, and the portal are reshaping the calendar.
- → FAQ — quick answers to the most-asked questions about timing and the recruiting process.
2025-26: Verified from the official NCAA Division I recruiting calendars (FBS · FCS). Periods, exceptions, and dates extracted directly from the NCAA published PDFs.
2026-27: Projected from the 2025-26 pattern. The NCAA had not published the official 2026-27 cycle as of May 2026 (FCS Oversight Committee Calendar Subgroup still in legislative review per its December 2025 report). Projected dates are directionally accurate for planning but may shift slightly when the official calendar is released. This page will be updated to verified 2026-27 data on publication.