See if this sounds familiar: the NCAA recruiting dead period has been pushed back another month once again.
Here is the official text from the NCAA as released on Wednesday (bold text added for emphasis):
Recruiting dead period
Members also extended the temporary recruiting dead period for all sports through Sept. 30, 2020.
The dead period has been in place since March and is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council took feedback from coaching associations in making its decision, and most coaching groups recommended the extension through at least Sept. 30. The full Council will consider the dead period again in September.
No in-person recruiting or evaluations can occur in the dead period.
While the dead period means no face-to-face contact is allowed between athletes and their families with college coaches—including scouting or evaluations made in-person at athletic competitions or camps—it does mean communication can still continue via phone calls or electronic means (emails, FaceTime, Zoom calls, etc.).
The original dead period was put into place as an emergency reaction to the fears of the Coronavirus when it broke out heavily last spring, at the time that the NCAA Div. I basketball tournament (“March Madness”) was cancelled.
This is the fifth time the dead period has been pushed back a month; it was originally set to last until April 15, then got pushed back to May 31, June 30, July 31, August 31 and now Sept. 30.
In light of all that’s happening with fall sports, including conferences such as the Big Ten, Pac-12, Mountain West and others cancelling or postponing seasons, don’t be surprised if the Dead Period is pushed back further yet again in the future.
Here are the most recent updates we’ve done regarding the extended Dead Periods on Extra Inning Softball: