The NCAA football recruiting calendar is the most complex recruiting calendar in college athletics. It governs when coaches can call your son, when they can show up at his game, when they can invite him to campus for a Junior Day, and when all in-person contact goes dark. Football's calendar is more intricate than other sports because of the FBS/FCS distinction, the camp-heavy summer evaluation window, and the multiple signing periods that create urgency at different points in the year.
The existing football recruiting timeline covers the year-by-year recruiting journey from freshman through senior year. This article covers the NCAA's official recruiting calendar — the contact periods, evaluation periods, quiet periods, and dead periods that regulate what coaches can and cannot do during each window of the year. Understanding these periods is how you time your camp attendance, interpret a coach's silence, and plan visits strategically. For how the overall football recruiting process works, see our football recruiting guide.
The NCAA uses four period types to regulate coach-recruit interaction. The definitions are identical across sports, but the specific dates when each period falls are unique to football.
Contact period.
Coaches can have in-person, off-campus contact with recruits and their families. They can visit your son's high school, attend games, conduct home visits, and have face-to-face conversations anywhere. Phone calls, texts, and campus visits are all permitted. Contact periods are the most open recruiting windows — when coaches are actively pursuing athletes through every available channel.
Evaluation period.
Coaches can watch athletes compete in person but cannot have off-campus, in-person conversations. A coach sitting in the stands at your son's Friday night game during an evaluation period is evaluating — they're interested, they're watching, but they cannot approach your family at the event. Phone and digital communication continues normally. This is the distinction most football families miss: the coach who attended your game but didn't say hello was likely in an evaluation period, not disinterested.
Quiet period.
In-person contact is limited to the college campus only. Coaches cannot visit high schools or attend games but can host unofficial and official visits. Phone, text, email, and video communication continue without restriction. Quiet periods are ideal for campus visits — coaches are available on campus rather than traveling to evaluate.
Dead period.
No in-person contact of any kind — not on campus, not at games, not at camps, nowhere. Coaches cannot meet with recruits in any physical setting. Electronic and phone communication continues. Dead periods typically fall around signing days, holidays, and the busiest parts of the college football season.
The D1 contact initiation rule: D1 football coaches cannot initiate phone calls, texts, or direct messages to recruits until September 1 of the athlete's junior year. Before that date, your athlete can email coaches, fill out recruiting questionnaires, and attend camps — coaches just can't initiate outbound contact. After September 1, the communication opens in both directions. This date is the most important marker on the calendar for underclassmen.
The football recruiting calendar follows an annual cycle built around the college season, camp season, and signing periods. Specific dates shift slightly each year (the NCAA publishes exact dates annually), but the structural rhythm is consistent.
| Month | Period type (typical) | What's happening |
|---|
| January | Contact period → Dead period (around NSD) | Contact period opens early January for in-person recruiting. National Signing Day (first Wednesday in February, but prep begins in January). Dead period surrounds signing day. Junior Days at many programs during contact windows. |
| February | Dead period (NSD) → Contact period | National Signing Day (early February). Dead period around signing. Contact period resumes after. Spring practice begins at many programs. Junior Days continue. |
| March | Contact period → Evaluation period | Spring practice evaluation. Coaches evaluate spring game film. Contact permitted — in-person visits to high schools happen. Spring game weekends begin hosting recruits. |
| April | Evaluation period → Quiet period | Spring football games — a primary unofficial visit opportunity. Evaluation period covers spring high school practices. Quiet period follows for campus-based contact. |
| May | Quiet period → Evaluation period | College exams and academic wrap-up. Coaches available on campus for visits during quiet windows. Late May evaluation opens for summer preparation. |
| June | Quiet period (primarily) | Camp season — the most important month for football recruiting. College-run camps operate during quiet periods (on-campus contact permitted). Mega camps, prospect camps, and one-day camps provide primary evaluation opportunities. June is when most recruiting relationships are built. |
| July | Dead period | Extended dead period through most of July. No camps, no visits, no in-person contact. Coaches are on vacation and preparing for fall. Communication by phone and email continues — send highlight film updates and academic transcripts. |
| August | Dead period → Quiet period | College fall camp begins. Brief quiet period before the season. Limited recruiting activity — coaches are focused on their own teams. Campus visits can happen during quiet windows but coach availability is limited. |
| September | Evaluation period (high school season) | College season underway. September 1 is when coaches can initiate contact with juniors. Evaluation period covers high school Friday night games. Coaches send assistants to evaluate recruits at games they can attend between their own schedule. |
| October | Evaluation period → Contact period | High school regular season evaluation continues. Official visit weekends at college programs (game day visits). Contact period opens for in-person off-campus conversations. Heavy recruiting communication for juniors and seniors. |
| November | Evaluation period → Contact period | High school playoffs evaluation. Official visits continue on game weekends. Contact period for direct conversations. High school seasons wind down — coaches finalize recruiting boards. |
| December | Contact period → Dead period (early signing) | Early Signing Period (mid-December, typically third Wednesday). Dead period surrounds early signing. Contact period for final recruiting pushes before signing. Bowl game preparation limits coach availability. |
June camp season is the centerpiece of football recruiting. The majority of D1 FBS and FCS recruiting evaluation happens during June college camps. These camps operate during quiet periods, meaning all evaluation happens on the college campus itself. For athletes targeting FBS or FCS programs, attending two to four June camps at target programs is the highest-value action in the entire recruiting process. For how to evaluate which camps to attend, see our guide on whether football recruiting camps are worth it.
FBS vs. FCS calendar differences
FBS and FCS programs both operate under the NCAA D1 recruiting calendar, but practical differences in how they use the calendar matter for families.
FBS programs have larger recruiting budgets and staffs, which means they maximize every evaluation and contact window. An FBS program may send three assistants to three different states during a single evaluation period weekend. FBS official visit weekends during fall game days are heavily structured — programs host 20+ recruits simultaneously and manage the experience meticulously. FBS programs fill most roster spots through the Early Signing Period in December, which means the February National Signing Day is primarily for remaining spots and late additions.
FCS programs operate under the same calendar but with smaller staffs and budgets. FCS evaluation is more regional — coaches attend high school games and camps within driving distance rather than flying nationally. FCS recruiting timelines often extend later than FBS because rosters are filled more gradually. The February signing period carries more weight for FCS programs. FCS also has 63 equivalency scholarships (compared to FBS's 85 head-count scholarships), which affects how aggressively they recruit at each position.
The practical implication for families: if your athlete is targeting FCS programs, the recruiting calendar provides more flexibility. FCS coaches are more likely to offer after the Early Signing Period, more likely to evaluate at regional camps rather than national events, and more responsive to direct outreach during quiet and contact periods because their recruiting volume is lower.
How the recruiting calendar affects camps, Junior Days, and official visits
June camps. College-run camps in June are scheduled during quiet periods specifically so coaches can host recruits on campus. The types of June camps — mega camps, one-day camps, prospect-specific camps — each serve different purposes:
- Mega camps (hosted at one school, coaches from 20+ programs attend) provide the broadest exposure per dollar. One camp registration puts your athlete in front of dozens of coaching staffs.
- Prospect camps at a specific program provide targeted evaluation by the coaching staff that makes roster decisions. Register when the program has expressed interest or you've had prior communication.
- One-day camps are the most accessible format — lower cost, single-day commitment, and available at nearly every FBS and FCS program.
Junior Days (January–March). Junior Days are invitation-only or open events during contact periods where programs host groups of recruits for campus tours, facility visits, and coaching staff introductions. They're not evaluation events — they're relationship-building and program-selling events. An invitation to a Junior Day signals genuine interest. Attending one when invited is a strong signal back.
Official visits (fall game days and spring games). Official visits (48-hour, school-funded visits — you get 5 total) are typically scheduled during contact periods on fall game day weekends or spring game weekends. These visits happen late in the recruiting process when a school is seriously considering an offer or has already made one. The timing is governed by the calendar — programs schedule official visit weekends specifically within contact windows when full interaction is permitted.
Before September 1 of junior year:
Email coaches, attend June camps, and fill out recruiting questionnaires. Coaches will evaluate your film and track your measurables — they just can't call or text you first. Getting into a coach's database before September 1 means you're already on their radar when outbound communication opens. For the email template, see our guide on how to email a football college coach.
September through November (junior year):
Communication opens. Coaches will call, text, and DM athletes they're interested in. Respond promptly. This is when relationships are built through regular communication. Coaches attend high school games during evaluation periods — email target coaches your game schedule with dates, times, and venues. Make it easy for them to see you play.
December (junior year):
Some elite recruits sign during the Early Signing Period. For most athletes, December of junior year is when communication intensifies but commitments haven't been made. Continue building relationships and planning spring/summer camp attendance.
January through April (junior to senior year):
Attend Junior Days during contact periods. Schedule unofficial visits to target programs during quiet periods. Use spring games as unofficial visit opportunities. This stretch builds the in-person relationship that summer camps and fall official visits will confirm.
June (summer before senior year):
Camp season. Attend 2–4 camps at programs where there's been prior communication. Perform well. Follow up within 48 hours. This is the final major evaluation window before the senior season.
September through December (senior year):
Official visits during fall contact periods. Final evaluation at high school games. Offers materialize, commitments happen, and the Early Signing Period in December is the primary signing window for most athletes.
The bottom line
The NCAA football recruiting calendar is the invisible structure that controls the pace and nature of every recruiting interaction. June camp season, the September 1 contact date, fall evaluation periods, and the December Early Signing Period are the four pillars that the entire football recruiting cycle revolves around. Understanding when coaches can and cannot act — and planning your outreach, camp attendance, and visits accordingly — is the difference between a proactive strategy and a reactive scramble.
For the full year-by-year recruiting journey, see the football recruiting timeline. For how the overall football recruiting process works — from initial interest through signing — our football recruiting guide covers the complete picture. For the email that starts the conversation with a coach during contact windows, the football coach email guide has the template and timing. For what to expect on campus visits during quiet and contact periods, our guide to official and unofficial visits covers the details. And for how to evaluate which June camps are worth the investment, our guide to whether football recruiting camps are worth it breaks down mega camps, prospect days, and the cost-per-evaluation math.