The NCAA lacrosse recruiting calendar is the regulatory structure that governs every interaction between college coaches and recruits. It controls when a coach can attend your athlete's club game, when they can call to express interest, when they can host a campus visit, and when all in-person contact shuts down. Lacrosse's calendar matters more than in most sports because the showcase circuit — NLF, 3d Lacrosse, college prospect days — drives the evaluation process, and knowing which showcases fall in which NCAA periods determines whether a coach can talk to your athlete at the event or only watch from the sideline.
The existing lacrosse 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, evaluation, quiet, and dead periods that regulate what coaches can and cannot do during each window. Understanding these periods is how you time your showcase attendance, interpret a coach's behavior at events, and plan campus visits strategically.
Understanding NCAA recruiting calendar terminology for lacrosse
The NCAA uses four period types to regulate coach-recruit interaction. The definitions apply across all sports, but the dates when each period falls are sport-specific.
Contact period.
Coaches can have in-person, off-campus contact with recruits and their families. They can visit your athlete's club practice, attend showcase events, conduct home visits, and have face-to-face conversations anywhere. Phone calls, texts, and campus visits are all permitted.
Evaluation period.
Coaches can watch athletes compete in person but cannot have off-campus, in-person conversations. A coach at an NLF showcase during an evaluation period is scouting — they're watching and evaluating but cannot approach your family at the event. Phone and digital communication continues normally.
Quiet period.
In-person contact is limited to the college campus only. Coaches cannot visit club events or showcases but can host unofficial and official visits. Quiet periods are ideal for campus visits — coaches are available on campus rather than traveling.
Dead period.
No in-person contact of any kind. Electronic and phone communication continues. Dead periods typically fall around signing days and during the busiest parts of the college lacrosse season.
The D1 contact initiation rule: D1 lacrosse 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 questionnaires, and attend camps — coaches just cannot initiate outbound contact. For D2, coaches can initiate contact starting June 15 after sophomore year. D3 and NAIA have no contact restrictions.
The NCAA lacrosse recruiting calendar: month-by-month breakdown
The lacrosse recruiting calendar is built around the college spring season, the summer/fall club and showcase season, and the signing periods. Specific dates shift annually, but the structural rhythm is consistent.
| Month | Period type (typical) | What's happening |
|---|
| January | Quiet period → Contact period | College preseason preparation. Contact windows open for recruiting conversations. Coaches finalize current recruiting class. Indoor training and showcase season begins for club players. |
| February | Contact period → Dead period (NSD) | National Signing Day (first Wednesday). Dead period surrounds signing. College spring season begins. Coaches shift focus to next recruiting class. |
| March | Evaluation period → Contact period | College season in full swing. High school season begins in most states. Evaluation periods cover high school and club games. Spring club showcases start. |
| April | Evaluation period → Quiet period | Peak college and high school season. Evaluation at high school games. Major spring showcases. Quiet periods for campus visits during college games — a strong unofficial visit opportunity. |
| May | Quiet period → Evaluation period | College season championships. High school playoffs. College exams limit campus visit availability. Post-season evaluation and end-of-year recruiting review. |
| June | Evaluation period → Quiet period | Summer showcase season begins — the primary evaluation window. College prospect days and ID camps scheduled during quiet periods. NLF and 3d Lacrosse events draw heavy coaching attendance during evaluation windows. |
| July | Evaluation period → Dead period | Peak summer showcase evaluation. Major national-level events. Extended dead period through late July. Communication continues electronically during dead periods. |
| August | Dead period → Quiet period | College preseason begins. Brief dead period transitions to quiet. Limited recruiting activity — coaches focused on their teams. Fall club season approaching. |
| September | Evaluation period | September 1 contact initiation for D1 juniors. Fall club season and showcase events. College coaches begin active outreach to juniors. Fall showcases provide evaluation opportunities. |
| October | Evaluation period → Contact period | Fall showcase evaluation continues. Official visit weekends begin. Contact period opens for in-person conversations. Heavy recruiting communication for juniors and seniors. |
| November | Contact period → Dead period (early signing) | Early signing period. Dead period surrounds signing. Contact period for final recruiting conversations. Commitments solidify for current class. |
| December | Dead period → Quiet period | Early signing period concludes. Dead period transitions to quiet. Holiday break. Coaches begin evaluating next class using fall showcase data and film. |
June and July showcase season is the centerpiece of lacrosse recruiting. The concentration of NLF events, 3d Lacrosse showcases, college prospect days, and regional club tournaments during this window creates the highest-density evaluation opportunity in the entire year. For athletes targeting D1 programs, competing in recognized summer showcases is the primary path to being evaluated. For how to evaluate which events are worth attending, see our guide on whether lacrosse recruiting camps are worth it.
How the calendar drives showcase and prospect day timing
College prospect days (June–July, September–October). Prospect days are scheduled during quiet periods so coaches can host recruits on campus and have direct conversations. Attending a prospect day at a target program during a quiet period allows the most complete interaction — evaluation, conversation, campus tour, and relationship-building in a single visit.
NLF and 3d Lacrosse showcases (June–July, September–October). Major showcases fall during evaluation periods, meaning coaches can watch your athlete compete but cannot approach for off-campus conversations. Email target coaches before each showcase with your jersey number, team name, and game schedule. The follow-up conversation happens during the next contact or quiet period.
Fall club season (September–November). The fall showcase circuit coincides with the September 1 contact initiation date for D1 juniors, creating a concentrated window where coaches can both evaluate in person and initiate direct communication. For juniors, the fall of junior year is when the recruiting process accelerates dramatically.
Men's vs. women's lacrosse calendar differences
Men's and women's lacrosse operate under the same NCAA calendar framework, but practical differences in how they use the calendar matter for families.
Men's lacrosse has historically seen very early commitments — some athletes committing as freshmen or sophomores, well before the September 1 D1 contact date. Recent NCAA rule changes (effective 2024–25) aimed to curb early recruiting by restricting official visits and binding commitments before a specified date. Despite these changes, the men's lacrosse recruiting culture still trends earlier than most sports. If your son is a strong prospect, club coaches and showcase operators will communicate the timeline expectations for his class.
Women's lacrosse recruiting has followed a similarly early pattern but with slightly more variation. The September 1 contact rule applies equally, but women's lacrosse evaluation has become more structured through the USA Lacrosse talent identification pathway and organized showcase circuits. Women's programs tend to recruit slightly later than men's on average, but elite prospects still see early attention.
The practical implication: regardless of gender, attending summer showcases between sophomore and junior year is when most D1 evaluation begins. The NCAA calendar permits evaluation at those events — it's the contact and commitment restrictions that the rules address, not the evaluation itself.
How to align your showcase schedule with evaluation periods
Check the NCAA calendar against your showcase schedule. Major showcase operators schedule their events to align with evaluation periods — but regional events may not. If your club's biggest tournament falls during a dead period, coaches cannot attend in person.
Email before evaluation windows. Two weeks before a showcase during an evaluation period, email every target coach with your schedule, jersey number, and team name. Coaches plan their scouting travel in advance. For the email template, see our guide on how to email a lacrosse college coach.
Use quiet periods for campus visits. Schedule unofficial visits during quiet periods when coaches can't travel to games but can host on campus. This provides dedicated face time.
Follow up during contact periods. After a coach evaluates your athlete at a showcase during an evaluation period, the follow-up conversation can deepen during the next contact period. Send a follow-up email within 48 hours.
The bottom line
The NCAA lacrosse recruiting calendar controls the pace and nature of every recruiting interaction — and understanding it transforms how you time outreach, showcase attendance, and campus visits. Summer showcase season, the September 1 contact date, fall evaluation windows, and the signing periods are the pillars that the lacrosse recruiting cycle revolves around.
For the full year-by-year recruiting journey, see the lacrosse recruiting timeline. For which D1 programs are worth targeting by conference tier, our D1 colleges for lacrosse guide covers the landscape. For how to evaluate which showcases and prospect days are worth attending, our guide to lacrosse recruiting camps covers the options. For the email that starts the conversation with a coach, the lacrosse coach email guide has the template and timing. And for what to expect on campus visits during quiet and contact periods, our guide to official and unofficial visits covers the details.