The NCAA soccer recruiting calendar is the regulatory framework that governs every interaction between college coaches and recruits. It dictates when a coach can show up at your athlete's club game, when they can call to discuss interest, when they can host a campus visit, and when all in-person contact goes dark. Soccer's calendar is built around a dual-season structure — the college season runs in fall, while the primary evaluation window runs through the spring and summer club season — creating a recruiting rhythm that differs from single-season sports.
The existing soccer 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. Understanding these periods is how you time your camp attendance, interpret a coach's silence, and plan ID camp visits strategically. For how the overall soccer recruiting process works, see our guide on how to play college soccer.
Understanding NCAA recruiting calendar terminology for soccer
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 soccer.
Contact period.
Coaches can have in-person, off-campus contact with recruits and their families. They can visit your athlete's club game, have conversations at showcases, conduct home visits, and meet face-to-face anywhere. Phone calls, texts, and campus visits are all permitted. Contact periods are the most open recruiting windows.
Evaluation period.
Coaches can watch athletes compete in person but cannot have off-campus, in-person conversations. A coach standing behind the sideline at your athlete's ECNL showcase game during an evaluation period is evaluating — they're watching, taking notes, but cannot approach your family at the event. Phone and digital communication continues. This distinction matters: the coach who attended your game but didn't say hello was likely in an evaluation period, not uninterested.
Quiet period.
In-person contact is limited to the college campus only. Coaches cannot visit club games or showcases 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. Electronic and phone communication continues. Dead periods typically fall around signing days and holidays.
The D1 contact initiation rule: D1 soccer 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 ID camps — coaches just can't initiate outbound contact. After September 1, communication opens in both directions. For D2, coaches can initiate contact starting June 15 after sophomore year.
The NCAA soccer recruiting calendar: month-by-month breakdown
The soccer recruiting calendar follows an annual cycle built around the college fall season, the spring/summer club 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 | Quiet period → Contact period | College spring season preparation begins. Contact period windows open for in-person recruiting. Coaches finalize recruiting boards for current cycle. ID camps at some programs begin scheduling. |
| February | Contact period → Dead period (NSD) | National Signing Day (first Wednesday). Dead period surrounds signing day. Contact period resumes after. Spring college season starts. Coaches begin evaluating next recruiting class. |
| March | Contact period → Evaluation period | College spring season underway. Club season intensifying. Evaluation periods cover spring showcases and club games. Coaches travel to ECNL, MLS NEXT, and GA events. |
| April | Evaluation period → Quiet period | Spring showcase evaluation. College spring games provide unofficial visit opportunities. Club season evaluation continues. Quiet periods ideal for campus visits. |
| May | Quiet period → Evaluation period | College exams and academic wrap-up. Coaches available on campus during quiet windows. Late May evaluation opens for summer preparation. Club season approaching peak. |
| June | Evaluation period → Quiet period | College ID camps — the primary direct evaluation opportunity. ECNL and MLS NEXT showcases draw heavy coaching attendance. Evaluation periods cover showcase events. Quiet periods enable campus-based camps and visits. |
| July | Evaluation period → Dead period | Peak evaluation month. Major showcases (Jefferson Cup summer events, regional showcases). Extended dead period through late July. Phone and email communication continues during dead periods. |
| August | Dead period → Quiet period | College preseason begins. Brief dead period transitions to quiet period. Limited recruiting activity — coaches focused on their own teams. Campus visits possible during quiet windows but coach availability is limited. |
| September | Evaluation period (college season) | College season underway. September 1 is when D1 coaches can initiate contact with juniors. High school season evaluation. Coaches evaluate recruits at high school and club games between their own schedule. |
| October | Evaluation period → Contact period | College season evaluation continues. Official visit weekends at programs (game day visits). Contact period opens for off-campus conversations. Heavy recruiting communication for juniors. |
| November | Contact period → Evaluation period | College season playoffs and NCAA tournament. Official visits continue. High school season evaluation. Coaches finalize recruiting boards for early signing period. |
| December | Contact period → Dead period | Early signing period. Dead period surrounds signing. Contact period for final recruiting conversations. College season ends — coaches shift fully to recruiting. |
June and July are the centerpieces of soccer recruiting evaluation. The concentration of ECNL showcases, MLS NEXT events, and college ID camps during this window creates the highest-density evaluation opportunity in the entire year. For athletes targeting D1 programs, being on a competitive club team that plays in June and July showcase events is the baseline requirement for exposure. For how to evaluate which camps and showcases are worth attending, see our guide on whether soccer recruiting camps are worth it.
How the calendar drives showcase and camp timing
College ID camps are scheduled during quiet periods specifically so coaches can host recruits on campus. The timing is strategic — coaches structure their camp calendars to align with NCAA-permitted windows.
College ID camps (June–July). These are the highest-value direct evaluation events in soccer recruiting. The coaching staff runs the sessions and evaluates your athlete specifically for their roster. ID camps during quiet periods allow coaches to have on-campus conversations with recruits and their families immediately after evaluation — creating a compressed path from performance to recruiting conversation. Attend ID camps at programs where there's been prior communication or genuine interest.
ECNL and MLS NEXT showcases (spring–summer). Major showcases fall during evaluation periods, meaning coaches can watch your athlete compete but cannot approach for off-campus conversations. The evaluation happens; the follow-up conversation happens later during a contact or quiet period. Email target coaches before each showcase with your jersey number, team name, and game schedule. The coach watching your game can note you for follow-up even if they can't speak to you at the event.
Fall high school season. The college season runs simultaneously, which limits coach availability for high school game evaluation. Coaches send assistants to evaluate local recruits during evaluation windows, but the fall is primarily a communication and relationship-building period for recruits — not the primary scouting window.
D1 vs. D2 vs. D3 calendar differences for soccer
D1 soccer follows the strictest calendar with clearly defined contact, evaluation, quiet, and dead periods. The September 1 junior year contact initiation date is the most significant boundary — before it, coaches evaluate silently; after it, they can recruit actively. D1 women's soccer has historically seen early commitments (sophomore year) despite the September 1 contact rule, because the evaluation that drives those commitments happens through club events and ID camps that don't require direct contact.
D2 soccer operates under a similar calendar structure but with a June 15 after sophomore year contact initiation date — three months earlier than D1. D2 coaches are generally more responsive to direct outreach during any open period because their recruiting volume is lower. D2 evaluation happens more regionally, and campus visits during quiet periods carry more weight because coaches have more time for individual attention.
D3 soccer has no recruiting calendar restrictions. D3 coaches can contact recruits at any time, attend any event, and host visits without period limitations. This makes D3 soccer recruiting the most flexible and accessible — but also means D3 coaches are less likely to attend major national showcase events (budget constraints, not calendar constraints). D3 recruiting happens through direct outreach, campus visits, and regional evaluation rather than the national showcase circuit.
How to align your club schedule with evaluation periods
Know when coaches can watch. If your club team's biggest showcase falls during a dead period, coaches cannot attend in person. Check the NCAA recruiting calendar against your club schedule annually. Major showcase operators (ECNL, MLS NEXT) schedule their events to align with evaluation periods — but regional events may not.
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 evaluation travel weeks in advance — your email ensures they know where to look. For the email template, see our guide on how to email a soccer college coach.
Use quiet periods for campus visits. When coaches can't travel to games but can host on campus, schedule unofficial visits. Quiet periods provide dedicated face time that's impossible during the busy evaluation travel season.
Follow up during contact periods. After a coach watches your athlete during an evaluation period, the contact period that follows is when the conversation can deepen. Send a follow-up email within 48 hours of any showcase where target coaches were present.
The bottom line
The NCAA soccer recruiting calendar is the invisible structure that controls when coaches can and cannot act — and understanding it transforms how you time every outreach, camp registration, and campus visit. June and July showcase and camp season, the September 1 contact initiation date, fall evaluation during the college season, and the December early signing period are the pillars that the soccer recruiting cycle revolves around.
For the full year-by-year recruiting journey, see the soccer recruiting timeline. For how to evaluate which camps and showcases are worth attending during evaluation windows, our guide to soccer recruiting camps covers the landscape. For the email that starts the conversation with a coach, the soccer 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.