It's about to get into the December contact period, which is when things really ramp up with recruiting, so here are a few relevant dates to know:
- Friday, Dec. 1: This is the first day of the contact period. During the contact period, coaches can have in-person contact with a recruit on or off-campus. That means visits to high schools and in-home visits, as well as visits on campus. That's the big start of the run-up to Signing Day: coaches go on the road, conduct in-home visits and really work to seal the deal with committed guys or targets (high school or transfer).
As a reminder, a coaching staff can visit each recruit once per week, but the head coach himself can only have one off-campus in-person visit with each recruit. So Pat Narduzzi's travel plans will be strategic to make sure he gets into all the important living rooms.
- Monday, Dec. 4: This is when the transfer portal opens for undergraduates. Graduates, walk-ons and players whose coach has been fired have been able to officially enter the portal for the last week, but the real wave comes on 12/4. That's when transfers will flood the portal and things will get really active.
The recruiting rules for high school kids largely apply to transfers, at least as it pertains to in-person visits, both on and off-campus. And coaches treat them the same, looking to get guys into town on official visits and conduct in-home visits with them.
- Wednesday, Dec. 20: Signing Day. This is what it all leads up to. High school kids, JUCOs and transfers can all sign their Letters of Intent starting on 12/20. It's actually a three-day signing period, not just one day, but pretty much everybody signs on that day. Of course, guys can still turn around and enroll mid-year even if they didn't sign; the important part is that they get all the academic paperwork and requirements completed. The Letter of Intent is less relevant, but those non-signing situations are probably 5% or less of the total crop.
- So you're looking at the coaches going on the road starting next Friday and staying on the road basically until the weekend before Signing Day. In between, there are three weekends for official visits; I would expect to use the last two of those weekends - the weekends that come after the transfer portal opens, so 12/8-10 and 12/15-17 - for official visits. Most of those visits will be transfers, although I imagine they'll have a handful of 2024 prospects visit, too.
- Friday, Dec. 1: This is the first day of the contact period. During the contact period, coaches can have in-person contact with a recruit on or off-campus. That means visits to high schools and in-home visits, as well as visits on campus. That's the big start of the run-up to Signing Day: coaches go on the road, conduct in-home visits and really work to seal the deal with committed guys or targets (high school or transfer).
As a reminder, a coaching staff can visit each recruit once per week, but the head coach himself can only have one off-campus in-person visit with each recruit. So Pat Narduzzi's travel plans will be strategic to make sure he gets into all the important living rooms.
- Monday, Dec. 4: This is when the transfer portal opens for undergraduates. Graduates, walk-ons and players whose coach has been fired have been able to officially enter the portal for the last week, but the real wave comes on 12/4. That's when transfers will flood the portal and things will get really active.
The recruiting rules for high school kids largely apply to transfers, at least as it pertains to in-person visits, both on and off-campus. And coaches treat them the same, looking to get guys into town on official visits and conduct in-home visits with them.
- Wednesday, Dec. 20: Signing Day. This is what it all leads up to. High school kids, JUCOs and transfers can all sign their Letters of Intent starting on 12/20. It's actually a three-day signing period, not just one day, but pretty much everybody signs on that day. Of course, guys can still turn around and enroll mid-year even if they didn't sign; the important part is that they get all the academic paperwork and requirements completed. The Letter of Intent is less relevant, but those non-signing situations are probably 5% or less of the total crop.
- So you're looking at the coaches going on the road starting next Friday and staying on the road basically until the weekend before Signing Day. In between, there are three weekends for official visits; I would expect to use the last two of those weekends - the weekends that come after the transfer portal opens, so 12/8-10 and 12/15-17 - for official visits. Most of those visits will be transfers, although I imagine they'll have a handful of 2024 prospects visit, too.
