When can my child contact college coaches, and what can coaches do in reply?

Freshman and sophomore year (Division I)

Your child may phone a Division I coach at any time during ninth or tenth grade. That is the only form of outreach the NCAA allows at this stage. The coach cannot call back, cannot reply by text, cannot reply by email, and cannot reach out through social media. The NCAA's overview for Division I men's basketball is direct on this point: coaches may not call, return messages a recruit has left, or make other types of contact with the recruit or the family.

Freshmen may not take unofficial visits at all. Sophomores may take unofficial visits beginning August 1 of their sophomore year. Neither grade is eligible for an official visit, and coaches may not meet your child off campus.

The gate that opens on June 15 after sophomore year

A specific date separates limited contact from full two-way communication in Division I. Starting June 15 after your child's sophomore year, coaches may call your child at any time. From that same date, your child may send and receive unlimited texts, emails, and direct or private social media messages with coaches and athletics staff. Coaches may follow your child's social media account or like posts, but the NCAA says they cannot comment publicly on social media.

Juniors may take an unlimited number of unofficial visits, though not during a dead period. Juniors also become eligible for official visits — campus visits paid in whole or in part by the school.

Senior year (Division I)

Once your child is a senior, all two-way communication is fully open. Coaches may call at any time. Your child may send and receive unlimited texts, emails, and direct social media messages. Before signing a National Letter of Intent, coaches may still not comment publicly on your child's social media, though they may follow the account or like posts.

For official visits, seniors may take up to five additional official visits from August 1 of their senior year through October 14 after completing high school. A player may not take more than one official visit to the same school within the same school year, though a school visited during junior year may be revisited in senior year.

Division II works differently

Division II schools may send athletically related recruiting materials at any time — including to freshmen and sophomores. The Division II recruiting guide states that after June 15 immediately preceding a player's junior year, there are no limits on in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts. The sources do not specify what communication restrictions, if any, apply to Division II coaches who receive contact from a freshman or sophomore before that June 15 date. If your child is interested in a Division II program, check with that school's compliance office for what applies before junior year.

What the NCAA says to include when emailing a coach

The NCAA's Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete lists specific items to put in a coach email: your child's name, position, NCAA ID, and high school graduation year. The guide also recommends attaching achievements and highlight videos and stating interest in the program. The NCAA does not publish a required format or a minimum length for these messages.

One thing to do before any of this

The NCAA's guide recommends creating an Eligibility Center account early. A free Profile Page is enough to start. Your child will need to upgrade to a Certification account before taking an official visit or signing a National Letter of Intent. The guide notes that the recruiting process can begin as early as ninth grade, though it adds that in most cases active recruiting starts in eleventh grade, meaning the summer after tenth grade.