Division II extends quiet period through Aug. 31
Administrative Committee clarifies blanket waiver for flexible fall playing and practice seasons
Corbin McGuire
The Division II Administrative Committee on Wednesday took action on multiple issues related to recruiting, including extending the division’s quiet period for all sports through Aug. 31.
During a quiet period, a college coach may have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents on the college’s campus. Coaches also may write or telephone college-bound student-athletes or their parents during this time.
The committee also clarified the application of the previously issued blanket waiver for fall championship sports. The waiver permits schools or conferences to declare a championship segment at any point during the 2020-21 academic year equal to the number of days in the championship segment. Notably, the Administrative Committee clarified that schools that declare an alternate championship segment can still participate in the NCAA Division II championship if days for the championship segment remain within their respective window (see chart below).
| Sport | Number of Calendar Days in the Championship Segment (First Permissible Date for Practice to the First Date of the 2020 NCAA Division II Championship) |
|---|---|
| Cross Country | 84 days |
| Field Hockey | 89 days |
| Football | 103 days |
| Men’s Soccer | 94 days |
| Women’s Soccer | 95 days |
| Volleyball | 108 days |
Additionally, the committee clarified that practice and competition in fall championship sports must end by Monday, May 31, 2021, for those schools and/or conferences that move the fall championship segment to the spring. With this change, the committee confirmed that fall sport student-athletes cannot participate in countable athletically related activities, including workouts designed and conducted by a strength and conditioning coach, for 14 consecutive days after a school’s championship segment.
The Division II Management Council will discuss recommendations from the Division II Legislation Committee regarding flexibility for winter and spring seasons during its meetings Monday and Tuesday, and the Administrative Committee will receive the Management Council’s feedback Wednesday, July 22.
On top of extending the recruiting quiet period, the Administrative Committee extended and expanded the application of a blanket waiver permitting student-athletes to be involved in virtual recruiting correspondence (such as phone calls or videoconferences) at the direction of a coaching staff member through the 2020-21 academic year. This extension includes all contactable prospective student-athletes.
Further, the committee extended the application of the blanket waiver to permit coaching staff members and current student-athletes to participate on a telephone/video call with any number of uncommitted prospective student-athletes and their family members at one time through the 2020-21 academic year. Previously, legislation permitted only one-on-one telephone/video calls between those respective parties.
The Administrative Committee is composed of the chairs and vice chairs of the Division II Presidents Council and Management Council and one additional member of the Presidents Council. The committee is tasked with handling important Division II business in between quarterly meetings of the Presidents Council. The committee will next meet July 22.