CHAPEL HILL – The recruiting dead period ends June 1, so for the first time in 15 months, college coaches will be allowed to host prospects on their campuses and meet with them in person.
They can go watch them in AAU basketball events, soccer tournaments, and have them on campus for football camps. It runs the gamut.
But many questions remain, to which North Carolina Coach Mack Brown made a point of addressing following practice Tuesday morning when he met with the media via zoom.
Brown is thrilled he and his staff can once again evaluate prospects in person while also meeting with them and their families. Unofficial and official visits will begin in June, and Brown’s program has already lined up quite a few OVs. The extentof the visits, however, which include day camps, junior days, and even the details with respect to testing for prospects and their parents, all are unanswered.
So, Brown is looking to get more clarity on what protocols remain, new ones that must be followed, and what might no longer be necessary.
“Do they have to have a negative COVID test before they can come on campus and participate in camps,” Brown asked, following the Tar Heels’ 12th practice of the spring. “Do the parents have to have negative COVID tests? What does the vaccine mean to camps?
“What about official visits? What about people that are showing the prospects around on official visits, do they have to have the vaccine, do they have to have negative tests?”
Then what about hosting larger events indoors, or even outdoors? In the past, UNC’s day camps have ranged from around 70-130 campers per session. So many questions remain open ended.
“How many people can you have at camp,” Brown continued asking. “How many people can you have together at camp? If you’re having junior days, how many people can be in the building at the same time?
“So, we’re back to so many questions that are unanswered that we’re all trying to look at those at this point.”
The NCAA announced June 15 that “all sports will return to their normal recruiting calendars.” The NCAA did tweak the football calendar some since prospects in that sport have been most affected by COVID. The current class of 2022 was just months away from its initial season in which prospects can speak with coaches taking the next step in building relationships.
The most intense period of the recruiting process for football players usually runs from late spring of their sophomore years until December of their senior years, which is when the early signing period is annually scheduled. But, by June 1, those players will have just six-plus months to cram in what previous classes prior to COVID had essentially 18 months to experience.
Included in the NCAA’s release: “The Council issued a waiver to permit on-campus evaluations during unofficial visits during the days football camps and clinics are allowed in June and July 2021 only, with some restrictions. The number of evaluation days in the sport will increase from 42 to 56 during the fall 2021 evaluation period only.”
So, it is understandable why getting answers to Brown’s questions are so vital for his and every staff in the nation. It also could impact how Brown can use his new house as part of the recruiting process.
He and his wife moved into a new house last week close to Kenan Stadium and the plan is clearly to use it for recruiting, given that its location falls within the NCAA rules as an allowable place for prospects to visit in person.
“The thing that is really significant for our recruiting, Sally and I fixed the house up that’s .98 miles from my office, and that means unofficial visits can come to our house,” Brown said. “Because, if it’s more than a mile (from campus), you can’t come to the house. So, we think that’ll be a huge help in recruiting.”
How many players the Browns can host is currently unknown, as are so many other details. Brown hopes to get this cleared up sooner rather than later, as the dead period ends in less than six weeks.
