By Amie Held, Assistant Women’s Volleyball Coach, Kennesaw State

Exciting times are ahead when summer college camps season approaches. Camps can be a valuable recruiting tool for both college coaches and prospects.

Prospects, take advantage of camps this summer to visit schools and learn more about programs you’re genuinely interested in. Camps are a great way to better understand the culture of the program, get a feel for the coach’s training style, and see the campus through the lens of the volleyball program. It’s also an opportunity for you to meet new people and have fun playing the sport you love, so enjoy it!

Coaches, we can create an enjoyable environment through minimizing any unnecessary pressure and offering activities and competitive drills that remind the players why they fell in love with the sport to begin with. It’s a neat opportunity for you to show what exciting factors make your program unique.

But coaches, just because you will have prospective student-athletes in your gym, does not automatically give you the greenlight to freely have recruiting conversations, which is why I’d like to remind everyone of the DI and DII rules during institutional camps.

First and foremost, recently passed NCAA legislation (Bylaw 13.12.1.1.7) states that an institution’s women’s volleyball camp or clinic may only take place between Memorial Day and July 31. According to the NCAA DI Manual, recruiting conversations during an institutional camp or clinic are not permitted between an institution’s coach and a participating individual before August 1 at the beginning of the individual’s junior year in high school (Bylaw 13.12.1.5.1).

August 1 is the day in person recruiting conversations (including unofficial visits) become permissible. That is not to be confused with June 15 after sophomore year, when coaches can begin electronic correspondence—phone calls, text messages, emails, etc.—and share recruiting materials with prospective student-athletes (Bylaw 13.4.1).

Division II’s rules vary slightly from DI. The DII Manual defines interactions between prospective student-athletes and those coaches employed by the camp or clinic as permissible since they are not subject to the recruiting calendar restrictions (Bylaw 13.12.1.3). For prospects interested in DII institutions, June 15 is the date in-person contacts—on and off campus, electronic correspondence, the sharing of recruiting materials, and official visits—become permissible according to the NCAA.

Below are some frequently asked questions with answers from an NCAA DI Educational Column entitled “First Permissible Date for an Unofficial Visit and Recruiting Conversations at Camps and Clinics–Sports Other Than Basketball and Football,” published May 23, 2018:

Question: During an institutional camp or clinic, may a coach provide a campus tour available to all camp participants, if the group includes a prospective student-athlete(s) prior to August 1 of his or her junior year in high school?

Answer: Yes, a campus tour that includes athletics facilities provided to all camp participants would be permissible. However, no recruiting conversations may occur.

Question: During an institutional camp or clinic, may a coach have recruiting conversations, or conduct an individual facility tour, with a prospective student-athlete prior to August 1 of his or her junior year?

Answer: No.

Question: During an institutional camp or clinic, may a coach have recruiting conversations with an individual who has not triggered prospective student-athlete status?

Answer: No.

Question: During an institutional camp or clinic, may a coach conduct an informational session about the recruiting process and the student-athlete experience to a prospective student-athlete prior to August 1 of his or her junior year in high school?

Answer: Yes, a general informational session would be permissible. However, no institution-specific recruiting information may be presented at these informational sessions.

I know rules and legislation aren’t the most exciting thing, but my main hope is that prospects and coaches enjoy the first “normal” camp season since 2019!