OSU Football Anticipated This: In Person Recruiting Now Banned through May
STILLWATER -- No April Fool's joke here along with all the competition that has been cancelled, the NCAA has also radically slowed down the pace of the talent process that keeps college sports programs moving forward. Recruiting is now going to consist of phone calls, text messages, emails, and social media exchanges until after May 31. Initially, the ban on in-person recruiting, all campus visits, official or unofficial, and off campus recruiting of any kind was banned through April 15, but the ban has been extended.
The Division I Council Coordination Committee and the Division II Administrative Committee announced the move on April 1.
Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy had told Pokes Report early on this would happen.
"I don't think we're going to be able to send our coaches out in late April and May for evaluations," Gundy said. "I don't think that will happen and I have talked with Todd (Bradford - Director of Football Recruiting) and our recruiting advisors to step it up because our coaches aren't going to be on the road."
This also puts the April signing period for most other sports and especially men's and women's basketball in a suspended state. So many official visits have been cancelled and coaches like Oklahoma State's Mike Boynton, who is a recruiting dynamo and usually all over the place this time of year in recruiting have to figure out what they are going to do.
Spring sport earlier this week saw that their seniors and athletes that missed the bulk of their seasons will have the opportunity for another year of eligibility. The winter sports did not get that cushion and they need to be recruiting to fill the spots in their programs.
Back to football, Bradford just yesterday in an interview with Sports Talk with Robert Allen and Friends on Triple Play Sports Radio said the Cowboys operation is recruiting as hard as the rules currently permit.
"We have a morning staff meeting with the guys every morning with watch all that is happening with recruiting," Bradford said. "I'm not going to tell you everything that we are doing because we are doing some things that others aren't and we don't want anybody to start doing.
"We have been very well connected with the 2021 recruits and they are able to spend a lot of time with them and the (recruits) have a lot of angst with this because this is normally the time they are preparing for April and May official visits and making decisions," Bradford said thoroughly answering the question.
Some folks that are involved in recruiting and study it, including myself have suggested the signing day, the early one in December may have to be moved back to the old calendar and have just a signing day on the first Wednesday in February. The early signing date has worked, worked well. However, this ban during COVID-19 has stolen opportunities for recruits to get on campus and really investigate their options.
"I'm not sure when the visits will start and I don't know if they will make decisions in the same time frame as they have in the past," Bradford said. "They haven't had the chance to compare and make those decisions."
Watching what has happened, some have rushed and made the decisions. To be fair, some of those may have been predisposed to where they wanted to go. That is fine and happens, but it isn't the case in the majority of recruits. The majority go through a process.
Prospects we have talked to lately and we have spoke with a few here at Pokes Report, they intend to wait this out, take visits, and are willing to be patient.
"I wanted to commit early this summer, but I'm not going to rush it," Florida prep linebacker prospect Danny Stutsman said of the recruiting process stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic. "I believe it will get back to being more normal and I want to see those schools, so I will wait. I will wait until late summer, but I want to commit before my senior season."
Stutsman still has an itinerary in his mind, but that calendar still may have to be extended.
Remember, coaches getting out in April and May for evaluations when most high schools are closed down and have gone to remote learning or online classes is kind of ridiculous.