The Ole Miss Impact: NCAA Extends Recruiting Dead Period

The NCAA Division I Council has yet again extended the recruiting dead period, this time until at least June 30, the league announced on Wednesday night.

Originally, in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders, a new dead period was put into effect until May 31. Now, they've been extended until at least the end of June.

So what does this really mean?

On the football side, a critical period of player evaluation and in-person official visits is gone. Rising seniors can typically take official visits in the spring. Much of the early signing period in December is impacted and decided by these visits over the late spring and early summer.

But as most states will not allow public gatherings at this point, any such recruiting visits are going by the wayside. Coaches can write and call prospective recruits or parents during dead periods, they just must not have any form of face-to-face contact.

The football dead period, in which no in-person contact is allowed, is typically from July 1 to July 24 in a standard year. The committee could alter these standard schedules considering additional dead periods needed to be added amid the pandemic.

Regardless of future decisions to the calendar, this is a devastating recruiting blow. From the football side, Lane Kiffin already had a smaller class in his first signing, bringing in just 18 players. This was supposed to be his first full year on the recruiting trail. That just will no longer be so.

He may still sign an impressive class amid restrictions and dead periods and regulations all other coaches are dealing with. But Rebel fans will have to wait until the 2022 class to see what Kiffin can do with a full, normal recruiting calendar year.

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