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The NCAA News -- March 1, 1999

Football issues group approves new calendar

The Division I Football Issues Committee, meeting February 8-9 in Dallas, reviewed and approved a proposal from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) regarding a revised recruiting calendar designed to be more streamlined and cost-effective.

The AFCA's proposed recruiting calendar, developed after a year-long study, was in response to a Football Issues Committee request to study the possibility of creating a more efficient recruiting timeline.

Among the changes in the AFCA's proposal is the designation of a dead period during the spring evaluation period, beginning with the second day after the National Letter of Intent signing day in February up to the last two weeks in of April. The last two weeks of April and the full month of May would then be designated as an evaluation period.

Institutions would be able to designate any four weeks within the six-week spring evaluation period, during which authorized recruiters could visit a particular educational institution only one time.

The proposal also calls for three exempt days to be established in addition to the 20 days during the spring evaluation period. The quiet period would be from June 1 to the first Sunday in November.

The committee noted that a group of commissioners and athletics directors had reviewed the proposal and had suggested that instead of three exempt days during the spring that exempted events be permitted during a six-day contact week, which would include Saturdays. The end result would be to add one day to the total number of available days. However, no decision had been reached regarding what would be considered an "exempted" activity.

The remainder of the proposed calendar would include the following:

  • A three-week contact period from the last Sunday in November until the third Saturday in December, followed by a quiet day and a two-week dead period.

  • A contact week during the first full week in January, followed by a quiet day, a four-day dead period and two quiet days.

  • A contact period during the last two full weeks in January, followed by a quiet day.

  • The recruiting calendar would finish with a dead period during the first three days in February.

    The new calendar is designed to increase cost savings, add flexibility, expand the dead period encompassing the holiday season, eliminate the odd number of contact days and reduce the number of evaluation days while improving the quality of evaluation. The new calendar also could accommodate an early signing date.

    The revisions reduce the actual days for evaluation and contact from 87 to 71. Contact days would be reduced from 48 to 42, fall evaluation days from nine to six and spring evaluation days from 30 to 20.

    After discussion, the committee voted to approve and forward to the Management Council the proposed recruiting calendar as submitted by the AFCA, pending the development of language to define exempted activities during the spring recruiting period.

    In other action, the committee heard from Jim Wheeler, head of collegiate athletics for ISL, regarding a proposed 16-team, 15-game single-elimination playoff in Division I-A beginning in 2002.

    The committee, noting its role as a Division I football issues group that should be informed of any issue that would impact college football, received the report as a fact-finding effort and took no formal action regarding the proposal.

    In another matter, the committee reaffirmed its request for funds to update the statistical information in the 1994 report prepared by the NCAA Special Committee to Study a Division I-A Football Championship. The committee believes it is its responsibility to review all matters dealing with Division I football, and that the updated statistical information contained in the report would be beneficial to the Division I membership. The committee will forward its request to the Board of Directors.

    Other highlights

    Division I Football Issues Committee
    February 8-9/Dallas

  • Received a request from the AFCA that the committee consider legislation that would provide five years of eligibility for student-athletes. The AFCA believes that as a result of the limitations on the number of grant-in-aids, the injury factor and the addition of the 12th regular-season game, a fifth year of eligibility was imperative. The committee agreed to entertain further discussion on the matter before taking action.

  • Reviewed the six-win requirement as it pertains to bowl eligibility in years during which a 12th regular-season game may be played and determined that the current regulation that requires a winning season, which would mean seven victories during the 12-game seasons, should remain in effect.

  • Reviewed issues related to the involvement of strength and conditioning coaches in summer conditioning activities. The committee noted that coaches believe that the most important thing they do to prepare their teams is the summer conditioning program, and the involvement of the strength and conditioning coaches ensures proper supervision. The committee agreed that legislation should be revised to address this situation, but it was noted that no changes could be made to the existing legislation before the 1999 summer sessions. The committee agreed to contact Management Council members and inform them of the urgency to consider this issue.