Recruiting calendar re-charge: Dead period begins Monday for Florida Gators
For the Florida Gators — and every other program in college football — recruiting never stops. And that’s reflected in the sport’s jam-packed recruiting calendar.
But it does slow down sometimes. At least a little bit, anyway.
Following a busy three-week contact period, Monday is the first day of the next recruiting dead period. What does that mean — and what is ahead over the next several months for Gators recruiting?
Here’s a quick overview:
Feb. 5-March 3: Dead period. Communication with recruits is allowed, but in-person recruiting on campus or off campus is not permitted. During the contact period that just ended, Florida coaches, including Billy Napier, were out and about recruiting — and the Gators also hosted prospects on campus. That allowed Florida to have multiple junior days during the previous four weeks.
Now things are “dead.”
While recruiting continues, this at least gives Florida’s army of staff a brief reprieve from hosting events.
The spring always is a busy time on the recruiting calendar
March 4-April 14: Quiet period. In-person recruiting on campus is allowed. In-person recruiting off campus is not allowed. This is a hugely important recruiting window because it takes place while the Gators — and pretty much everyone else — has spring practice. It’s a time when getting recruits on campus is crucial because they not only get one-on-one time with coaches, but can watch a team operate in practice and sit in on meetings.
As Gators Online was first to report, Florida’s spring game is April 13. That will be the third of three scrimmages for the Gators. They will hold their first scrimmage March 30 and the second April 6, both on Saturdays. The first practice is March 7.
The Gators will host a ton of prospects during this window.
April 15-May 25: Contact period. Once the Gators’ spring season ends, the Florida coaches will then be on the road to evaluate prospects across the country. All told, you get 140 recruiting days to be split among your staff. Head coaches are not allowed to recruit off campus during this window; only assistants. Meanwhile, a program also can host visitors on campus at this time. It’s an extremely busy period.
May 26-29: Dead period.
June is another busy month for the Gators
May 30-June 23: Quiet period. Look for the Gators to host official visits (this was a busy stretch for them in 2023), prospect camps and 7-on-7 events. It’s a jam-packed window, but all the action will happen in Gainesville.
June 24-July 24: Dead period. With the start of preseason practice nearing, the Florida staff will get a month to recharge. Again, communications with recruits is allowed, but in-person recruiting on campus or off campus is not permitted. It’s a welcome breather to most coaches and off-field staffers.
July 25-31: Quiet period. This is Florida’s last chance to host recruits before preseason practice begins. It’s a small window so there’s a mad rush by most schools to get the top players on campus. Everyone is scratching and clawing. They won’t get in-person contact with prospects again until the season begins.
For more on the NCAA recruiting calendar, go HERE.
