CoachReachNCAA Recruiting Calendar 2026-27
Division I and Division II · every sport the NCAA publishes
Pick your sport
Today's period, sport by sport
| Calendar | Today |
|---|---|
| Division I FBS football | Evaluation periodthrough Nov 29, 2026. Next: dead period Nov 30 – Dec 31, 2026. |
| Division I FCS football | Evaluation periodthrough Nov 29, 2026. Next: dead period Nov 30 – Dec 3, 2026. |
| Division I men's basketball | Contact periodthrough Nov 8, 2026. Next: dead period Nov 9–12, 2026. |
| Division I women's basketball | Evaluation periodthrough Dec 23, 2026. Next: dead period Dec 24–26, 2026. |
| Division I baseball | Quiet periodthrough Nov 8, 2026. Next: dead period Nov 9–12, 2026. |
| Division I softball | Evaluation periodthrough Nov 8, 2026. Next: dead period Nov 9–12, 2026. |
| Division I women's volleyball | Contact periodthrough Nov 8, 2026. Next: dead period Nov 9–12, 2026. |
| Division I men's soccer | No restricted periodNo dead or quiet period today: in-person recruiting is allowed (from the permitted date for your grade) until Nov 8, 2026. Next: dead period Nov 9–12, 2026. |
| Division I women's soccer | No restricted periodNo dead or quiet period today: in-person recruiting is allowed (from the permitted date for your grade) until Nov 8, 2026. Next: dead period Nov 9–12, 2026. |
| Other Division I sports | No restricted periodNo dead or quiet period today: in-person recruiting is allowed (from the permitted date for your grade) until Nov 8, 2026. Next: dead period Nov 9–12, 2026. |
| Calendar | Today |
|---|---|
| Division II football | Contact perioduntil Nov 29, 2026 (Division II is a contact period all year except the listed dead periods). Next: dead period Nov 30 – Dec 2, 2026. |
| Division II (all sports except football) | Contact perioduntil Nov 8, 2026 (Division II is a contact period all year except the listed dead periods). Next: dead period Nov 9–11, 2026. |
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Key dates 2026-27
| Date | What |
|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2026 | Basketball early signing period opensD1 men's basketball, D1 women's basketball · Fall signing date for D1/D2 basketball and all other non-football sports. The early period ran one week in 2025-26 (Nov. 12-19, 2025), so expect it to close about Nov. 18, 2026. |
| Nov 11, 2026 | Fall signing dateD1 baseball, D1 softball, D1 women's volleyball, D1 men's soccer, D1 women's soccer, D2 (except football) · Initial signing date for D1/D2 non-football sports. |
| Dec 2, 2026 | Football early signing period opens (D1)EstimatedD1 FBS football, D1 FCS football · Expected Dec. 2-4, 2026 (first Wednesday of December through Friday, same formula as Dec. 3-5, 2025). The NCAA's 2026-27 signing-dates PDF still shows 2025-26 dates; matches the FBS dead period starting Nov. 30, 2026. Verify. |
| Dec 2, 2026 | D2 football midyear two-year college signing dateD2 football · Based on the end of the D2 signing-date dead period. |
| Feb 3, 2027 | Football regular signing date (D1 and D2)D1 FBS football, D1 FCS football, D2 football · Matches the NCAA D2 2026-27 calendar (signing-date dead period Feb. 1 7 AM to Feb. 3 7 AM, 2027) and school-district signing-day guidance. |
| Apr 14, 2027 | Basketball regular signing period opens (approx.)EstimatedD1 men's basketball, D1 women's basketball · ESTIMATED. Not yet published; it was April 15 in 2025-26. One third-party source lists April 14, 2027. |
Other Division I sports
Division I sports without their own calendar have no contact or evaluation periods. Once you reach the permitted date for your sport, in-person recruiting is allowed year-round except during the dead periods, quiet periods and recruiting shutdowns the NCAA lists. For "all other sports" the 2026-27 list is one dead period: Nov. 9–12, 2026, the Monday through Thursday of the fall signing week.
Several sports on the NCAA's Other Division I Sports calendar add their own periods, including field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, rowing, soccer, swimming and diving, and wrestling. Check the NCAA Other Division I Sports calendar (PDF) for your sport, and see the soccer recruiting calendar for soccer's dates.
Division II
Division II is a contact period all year except the dates listed. For every sport except football, the 2026-27 dead periods are:
- Nov 9–11, 2026: dead period. Signing-date dead period (Nov. 9 7 AM - Nov. 11 7 AM) for high school prospects.
Division II football has its own dead periods: see the football recruiting calendar. Source: NCAA 2026-27 Division II calendar (PDF).
What each recruiting period means
- Contact period
- College coaches may have in-person contact with you and your family, on or off their campus, and may watch you play or practice.
- Evaluation period
- Coaches may watch you play or practice off campus (for example at your school or an approved event), but may not have in-person, off-campus contact with you.
- Quiet period
- In-person recruiting contact is allowed only on the college's campus. No in-person, off-campus contact and no off-campus evaluations.
- Dead period
- No in-person recruiting contact or evaluations, on or off campus, and no official or unofficial visits to the campus. Coaches may still call, text and email within the normal rules for your sport.
- Recruiting shutdown
- No recruiting of any kind: no contact, evaluations, official or unofficial visits, calls, texts, emails or DMs, and no liking or reposting a prospect's posts. (A Division I rule; contact with an athlete who has already signed is allowed.)
Periods limit what college coaches may do. You can email a coach at any time; whether and how a coach may answer depends on your sport, your grade and the period.
Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior college
The NCAA publishes recruiting calendars for Division I (separate calendars for football, basketball, baseball, softball, women's volleyball and several other sports, plus one "Other Division I Sports" calendar) and Division II (one calendar for football and one for every other sport). The dates on this page come from those calendars.
NAIA and junior college programs (NJCAA, CCCAA and others) belong to separate associations, so the NCAA calendars on this page do not apply to them. Check with the program or its association for their rules.
Recruiting guides
Questions, answered
What is the NCAA recruiting calendar?
The NCAA recruiting calendar sets the dates when college coaches may meet recruits in person (contact periods), watch them play (evaluation periods), meet them only on campus (quiet periods), or not recruit in person at all (dead periods). Division I and Division II each publish calendars for 2026-27.
When is the fall 2026 signing date?
The fall signing date for Division I and II sports other than football is Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. Every Division I sport with a fall signing date has a dead period Nov. 9-12, 2026 (the women's basketball calendar does not mark one).
Can I email college coaches during a dead period?
Yes. You can email a coach at any time. A dead period stops in-person contact, evaluations and campus visits; coaches may still call, text and email within the normal rules for your sport. A Division I recruiting shutdown is stricter: no recruiting communication of any kind.
How is the Division II recruiting calendar different?
Division II is a contact period all year except the listed dead periods. Recruiting materials may be sent at any time. Calls, texts and other communication with prospects and their families are allowed at any time. Unlimited in-person off-campus contact and official visits start June 15 before junior year of high school, outside dead and signing-date dead periods. Once a prospect signs with another D1 or D2 school, no school may contact them or their family or coaches.
Do Division III, NAIA and junior colleges have an NCAA recruiting calendar?
The NCAA publishes recruiting calendars for Division I and Division II. NAIA and junior college programs belong to separate associations, so the NCAA calendars do not apply to them.
Sources
- NCAA 2026-27 D1 football FBS calendar (PDF)
- NCAA 2026-27 D1 football FCS calendar (PDF)
- NCAA 2026-27 D1 basketball calendar (PDF)
- NCAA 2026-27 D1 basketball calendar (PDF)
- NCAA 2026-27 D1 baseball calendar (PDF)
- NCAA 2026-27 D1 softball calendar (PDF)
- NCAA 2026-27 D1 volleyball calendar (PDF)
- NCAA 2026-27 D1 soccer calendar (PDF)
- NCAA 2026-27 D2 football calendar (PDF)
- NCAA Division I recruiting shutdown summary
Built from the NCAA's official 2026-27 recruiting calendar PDFs (ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com, updated July 30 and Aug. 4, 2026). NCAA rules change often, and some dates depend on championship schedules. Entries marked estimated are not yet officially published. This is informational only and does not replace the NCAA Manual or a college compliance office.
