What do Penn State fans need to know about the updated 2024-25 recruiting calendar?

Penn State is only weeks away from the start of preseason camp, but the end of July also means the start of a new recruiting calendar that features multiple changes compared to previous years. Not only will coaches not be on the road as much over the next 12 months, but the calendar also features a 62-day stretch where on-campus recruiting won’t be allowed.

So, what do fans need to know about the upcoming changes? We break down the significant changes to each months below, but first, it’s important to understand the terminology of the calendar if you’re unfamiliar with it.

This is how the NCAA defines each period.

Quiet Period – A quiet period is that period of time when it is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution’s campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period.

Dead Period – A dead period is that period of time when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution’s campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus.

Contact Period – A contact period is that period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.

Evaluation Period – An evaluation period is that period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to be involved in off-campus activities designed to assess the academic qualifications and playing ability of prospective student-athletes. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts shall be made with the prospective student-athlete during.

August 2024

As has been the case for a few years now, August is set to remain a dead period, which is good for both parties. Recruits used to be able to take in preseason practice, but that hasn’t been the case for nearly a decade now. This allows coaches to focus on their current roster during such an important four-week stretch leading up to the start of the season.

September – November 2024

Just like with August, you won’t see any major changes during the regular season. These three months have always been considered an “evaluation period,” and that’s once again the case this fall.

Unlike a contact period, Penn State and all Division I coaches aren’t allowed to communicate with prospects and their families in-person. However, they are allowed to attend high school games to evaluate players, with each school getting 33 “days” to be out on the road. That number used to be 42 but was dropped to 32 this past year.

So, for example, if PSU elects to send both Terry Smith and James Franklin to Pittsburgh for the day, that counts as two days. With that said, coaches can stop by as many schools as they’d like during that day, which is often why you see coaches traveling in helicopters this time of the year to maximize the number of stops they make.

December 2024

This is where things start to look a bit different. This past year, Dec. 1-16 was a contact period, which allowed coaches to be out on the road for both in-school and in-home visits. This is when we saw the majority of those in-home visits for the senior prospects. That won’t be the case this upcoming year.

Following the NCAA’s decision to move up the early signing period to Dec. 4-6, the month essentially starts out as a dead period, Dec. 2-8, then moves to a quiet period from Dec. 9-22. The quiet period will allow for on-campus recruiting, but it keeps coaches off the road themselves. That’s important when you consider that the first round of this year’s College Football Playoff is set for Dec. 20-21.

So, coaches get to stay home and put the majority of focus on their teams, but they will also be allowed to host both high school prospects and transfer portal prospects during that two-week stretch. There will also be no off-campus transfer portal recruiting. Players in the portal will have to come to the school now.

Then, beginning Dec. 23 through New Year’s, the calendar will return to a dead period, which has always been the case around the holidays. Coaches can communicate with prospects electronically during a dead period, but that’s it. No in-person recruiting is allowed.

January 2025

January will be a bit different this year compared to previously but not as drastic as December. As we’ve always seen, the month will start as a dead period, but that only lasts until Jan. 5. We’ll then see a contact period from Jan. 6-11, allowing Penn State’s coaches to meet with not only 2025 prospects at their both their home and at school, but also meet with 2026 players at their schools.

With that said, while some schools may still be recruiting 2025 at this point, Penn State and many others will likely be focused on 2026. They’ll do in-home visits with a few of the 2025 players who don’t enroll early, but the class should be done by this point.

We’ll then see a dead period for just three days, Jan. 13-15, which is the same week the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) hosts its annual convention. Then, beginning on Jan. 16 and lasting until Feb. 1, coaches will once again be out on the road meeting with prospects.

Those off-campus visits will mainly take place Sunday through Friday. That’s because this is when schools also host the majority of their junior day events each Saturday: Jan. 11, 18 & 25.

February 2025

Once again, February will be a dead period for all but two days. Penn State will be allowed to host a fourth recruiting event on Feb. 1, which we saw them do this past year, but remaining weeks are limited to just electronic communication, whether that’s over the phone or via messaging. This frees up Penn State’s staff to focus on their current roster’s development ahead of spring practice.

March – May 2025

The first two days of March will be a continuation of the dead period, but the calendar then shifts to a quiet period from March 3 to April 14. That allows recruits to visit campus to watch spring practice and meet with the staff while also keeping coaches off the road.

April 15 to May 24 will then shift to a contact period. This stretch used to be an evaluation period for many years but was changed to a contact period for the first time in 2024. This allows coaches to not only watch players workout, but they’ll also be allowed to communicate with 2026 prospects and their families at their school. Coaches used to only be able to watch players and not communicate with them. That’s a big change.

( Note: There’s talk that the NCAA may eventually allow for in-home visits during this contact period since they’re no longer allowed in December. Keep an eye on that. That could be another big change to come.)

May 25-28 will feature a brief four-day dead period for Memorial Day, which has always been the case, before it shifts back to a quiet period from May 30 to June 23. Just as we saw this past year, fans should expect official visits to begin for the vast majority of 2026 prospects on May 30.

June – July 2025

You won’t find many changes when it comes to June. Coaches will have four weeks to squeeze in as many official visits as they can while also being allowed to host or travel to 10 camps during that four-week stretch.

What’s different is that beginning on June 23, recruits won’t be allowed back on campus again until games begin in the fall. That’s because all of July is set to be a dead period in 2025. That’s not the case this year, which means events like the Lasch Bash Barbecue will likely have to be moved to a different month. It’s possible the NCAA could change up what’s allowed in August when next year’s calendar comes around, but as of now, that’s unlikely to happen.

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