Recruiting timeline
Recruiting dates by grad year
NCAA and NAIA tennis recruiting rules, turned into real dates for your player's graduation year.
Dates for every class
| Rule | When | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 Calls, texts, email, DMs and recruiting materials | June 15 after sophomore year | Jun 15, 2025 | Jun 15, 2026 | Jun 15, 2027 | Jun 15, 2028 | Jun 15, 2029 | Jun 15, 2030 |
| D1 Verbal scholarship offers | June 15 after sophomore year | Jun 15, 2025 | Jun 15, 2026 | Jun 15, 2027 | Jun 15, 2028 | Jun 15, 2029 | Jun 15, 2030 |
| D1 Off-campus contact (in person) | August 1 before junior year | Aug 1, 2025 | Aug 1, 2026 | Aug 1, 2027 | Aug 1, 2028 | Aug 1, 2029 | Aug 1, 2030 |
| D1 Unofficial visits | August 1 before junior year | Aug 1, 2025 | Aug 1, 2026 | Aug 1, 2027 | Aug 1, 2028 | Aug 1, 2029 | Aug 1, 2030 |
| D1 Official visits | August 1 before junior year | Aug 1, 2025 | Aug 1, 2026 | Aug 1, 2027 | Aug 1, 2028 | Aug 1, 2029 | Aug 1, 2030 |
| D2 Off-campus contact (in person) | June 15 before junior year | Jun 15, 2025 | Jun 15, 2026 | Jun 15, 2027 | Jun 15, 2028 | Jun 15, 2029 | Jun 15, 2030 |
| D2 Official visits | June 15 before junior year | Jun 15, 2025 | Jun 15, 2026 | Jun 15, 2027 | Jun 15, 2028 | Jun 15, 2029 | Jun 15, 2030 |
| D3 Official visits | January 1 of junior year | Jan 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 1, 2028 | Jan 1, 2029 | Jan 1, 2030 | Jan 1, 2031 |
Rules without a fixed date
Questionnaires, camp information and NCAA materials: any time
Coaches may send these at any age. They are not personal recruiting contact.
Signing an athletics aid agreement: senior year (date set each year)
The National Letter of Intent has ended in Division I; players now sign an athletics aid agreement, which must be mailed. The 2025-26 calendar set the fall signing week as Nov. 10–13, 2025. We could not confirm the signing dates for later classes, so check the NCAA calendar for your year.
Calls, texts, email and recruiting materials: any time
Division II allows communication and athletics recruiting materials at any time.
Unofficial visits: not confirmed
The NCAA student guide says Division II unofficial visits must come after the first permitted date for the sport, but the Division II guide gives no date for them. We could not confirm a start date.
Calls, texts, email, materials and unofficial visits: no set date
Division III uses no recruiting calendar. We could not find the bylaw text that confirms there is no limit on calls, messages, materials or unofficial visits, so treat this as unconfirmed.
Off-campus contact (in person): after sophomore year is complete
A 2019 rule change says in-person, off-campus contact may not happen until the player has completed sophomore year. There is no fixed calendar date. We read the 2019 rule text, not the current manual.
Contact with coaches: few restrictions
The NAIA says its recruiting process has few restrictions on contact between a player and a coach. It has no binding letter of intent, though some conferences recognise ones signed within the conference. Eligibility is decided by the NAIA Eligibility Center (PlayNAIA.org).
Sources
- NCAA DI Recruiting Guide, All Other Sports (effective Aug 1, 2022; newest chart published)
- NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete 2026-27
- NCAA DI Recruiting Calendar 2025-26, All Other Sports
- NCAA DII Coaches Off-Campus Recruiting Guide 2026-27
- NCAA DIII 2019 Convention Official Notice (Bylaw 13.1 off-campus contact)
- NCAA DIII Summary of NCAA Regulations 2026-27
- NAIA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete
Checked October 12, 2026. Tennis is in the NCAA "All Other Sports" group, and men's and women's tennis follow the same rules. The newest Division I chart we could find is effective August 1, 2022; we found no later change to these dates. Confirm with each school's compliance office.
Questions parents ask
When can college tennis coaches contact my child?
It depends on the division. Division I tennis coaches can call, text, email and send recruiting materials from June 15 after sophomore year, and meet in person off campus from August 1 before junior year. Division II coaches can communicate at any time, with off-campus contact from June 15 before junior year. The NAIA has few contact restrictions.
When are official visits allowed?
Division I: August 1 before junior year. Division II: June 15 before junior year. Division III: January 1 of junior year. Each school may offer one official visit.
Is there still a National Letter of Intent?
Not in Division I: players now sign an athletics aid agreement, which must be mailed. NAIA has no binding letter of intent, though some conferences recognise one. We could not confirm the current Division II practice.
Can my child contact coaches before these dates?
These dates limit what coaches may do. Players and parents can email coaches, fill in questionnaires and go to camps earlier, but Division I coaches cannot reply with recruiting messages before the date.