South Carolina State University Athletics

NCAA Manual

SC State Compliance Manual

Recruiting

Key definitions

Contact period: A contact period is a period of time when it is permissible to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.

Evaluations period: An evaluation period is a period of time when it is permissible to be involved in off-campus recruiting activities that assess the academic or playing ability of a prospective student-athlete. During this period no in-person, off-campus contact shall be made.

Quiet Period: During a quiet period, in-person, on-campus contacts may be made, but off-campus contacts and evaluations are impermissible.

Dead Period: During this time no contacts/evaluations can be made either on-campus or off-campus.

Evaluation: An evaluation is any off-campus activity that is used to assess the academic or playing qualifications of a prospective student-athlete, which includes any visit to prospective student-athlete's school or observation of practice or competition.
 

Recruiting-person-day: A recruiting-person-day is when a coach is engaged in off-campus recruiting activities of a prospective student-athlete, including those that have already signed NLI's on one day. If two coaches are engaged in off-campus recruiting activities then it would count as two days.

Contact Limitations
Football: SC State is limited to six in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts per prospective student-athlete at any site. Contacts made with the prospective student-athlete's relatives or guardian would count toward this limit. Contacts made during an official visit do not count toward the limit.

Men's Basketball: During the academic year, SC State is limited to seven in-person, off-campus contacts/evaluations per prospective student-athlete. SC State is limited to three in-person, off-campus contacts per prospective student-athlete during the prospective student-athlete's senior year. Basketball staff shall not exceed 130 recruiting-person-days during the academic year contact and evaluation periods.

Women's Basketball: During the academic year, coaches may make seven in person, off-campus contacts/evaluations per prospective student-athlete. SC State is limited to three in-person, off-campus contact's per prospective student-athlete during the prospective student-athlete's senior year. Basketball staff shall not exceed 112 recruiting-person-days during the academic year contact and evaluation periods.

Sports other than Football/Basketball: In sports other than football and basketball, SC State is limited to seven in person, off-campus recruiting opportunities (contacts/evaluations) per prospective student-athlete. During the prospective student-athlete's senior year, SC State may not make more than three in-person, off-campus contacts per prospective student-athlete. Contacts made on an official visit shall not be included in the limit.
 

Evaluations
Football: SC State is limited to three evaluations per academic year per prospective student-athlete for practice or competition. No more than one evaluation may be made during the fall evaluation period, and no more than two evaluations may be made during spring period.

Evaluation day limitations for certain sports include:

Football: 210 evaluation days (42 for fall and 168 for spring)
Volleyball: 80 evaluation days
Softball: 50 evaluation days
Men’s Basketball: 130 recruiting person days (Contacts and Evaluations)
Women’s Basketball: 112 recruiting person days (Contacts and Evaluations)

Official Visits
The following sports have limits on the number of official visits they can provide:
Football: 56
Basketball: 12


SC State can only pay for one visit per prospective student-athlete.

Prospective student-athletes are limited to five official visits.
 

Phone Call Limitations
The general rule regarding phone calls is that phone calls cannot be made to prospective student-athletes until after July 1 following the end of their junior year. After that the general rule is that coaches may call prospects once per week.

In football one call can be made between April 15 and May 31 of the prospective student-athlete's junior year. Starting Sept. 1 of the prospective student-athlete's senior year one call a week may be made.

In Men's Basketball, you can make one call per month on or after June 15 of the prospective student-athlete's sophomore year until July 31 after their junior year. After that, outside contact periods you can make two calls per week. During contact periods you can make calls at the institution's discretion.

In Women's Basketball, you can make one call per month during April of the prospective student-athlete's junior year following the Women's Final Four; one call per month during May of the prospective student-athlete's junior year, one call during the period of June 1-June 20 after the prospective student-athlete's junior year; one call from June 21-June 30; three calls during July after the prospective student-athlete's junior year (no more than one per week and not during evaluation periods); and after that one call per week outside contact periods and unlimited calls during contact periods.

A coach can receive calls from prospects at any time if it made at the prospective student-athlete's expense.

 

Official and Unofficial Visits
Official Visits
First Opportunity to Visit
In all sports, a prospect may not come on an official visit prior to the first day of classes of the prospect's senior year in high school.

A Women’s Basketball prospect may not be provided a visit during the July evaluation periods

Before a Prospect Makes a Visit
Coaches must obtain prior approval from the Compliance Office for their prospect to visit SC State by presenting a high school transcript and an ACT PLAN, PSAT or SAT test score. Prospects must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center and be in SC State’s Institutional Request List (IRL) prior to making an official visit. In addition, they must complete the amateurism questionnaire on the Eligibility Center website.

Length of the Official Visit
An official visit cannot exceed 48 hours. The 48-hour time period begins once the prospect arrives on campus and ends once contact with the prospect ceases. At the completion of the 48-hour visit, the prospect must leave campus immediately. If they do not, SC State cannot pay any expenses for the prospect to return home.
If it is too late to provide a visit, the 48-hour time period does not begin until the prospect arrives on campus the following morning.

 

Transportation

• An institution may pay for a prospect's actual round-trip transportation costs for their visit to campus from any location provided the prospect returns to the original point of departure at the conclusion of the visit. If the prospect wishes to travel to a location other than the original point of departure, SC State may pay for travel to the prospect's home, educational institution or competition site as long as the cost of doing so is less than the cost or sending them back to the original point of departure.
• A prospect's friends or relatives may receive cost-free transportation to visit the campus only when traveling by automobile with either the prospect or a member of the SC State coaching staff.
• If we provide air transportation for the prospect, we must use commercial transportation at coach class airfare. Airfare for commercial transportation may not exceed coach class. In addition, a coach may not accompany the prospect to or from an official visit when air travel is used except to provide transportation between campus and the major airport nearest SC State.

Meals

• The prospect and his or her parents may be provided with three meals per day and an additional snack during the 48 hours of the visit. The prospect and their family must pay the cost of meals for additional persons (e.g., brother sister, friend). During the visit, meals must take place within a 30 mile radius of campus.
• One of the permissible meals may occur at the home of an institutional staff member (i.e. coach, faculty, President). NCAA rules permit SC State, at its discretion, to reimburse the staff member for the cost of the meal.

Entertainment and Personalized Recruiting

• An institution may provide entertainment only for a prospect and the prospect's parents or spouse (not siblings or coaches)
• All entertainment must occur within a 30-mile radius of the institution's main campus.
• All entertainment provided to a prospect, a prospect's parents / legal guardian and a prospect's spouse must be paid through student-host money unless a specific exception exists (i.e. meals and complimentary admissions) in the NCAA rules. This includes entertainment provided by an athletics department staff member when that staff member is serving as the prospect's host.
• Personalized recruiting and game day simulations are not permissible. Examples of this include the use of a uniform or locker with the prospect's name on it, announcing a prospect's name over the PA system in a facility and showing video footage of a prospect on a facility's video board.
• It is not permissible to add special decorations or adornments to an area visited by a prospect.
• Prospects may not take part in pre-game team "walks" through public areas and traveling with a team receiving a police escort.

Complimentary Admissions

• Prospects on official visits may receive a maximum of three complimentary admissions to a home athletics event. Such complimentary admissions are for the use of the prospect and those persons accompanying the prospect. Two additional complimentary tickets are permitted to accommodate divorced or separated parents who are on the visit. Such admission may provide seating only in the general seating area of the facility utilized for conducting the event.
• Tickets for additional people accompanying the prospect may be reserved adjacent to the complimentary seats. These tickets must be purchased at face value.

Student Hosts

• A student host may receive a maximum of $30/day to cover all actual cost of entertaining a prospect and $15/day for additional prospects. This money may not be used to purchase souvenirs (e.g., T-shirts). You may provide one student host per prospect with a complimentary meal in a restaurant, provided the host accompanies the prospect during the meal.
• Only a student-athlete may serve as a host for a prospect. It is not permissible to utilize ancillary groups of students or non-students whose only roll in the recruiting process is to escort or entertain prospects.
• You may not provide the host or prospect with the use of an automobile, and the host may not take the prospect outside a 30-mile radius of campus.
• The student-athlete host may not be a non-qualifier who is currently in his or her first year of residence.

High School, AAU, or Preparatory Coaches

• High school, AAU or preparatory coaches may not be reimbursed for expenses incurred in transporting a prospect to campus for an official visit. 
• Entertainment of high school coaches is limited to the provision of two complimentary admissions to home athletics events taking place on the institution's campus.

Unofficial Visits
Number Permitted

• A prospect may visit SC State at his or her own expense an unlimited number of times. Such visits may take place at any time during a prospect's high school career.

Meals

• Prospects on an unofficial visit may pay the actual cost of meals (or regular cost of training-table meals) and eat with other prospects who are on their official visits or with enrolled student-athletes.
• Only the coaches certified to recruit off campus may eat with prospects off-campus during an unofficial visit. The meal must count as an off-campus contact, involve only contactable prospects, and occur during contact period. If the previous conditions are not met, the meal must take place on campus at a facility owned an operated by the university, (i.e., dorm or union). Other institutional staff members may only eat with prospects dining at on-campus facilities.

Entertainment and Complimentary Admission

• During an unofficial visit, SC State may not pay any expense or provide any entertainment except a maximum of three complimentary admissions (issued only through a pass list) to a home athletics event. These complimentary admissions are issued on an individual-game basis. Additional tickets may not be reserved for purchase by the prospect and must be purchased only in the same manner as any other member of the general public. In addition, only seating in the general seating area may be provided. SC State may not provide special seating for the prospect or the prospect's parents [or legal guardian(s)] or spouse in the facility's press box, special seating boxes) or bench area.
• A maximum of three complimentary admissions may be provided to a prospect for a home contests at a site other than its' regular competition facility. Tournament and postseason contests are excluded from this provision. High school coaches may not receive complimentary admissions at such events.
• It is permissible for an athletics department staff member to arrange for prospective student-athletes on unofficial visits to meet and socialize with enrolled student-athletes on campus only.
• It is permissible to provide a prospect with transportation to view campus facilities during an unofficial visit.

Housing

• A prospect on an unofficial visit may stay in an enrolled student-athlete's dormitory room only if the prospect pays the regular institutional rate.
• It is not permissible for prospects to stay with an enrolled student-athlete off-campus during an unofficial visit.

Scheduling of Camps
Basketball - Camps may only take place during June, July and August, or any calendar week (Sunday through Saturday) that includes days of those months (e.g., May 28 - June 3). [13.12.1.1.4]

Football - Camps may take place during two periods of 15 consecutive days in the months of June and July, or any calendar week (Sunday through Saturday) that includes days of those months (e.g., May 28 - June 3). [13.12.1.1.3] The dates of those two 15-day periods must be on file in the Compliance Office.

All Other Sports - Camps may take place any time during the year except during a recruiting dead period.

Promotion of Institutional Sports Camps
Permissible

• A current student-athlete's name, picture, and institutional affiliation maybe be used ONLY in the camp counselor section of your brochure to identify the student-athlete as a staff member. [12.5.1.6]
• Action photographs of student-athletes may be used in the camp/counselor section, provided the photo does not include other student-athletes with eligibility remaining that will not be working the camp. [12.5.1.6]
• Camp/Clinic brochures may be distributed to prospects (or their coaches) prior to September 1st of their junior year in high school. [13.4.1.1-(c)]

Impermissible

• A student-athlete's name or picture may not be used in any way (i.e., newspaper, radio, television advertisements) other than to identify the student-athlete as a staff member in the camp/counselor section of the brochure to directly advertise or promote the camp. [12.5.1.6]
• The names or pictures of student-athletes with eligibility remaining in the camp/clinic brochure may not be used if they will not be employed at the camp/clinic. [12.5.1.6]
• A student-athlete cannot be paid for having his/her name or picture used to advertise the camp/clinic. [12.5.2.1]
• The institutional camp/clinic may not be advertised in a high school, two-year, or non-scholastic game program or on a billboard located at a high school or two-year college facility. [SI 3/11/92]

Volunteer Coaches

11.01.5 Coach, Volunteer
In sports other than football and basketball, a volunteer coach is any coach who does not receive compensation or remuneration from the institution's athletics department or any organization funded in whole or in part by the athletics department or that is involved primarily in the promotion of the institution's athletics program (e.g., booster club, athletics foundation association). The following provisions shall apply:
 

1. The individual is prohibited from contacting and evaluating prospective student-athletes off campus or from scouting opponents off campus and may not perform recruiting coordination functions (see Bylaw 11.7.1.2).
2. The individual may receive a maximum of two complimentary tickets to home athletics contests in the coach's sport.
3. The individual may receive complimentary meals incidental to organized team activities (e.g., pre- or post-game meals, occasional meals, but not training table meals) or meals provided during a prospective student-athlete's official visit, provided the individual dines with the prospective student-athlete.

Volunteer Coaches may do the following:

• Purchase additional game tickets at face value.
• Receive apparel that is incidental to coaching (i.e., shoes, shirts and/or jackets).
• Receive the same awards as student-athletes for participation in championship events.
• Receive parking expenses associated with practice and / or competition.
• Travel with the team and be reimbursed for necessary and actual expenses incurred while traveling with the team (i.e., meals, lodging).
• Assist the coaching staff with administrative duties.
• Assist the coaching staff with on-campus recruiting activities (i.e., touring facilities).
• Use an institutional vehicle for transporting prospective student-athletes to/from the bus or train station or nearest major airport for an official visit and/or the prospect's initial arrival at the institution to attend classes or orientation.

Volunteer Coaches may not:

• · Receive or place phone calls to prospective student-athletes.
• · Write, e-mail, text or otherwise communicate with prospective student-athletes in writing.
• · Receive any on- or off-campus meals during unofficial visits. A head or assistant coach may not purchase a meal for a volunteer coach on- or off-campus.
• · Receive expenses for non-competition related travel, such as for conventions or professional development.
• · Travel with an assistant or head coach who is evaluating and/or contacting prospective student-athletes.
• · Coach or be involved in the same sport at a high school.
• · Provide prospects or student-athletes any extra benefits, such as lodging, meals and/or transportation.
• · Receive cash bonuses, stipends or gifts related to their volunteer coaching position from the athletic department, the head coach or any outside groups, including booster clubs.
• · Own or be employed by sports camps that are not operated in compliance with NCAA rules and regulations.
• · Provide lessons to prospective student-athletes, unless under a permissible NCAA tryout exception.
• · Receive a complimentary meal in conjunction with a prospect's unofficial visit.
• · Receive complimentary admission to a SC State contest in a sport other then their own (for example, to attend a football game during a prospect's visit).
   

Extra Benefits

An extra benefit is any special arrangement provided by an SC State employee or a Booster provided to a student-athlete or a student-athlete's relative or friend that is not authorized by the NCAA.

Examples of Impermissible Extra Benefits:

• Gift items (i.e. cash and jewelry)
• The use of an automobile or free transportation
• Giving a loan or helping secure a loan
• Free or reduced cost discounts on services (i.e. dry cleaning and car repair)
• Free or reduced cost discounts on purchases (i.e. drinks, meals, clothing and airline tickets)
• The use of a cell phone or phone card
• Free or reduced cost housing for student-athletes, their friends and/or family

Examples of Permissible Benefits SC State may provide:

• Athletics scholarships
• Equipment and apparel for practice and competition
• Travel expenses for competition
• Complimentary admissions to SC State athletic events for friends and family members
• Awards for athletic participation and achievement
• Medical services
• Academic support services
• Occasional Meals and meals incidental to participation