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NCAA recuiting dead period ending: ‘All gas and no brakes’

Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / UTC football coach Rusty Wright is helping host two camps in June and another in July, and he is eager to move past the lengthy NCAA dead period that was implemented after the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / UTC football coach Rusty Wright is helping host two camps in June and another in July, and he is eager to move past the lengthy NCAA dead period that was implemented after the outbreak of the coronavirus.

By David Paschall 5 min read

The longest recruiting dead period in NCAA history has reached the finish line.

After nearly 15 months of no face-to-face contact between college coaches and prospects, such encounters can begin Tuesday, and plenty of release-the-hounds moments are expected.

“It’s going to be all gas and no brakes,” University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Rusty Wright said. “You’ve got all these camps going on, and it’s going to be the same way for the kids. They’re ready to go and see places.”

The NCAA abruptly implemented a dead period on March 13, 2020, which was one day after the governing body canceled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The dead period has been extended eight times since, most recently in February.

Four new Southeastern Conference football coaches – Auburn’s Bryan Harsin, South Carolina’s Shane Beamer, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea – have yet to be able to visit with recruits.