Recruiting Q&A Regarding UIL's Announcement for TXHSFB Schedule in 2020-21

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5A and 6A schools will have a delayed start, while 1A-4A schools will begin the season without any changes. 

Q: Will Early College Enrollees and Graduates Be Affected?

A: Classes for the Spring Semesters are set to begin on January 13th and 19th, and the state title games are slated to be played the week of January 11-16. So while the window may be very tight for any teams playing in the semifinals or state title games, there should be enough flexibility for those select few athletes in those games. UIL allows baseball and softball players to play in playoff games post-graduation, so a precedent has been set in other sports. 

Note: This answer may be updated with more clarification from the UIL. 

Q: Will Texas Players Be Able to Participate in the All-American Bowl Games?

A: Most prospects will still be able to play in the post-season games. The major All-American games (All-American Bowl and UA All-America Game) take place in early January. So far, seven Texas-based players have been selected for the All-American Bowl in San Antonio on January 2. Thirteen Texas-based players have been selected for the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando (date TBD). Only those players who are still rooted in a playoff run will be affected. 

Q: Will College Coaches Be Able to Evaluate 5A-6A Athletes in the TXHSFB Playoffs?

A: Typically, the NCAA Dead Period* begins around December 15 and extends to January 15. Those are loose dates, but that is what usually happens in a normal NCAA calendar year. 2020 is not the typical year, and the NCAA calendar has not yet been updated and released for the 2020-21 cycle. The current NCAA calendar is set to expire at the end of July. So the answer for now, as I understand it, would be no.  

*Dead Period Definition: A 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.

Q: Can Athletes Make Visits to Campuses During the Season?

A: Yes. Unless there are unanticipated changes to the NCAA calendar OR the Dead Period is extended past August 31 due to COVID-19 concerns. Official and Unofficial visits usually begin on September 1 and are allowed until the Dead Period begins in the middle of December. 

Q: Will College Coaches Have Fewer Chances to Evaluate 5A-6A Prospects in Person?

A: Yes. Unless the NCAA changes the standard Recruiting Calendar, there will be three fewer weeks of games for coaches to attend. College coaches can go on the road and evaluate during the Evaluation and Contact Periods, which fall in line with the September 1 - December 15 visit timeline above. College coaches can attend practices during this time, but they typically don't because they are game-planning for their opponents. 

Here is a handy link to the current Division I NCAA Calendar

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