Your signing guide.
Your next step.

Put these dates on your calendar

These dates concern written athletics aid agreements. Midyear two-year college transfers and four-year transfers have separate provisions. Midyear high school graduates enrolling midyear also have a signing exception; confirm your situation with the college’s compliance office.

Source: NCAA signing dates and recruiting guidance ↗ · D1 Manual: written offers and signing provisions ↗

A recruiting calendar is not an offer deadline

Signing dates determine when an agreement may be signed. Recruiting calendars determine when particular in-person recruiting activities are allowed.

• FBS: November 30–December 31, 2026 is a dead period.
• FCS: November 30–December 3 and December 21–31, 2026 are dead periods. December 18–20 is a quiet period. Check the official calendar before scheduling a visit.
• D2: December 22, 2026–January 1, 2027 is a football dead period. Signing-related restrictions also apply.

Dead period: No in-person recruiting contacts, evaluations, or official/unofficial visits. Permissible calls, texts, and emails can continue. Quiet period: In-person recruiting contact is limited to campus; off-campus contact and evaluation are restricted.

Check the official FBS calendar, FCS calendar, and D2 calendar.

Before you say yes, ask for specifics

1. What opportunity is being offered? Ask whether this is athletics aid, a roster opportunity, a walk-on discussion, or continued evaluation.
2. What will our family pay? Request an itemized estimate after grants and scholarships. Separate loans and work-study from grant aid.
3. What does the agreement cover? Confirm its duration, renewal terms, conditions, and what happens if circumstances change.
4. What still needs approval? Clarify admission, eligibility certification, academic records, and any other conditions.
5. When is the decision due? Ask for the school’s actual deadline in writing. Do not assume every offer stays open until signing day.

A visit, questionnaire, transcript request, or encouraging conversation can be a useful next step. Ask the coach what it means for your individual recruitment.

Unsigned seniors: take action this week

1. Update your football profile. Include graduation year, school, positions, accurate measurements, current statistics, and working film links.
2. Make your best film easy to find. Lead with strong, representative plays and identify yourself clearly. Make full-game film available when a coach requests it.
3. Check your academics. Ask your counselor to review NCAA-approved core courses and your core-course GPA. Review your eligibility account and each college’s admissions requirements.
4. Build a balanced school list. Consider academic fit, football fit, cost, distance, and realistic opportunities across multiple levels.
5. Request a concrete next step. Ask whether the staff has evaluated your film, is recruiting your position and class, and needs additional information.
6. Track the response. Record the coach, date, requested documents, follow-up date, and any offer conditions or deadlines.

Keep sensitive academic documents private and send them through the school’s requested secure process.

Keep every pathway in perspective

Different associations and divisions use different aid, eligibility, and commitment processes. Use our College Pathways guide to compare options. Confirm the applicable agreement and signing rules with each school; do not apply NCAA dates automatically to NAIA or junior colleges.

Official resources for your next step

• NCAA recruiting and signing dates
• NCAA Eligibility Center
• NAIA prospective student resources

Rules and calendars can change. Confirm individual circumstances with the college’s compliance and financial aid staff. This NCA guide focuses on high school recruiting; transfer windows are a separate process.

Build options. Make an informed decision.

Your next chapter deserves a plan. Keep communicating, compare the full college opportunity, and prepare to act when the right fit becomes clear.