Compliance

Red Wolves Coaches & Staff

This section of the Arkansas State Compliance Website is meant to provide ASU coaches with an easy reference to some of the relevant NCAA bylaws that coaches deal with on a day-to-day basis. This site is not meant to be a form of comprehensive rules education. Please contact the ASU Compliance Office if you have any questions regarding NCAA rules and regulations.

Thanks for visiting, and have a great season!

Extra Benefits

An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an ASU employee or a Booster to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete's relative or friend with a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation.

Examples of Impermissible Extra Benefits:

• Gift items, such as cash, jewelry, or electronic equipment
• The use of an automobile or free transportation
• Giving a loan or helping to secure a loan
• Free or reduced cost discounts on services, such dry cleaning, or car repair
• Free or reduced cost discounts on purchases, such as drinks, meals, clothing or 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 ASU may provide:

• Athletics scholarships
• Athletic equipment for practice and competition
• Travel expenses for competition
• Complimentary admissions to ASU contests for family and friends
• Awards to recognize student-athlete participation and achievement
• Medical treatment
• Academic support services
• An occasional meal
• A prize as part of a promotional activity, as long as he/she is selected at random and the promotion is open to the general public

These lists are not exhaustive and are merely a few examples of permissible and impermissible benefits. This issue is very complex and inadvertent violations can happen very easily without any intention of providing an extra benefit.  As a result, we strongly encourage you to contact the Compliance Office before providing a benefit of any kind to one of our ASU student-athletes. 

Camps & Clinics

INSTITUTIONAL CAMP BASICS

• Camp brochures must be approved by the Compliance Office prior to being sent out. It is permissible for coaches to send a camp confirmation to a prospect via regular U.S. Mail or e-mail even if the prospect is a high school freshman or sophomore. This confirmation may include information about the camp and required forms (e.g., liability waiver) in the mailing. The mailing may contain camp-related information only (i.e., no recruiting information) and may only be sent to individuals that have signed up for the camp.
• Basketball camps must include an educational session per NCAA Bylaw 13.12.1.8.
• Corporate sponsors may be involved with your camp, so long as (1) no current or prospective student-athlete's names or pictures are used to promote the camp, (2) the sponsor does not provide recruiting or scouting services, (3) the sponsor's funds are not targeted at particular prospects, and (4) all other camp/clinic regulations are followed. A Camp Sponsorship Form listing all camp sponsors should be reviewed by the Business Office for possible sponsorship conflicts prior to the start of the camp.
• The cost of any awards (e.g., t-shirts) provided to camp participants must be included in the camp fees.
• Boosters may not provide anything of value (gifts, transportation, etc.) to camp participants.
• Coaches may not work for a camp conducted or sponsored by an individual/company that provides prospect recruiting or prospect scouting services.

SCHEDULING OF INSTITUTIONAL SPORTS CAMPS/CLINICS

Basketball -

You may conduct a basketball camp/clinic only 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 -

You may conduct a football camp only 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 -

• You may conduct a camp/clinic in any sport other than football or basketball at any time during the year except during a recruiting dead period.
• You may not conduct a camp/clinic that includes prospective student-athletes in any sport during a recruiting dead period. [13.12.1.4]

Recruiting Materials

Permissible Recruiting Materials - ASU coaching staff members may not provide a prospect or a prospect's coaches with any recruiting materials not listed in Bylaw 13.4.1.

The following recruiting materials may be provided to a prospect at any time, including during his or her freshman and sophomore years in high school:

1.     Camp Brochures.

2.     Questionnaires.

3.     NCAA Educational Information such as the NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete.

After September 1 of the prospect's junior year, or, for men's basketball, June 15 after the conclusion of the prospect's sophomore year in high school, an institution may provide the following printed materials to prospects and /or a prospect's coaches:

1.     General Correspondence; including letters, postcards issued by the US Postal Services (i.e., blank cards) and institutional note cards and postcards. Attachments may not be items that were created specifically for recruiting purposes.

2.     One annual media guide or recruiting publication limited to 208 pages per sport. It is impermissible to provide any other athletic department publications to a prospect. An institution may not create a portfolio of information (e.g., pictures) to be shown to prospects during the recruiting process unless it is considered the institution's one permissible athletics recruiting publication.

3.     Official academic, admissions and student services publications or videotapes published by the institution and available to all students.

4.     Business Cards.

5.     Electronic Transmissions. Electronically transmitted correspondence (e-mail or fax) may be sent to a prospect. Color attachments may be included with electronic mail correspondence sent to a prospect, provided the attachment does not include any animation, audio or video clips and there is no cost (e.g., subscription fee) associated with sending the item attached to the electronic mail correspondence.

6.     Note Cards - Institutional note cards are a permissible recruiting item, but they must meet very restrictive form and content criteriato be permissible. Specifically, the cover of the note card may only include a single institutional or sport logo and the card itself may not exceed 8 1/2 by 11 when fully opened. There may be no printing on the back or inside of the card. Only handwritten information may be included inside the card.

7.     Post Cards - ASU may send an institutional postcard, provided the postcard's dimensions do not exceed 4 ¼ by 6 inches, and includes only the institution's name and logo on one side and only handwritten information on the opposite side. A blank U.S. postal service postcard may also be used.

Exception - Game Programs: Game programs may be provided to a prospect, regardless of grade level or age, during either an official or unofficial visit. Game programs may not be mailed to prospects or their coaches.

Other Materials - Materials produced by athletics but not listed above may be posted to ASU's athletics website, but may not be printed and provided to a prospect via mail or during a campus visit.

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.

Quite 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 than it would count as two days.

Contact Limitations

Football: ASU 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, ASU is limited to seven in-person, off-campus contacts/evalutations per prospective student-athlete. ASU 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. ASU 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 100 recruiting-person-days during the academic year contact and evaluation periods.

Sports other than Football/Basketball: In sports other than football and basketball, ASU is limited to seven in person, off-campus recruiting opportunities (contacts/evaluations) per prospective student-athlete. During the prospective student-athlete's senior year, ASU 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: ASU shall be limited to three evaluations per academic year in which the prospective student-athlete practices or competes. 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

Official Visits

The following sports have limitations as to official visits:

Football: 56

Basketball: 12

Baseball: 25

School 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-athelte'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, so long as it is at the prospective student-athlete's expense.

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:

a.    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).

b.    The individual may receive a maximum of two complimentary tickets to home athletics contests in the coach's sport.

c.     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

• 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 an otherwise impermissible 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 UM contest in a sport other then their own (for example, to attend a football game during a prospect's visit).