Graduating seniors and recruitable underclassman in the Kenai Peninsula School District, with intentions to play NCAA sports at the collegiate level, need to remain informed of recent changes and rulings by the NCAA.
With the NCAA Board of Governors directing modifications and waivers to provide relief to student-athletes and schools impacted by COVID-19, Division I took additional actions this week to protect the health and well-being of student-athletes, prospects, coaches, administrators and staff.
High School Seniors Completing Course-Work For NCAA Eligibility
The NCAA Eligibility Center will not require a separate review of distance or e-learning programs used by schools with NCAA-approved core courses that have moved to distance or e-learning environments for spring and summer 2020 due to school closures related to COVID-19. Students are encouraged to complete their NCAA-approved core courses through the channels of instruction provided or recommended by their school, district or state department of education.
In essence, KPBSD students on tract to graduate and on tract to complete required classes for NCAA eligibility need to complete classwork as directed by district and school guidelines.
NCAA Extends Dead Period
The Division I Council Coordination Committee on April 1st extended the recruiting dead period until May 31. The committee will continue to be guided by experts to determine whether the date should be extended. Division II also extended the dead period to May 31.
The most restrictive of all the recruiting periods is the NCAA Dead Period. During the dead period, coaches may not have any in-person contact with recruits and/or their parents. In other words, coaches are not allowed to talk to recruits at their college campus, the athlete’s school, an athletic camp or even the grocery store. Athletes and coaches are still allowed to communicate via phone, email, social media and other digital communication channels.
The Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committees will consider whether to establish alternative evaluation periods for NCAA-certified events later this year (ie: camps and tournaments).
NCAA (CCA) Establishes New Signing Period
The Collegiate Commissioners Association determined that all Division I and II sports will be in a signing period from April 15 to Aug. 1, 2020, including Division I basketball and football.
Any KPBSD recruitable student-athlete will be eligible to sign NCAA Letter of Intent during the extended signing period. This ruling extends the football signing date beyond the actual start date for college football.
Signing a Letter of Intent (from NCAAletter.org)
You are not required to sign an NLI but many prospective student-athletes sign because they want to create certainty in the recruiting process. Specifically, by signing an NLI, you agree to attend the institution for one year in exchange for the institution’s promise, in writing, to provide you athletics financial aid for the entire academic year. Simply, by signing an NLI you are given an award including athletics aid for the upcoming academic year provided you are admitted to the institution and you are eligible for athletics aid under NCAA rules. Furthermore, by signing an NLI you effectively end the recruiting process. Once you sign an NLI, a recruiting ban goes into effect and you may no longer be recruited by any other NLI school.
Sign-Up To Request Final Amateurism Certification
Student-athletes are able to request final amateurism several months prior to the date they intend to
enroll for the first time in an NCAA Division I or Division II member institution.
Enrolling in the Fall Semester
You may log in and request your final amateurism certification on or after April 1 of that year.
Enrolling in the Winter/Spring Semester
You may log in and request your final amateurism certification on or after October 1.
Your enrollment period should reflect your first full-time enrollment at an NCAA Division I or Division II member institution, and can be updated at any time.
Only Certification Accounts can request final amateurism certification.
If you currently have a Profile page and wish to pursue a Division I or II path, you will be able to
transition your Profile Page to a Certification Account from the Dashboard.
Link to Eligibility Center info page: Click Here
Guide For College-Bound Student Athlete
Any senior or recruitable underclassman should educate themselves on the rules and guidelines for NCAA intercollegiate sports.
Click here for link to Guide to College-Bound Student-Athlete