NCAA Division I Council passes new rules for recruiting dates. Here's what changed.

On Wednesday the NCAA Division I Council passed new rules that will push back the recruiting calendar for some prospective athletes.

The new rules, which were approved this week in Indianapolis, won’t have an impact on football or men’s and women’s basketball. The new rules state that Sept. 1 of a prospective student-athlete’s junior year of high school is the date official visits can start. The previous date was the first day of classes of their senior year.

The sport affected the most by the rules change is softball. The council passed a rule to prevent phone calls between coaches and recruits until Sept. 1 of their junior year and will allow off-campus recruiting contact to also start on Sept. 1.

Also, athletic departments can’t participate in a recruit’s unofficial visit until Sept. 1 of the prospects' junior year of high school. Recruiting conversations during a school’s clinic or camp can’t happen before Sept. 1 of the junior year. Softball currently has the most student-athletes who commit to schools as ninth-graders or younger.

The rules will go into effect next school year. The council action isn’t considered final until the board meeting closes on April 25.

This story was originally published April 19, 2018 at 1:58 PM with the headline "NCAA Division I Council passes new rules for recruiting dates. Here's what changed.."