High School Lacrosse Recruiting Timeline & Contact Rules

NCAA Division I lacrosse (men's and women's)

Before Sept. 1 of junior year: no recruiting calls, texts, emails, DMs or recruiting materials from D1 lacrosse coaches (Bylaws 13.1.3.1.2 and 13.4.1.2), and coaches can't take your phone calls (Bylaw 13.1.3.2.6).
Sept. 1 of junior year: coaches can call, text, email and DM you and send recruiting materials. Official visits and unofficial visits that involve the athletics department can begin, outside dead periods (Bylaws 13.6.2.1.2 and 13.7.1.2).
In-person, off-campus contact follows the general rule: not before Aug. 1 before junior year (Bylaw 13.1.1.1). Each school gets seven recruiting opportunities with you per year (contacts and evaluations combined), and no more than three can be off-campus contacts (Bylaw 13.1.5.6).
Recruiting talk at college camps: a D1 lacrosse coach can't have recruiting conversations with you at the school's own camp or clinic before Sept. 1 of junior year (Bylaw 13.12.1.5.2). Coaches can still coach you there.
Written offers: a D1 school can't give you a written offer of athletics aid, or say in writing that aid will be offered, before Aug. 1 of your senior year (Bylaw 13.9.3.1).
Signing: D1 and D2 lacrosse use the "all other sports" signing date. For 2026-27, written offers of athletics aid can be signed starting Nov. 11, 2026; the final date depends on each school's policy.

2026-27 Division I calendars (published dates)

Men's lacrosse

Contact Aug. 1-3 · Quiet Aug. 4-10 · Dead Aug. 11-31, 2026.
Contact Sept. 1 - Oct. 31 (no lacrosse evaluations) · Contact Nov. 1-22, except dead Nov. 9-12 · Dead Nov. 23-29.
Quiet Nov. 30 - Dec. 23, with dead Dec. 9-13 (coaches may evaluate at showcase and tournament events held with the IMLCA convention, Dec. 10-13) · Dead Dec. 24, 2026 - Jan. 3, 2027.
Contact Jan. 4-18 (no evaluations) · Quiet Jan. 19 - Feb. 28 · Contact Mar. 1 - May 27 · Dead May 28 - noon June 1.
Contact noon June 1 - July 31, 2027, except dead July 1-10 (coaches may evaluate at events held with the IMLCA July summer meeting).

Women's lacrosse

Recruiting shutdown Aug. 1-14 · Quiet Aug. 15-27 · Dead Aug. 28 - Sept. 3, 2026.
Contact Sept. 4 - Nov. 30: evaluations only at regularly scheduled high school, prep and two-year college contests and practices and regular scholastic activities, plus evaluation weekends Nov. 6-8, 13-15 and 20-22 (5 p.m. Friday to Sunday; the third weekend only at events held with the IWLCA). Dead Nov. 9-12 and Nov. 18-20; shutdown Nov. 24-29.
Contact Dec. 1-30, except shutdown Dec. 22-26 and Dec. 31 - Jan. 2 · Contact Jan. 3 - May 27, 2027 · Dead May 28-30 (with a limited exception) · Contact May 31 - June 10.
Evaluation June 11 - July 31, 2027, except dead July 2-6. This is the main summer evaluation period.

A "recruiting shutdown" means no recruiting activity at all. Exact times and footnotes are in the NCAA calendar PDFs linked below (both updated July 30, 2026).

Division II, Division III, NAIA and JUCO

D2: under the 2026-27 D2 recruiting guide, recruiting materials and communication (calls, texts, email, DMs) are allowed at any time. In-person, off-campus contact and official visits can begin June 15 before junior year. D2 dead period around signing: Nov. 9 (7 a.m.) - Nov. 11 (7 a.m.), 2026. Up to 10.8 equivalencies (men) and 9.9 (women) per team.
D3: coaches may call, write and message you anytime. In-person, off-campus contact is allowed once you've completed sophomore year, and official visits can begin Jan. 1 of junior year. No athletic scholarships.
NAIA: no grade-based limits on contact or visits; up to 12 scholarships per team. Register with the NAIA Eligibility Center.
JUCO (NJCAA), men's only: no NCAA-style recruiting calendar. Under the 2026-27 NJCAA Sports Procedures Chart, men's lacrosse Letters of Intent can be signed starting Nov. 1, with up to 24 signees per team; official visits from June 1 before junior year. See JUCO & two-year routes.

Grade by grade

9th grade (freshman year)

Play high school lacrosse and, if it fits your family, club lacrosse at a level that challenges you.
Take the right core classes from day one (see GPA & academics). Grades from 9th grade count.
Create a free NCAA Eligibility Center Profile Page. Start wall-ball every day.

10th grade (sophomore year)

Build a first highlight video and send it, with your summer event schedule, to coaches at realistic schools. D1 coaches can read it but can't reply yet.
Go to a few college camps at schools on your list. D2 off-campus contact and official visits open June 15 before junior year; D3 off-campus contact opens once you finish sophomore year.

11th grade (junior year)

Aug. 1 before 11th grade: the earliest in-person, off-campus contact with D1 coaches.
Sept. 1 of junior year: D1 men's and women's coaches can call, text, email and DM you, and official and athletics-involved unofficial visits open. Have your film, schedule and transcript ready before Sept. 1.
D3 official visits open Jan. 1. Upgrade to an Eligibility Center Certification Account before any D1 or D2 official visit.

12th grade (senior year)

Aug. 1 before 12th grade: D1 schools can start putting athletics aid offers in writing.
Nov. 1: NJCAA men's lacrosse Letters of Intent can be signed. Nov. 11, 2026: D1 and D2 signing opens (2026-27).
Compare offers on net cost, and keep D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO options alive through the spring.

Transfers compete for your spot

College players can enter the D1 transfer portal only during set windows. For 2026-27, the D1 lacrosse window (men's and women's) is May 16 - June 14, 2027, plus a Dec. 1-15, 2026 window for all spring sports.
The spring window comes after the Nov. 11 signing date, so some D1 staffs hold spots for transfers. Ask every coach how many high school players and transfers they expect to add.

2027 NCAA championships

Men's: D1 May 29-31, D2 and D3 May 30, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia. Women's: D1 May 28-30 at Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson, Md.; D2 May 29 at Johnny Unitas Stadium; D3 May 29 at Towson University.

Lacrosse recruiting timeline & contact rules