Delta State University

Prospective Student-Athlete
A student who has started classes for the ninth grade or a student, regardless of grade, who has received financial assistance or other benefits not generally available to prospective students.

Recruited Prospective Student-Athlete
A student who has been approached by a coach or representative of athletics interest about enrolling and participating in athletics. Actions that trigger recruitment are:
• Providing an official visit
• Scheduling an in-person, off-campus contact
• Initiating or arranging telephone contact on more than one occasion
• Issuing a National Letter of Intent or Grant-in-Aid

Written Correspondence
Athletically related letters/printed materials, including emails and faxes may be provided on/after June 15 immediately preceding the prospective student-athlete’s junior year.  NCAA educational information, camp brochures, questionnaires, and non-athletically related materials may be provided at any time.
 
Telephone Calls
Telephone calls to a prospective student-athlete or his/her parents or guardians are permitted on/after June 15 immediately preceding the prospective student-athlete’s junior year.  Coaches are not permitted to direct enrolled student-athletes to call prospective student-athletes.  Representatives of athletics interests are not permitted to call prospective student-athletes.

Contact
Any face-to-face encounter with a prospective student-athlete or his/her parents or guardians in excess of a greeting.

Evaluation
Any off-campus activity designed to assess the academic qualifications or ability of a prospective student-athlete.

Official Visit
Any visit to campus financed in whole or in part by the university. Official visits shall not exceed 48 hours. Official visits may be provided on/after June 15 immediately preceding the prospective student-athlete’s junior year. A prospective student-athlete is limited to five (5) official visits, with only one official visit per university. Before the university can host an official visit, a prospective student-athlete must have:

• Submitted to the university a copy of his/her current transcript
• Registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center
• Been activated on the university’s Institutional Request List (IRL) with the NCAA Eligibility Center

Unofficial Visit
Any visit to campus made at the prospective student-athlete’s own expense. The university may provide a maximum of five (5) complimentary admissions to a campus athletics events and may provide one meal in the locale of the institution. A prospective student-athlete may make unofficial visits prior to his/her junior year in high school and may visit campus at his/her own expense an unlimited number of times.

Tryouts
A prospective student-athlete may participate in a tryout to evaluate strength, speed, agility, and sports skills on/after June 15 immediately preceding his/her junior year.  No more than one tryout per prospective student-athlete per institution per sport is permitted, and the prospective student-athlete must provide proof of a physical exam administered within the last six months and sickle cell solubility test results (or waiver) prior to the tryout.
 
National Letter of Intent
Official document administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association to establish a prospective student-athlete’s commitment to attend a particular university.
 
Verbal Commitment
Phrase commonly used to describe a prospective student-athlete’s intention to attend a particular institution.  These informal statements are not binding for the prospective student-athlete or the institution.
 
Transfer
As it pertains to sports participation at an NCAA institution, transfer status is triggered by a variety of actions, and the eligibility requirements for transfers are specific to each situation.  If you are currently enrolled or if you’ve been enrolled at another NCAA four-year institution within the previous 12 months, written permission to contact must received by Delta State prior to any communication.  You will need to contact the Compliance office at your current or former four-year institution to request this document.