The new recruitment bylaw amendments of Summer 2023 limit when notification is required following contact by an enrolled student to only those students who are enrolled at another NAIA institution and only if the student does not have a written release of some kind from their current institution, and to expand the list of athletic department staff who may provide such notification when required to include senior woman leaders and athletic compliance administrators.
Additionally, to narrow the previous bylaw restriction that prevents NAIA coaches from initiating contact with students enrolled at any four-year institution to instead prevent the initiation of contact with students enrolled only at other NAIA institutions.
*Note – this flow chart specifically addresses four-year transfer student-athletes. The bylaw requirement that states an NAIA coach cannot directly contact a junior college student-athlete until the student has completed the academic year in which they completed their first season of competition, still stands.
Key Takeaways:
- The new bylaw expands who, from the NAIA institution, can provide the 10-day notification to the other NAIA institution (Senior Woman Leader, athletic compliance administrator, AD, & FAR).
- 10-day notification only required for NAIA student-athletes.
- A release can be provided by the NAIA athletics director to waive the need for the 10-day notification.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Can the NAIA coach who was contacted by the athlete satisfy the notification requirement by simply contacting the student’s original coach in order to notify them of the student’s contact?
A: No. The bylaw amendment is meant to broaden the scope of individuals who are permitted to notify the student’s current institution and allow for this requirement to be fulfilled by other administrators. However, the sponsors of this bylaw were specific that the communication shall not take place solely between coaches in order to ensure better transparency.
Q: Does a student-athlete who is currently at an NCAA institution need to be in the transfer portal in order for notification to be waived?
A: No, the new bylaw amendment does not require an NCAA athlete to be in the transfer portal. Notification is only required for NAIA athletes.
Q: What is a release? I thought a release was specific to the transfer residency requirement?
A: There is a specific type of release that currently exists and is specific to the transfer residency requirement. There is also a type of document – often called a release – that is a statement signed by the student’s athletics director that states the student’s current NAIA institution is permitting the student to be in contact with other institutions. If the student has written documentation that clearly shows his or her current institution is aware of and permits them to be in contact with other institutions, no notification is required.
Q: Can a coach issue the release?
A: No. Only the student’s current athletics director can issue and sign a release (or similar).
Q: What if the NAIA institution refuses to issue a release?
A: The student’s current NAIA institution has discretion to decide whether it will issue a release that would waive the requirement for notification by the next NAIA institution. There is no requirement that an NAIA institution’s AD must issue the release.
Initiating Contact with Enrolled Students
Key Takeaways:
- NAIA Coaches can directly contact non-NAIA athletes, or former NAIA athletes as long as the student has not identified nor has the student drawn equipment and/or engaged in organized practice with an NAIA institution within the previous 12 months.
Q: There was an interpretation announced last year that allowed an NAIA coach to initiate contact with an NCAA student-athlete if the student was in the transfer portal. Does the student have to be in the NCAA transfer portal in order for an NAIA coach to initiate contact?
A: No, there is no requirement that the student must be in the transfer portal for this to occur.The NAIA coach can still initiate contact with an NCAA athlete, and under this proposal would be permitted to initiate such contact with any NCAA student-athlete regardless of the student’s transfer portal status.
Q: If an NAIA coach initiates contact with a non-NAIA athlete, do they still have to provide notification at the same time?
A: No, the cumulative effect of this bylaw proposal and 23-B-07 is to waive the 10-day notification requirement for all non-NAIA athletes, even if the NAIA coach initiates contact.
Q: What if an athlete used to be enrolled at an NAIA institution, but is currently not enrolled anywhere? Can this athlete be directly contacted?
A: The bylaw amendment states that a 12-month period of non-enrollment at an NAIA institution must pass before initiating contact with the former NAIA athlete. This 12-month period is only applicable if the student’s prior enrollment was at an NAIA institution and the student has not enrolled at any other higher education institution thereafter. If the student’s most recent enrollment was at a non-NAIA institution, an NAIA coach is free to reach out and initiate contact immediately.
The purpose of this element of the proposal is to recognize that an NAIA student-athlete may be taking a break in enrollment for any number of reasons, but plans to return to their NAIA institution. This is intended to provide the student-athlete and the NAIA institution where he or she was identified an appropriate amount of time to determine if the student will re-enroll before permitting other NAIA coaches from stepping in and initiating contact with the student.
Q: What if the NAIA athlete transfers to an NCAA school and is currently enrolled at the NCAA institution. Can they be directly contacted?
A: Yes, the student is no longer considered an NAIA athlete upon enrolling at the NCAA institution. Therefore, contact can be initiated.
Q: What if a student signed a letter of intent? Can the student be directly contacted?
A: The NAIA does not recognize NCAA letters of intent or NAIA school/conference letters of intent, and there is not a national NAIA letter of intent. This bylaw dictates the restriction of initiating contact based off of the enrollment (current or former) of the potential student-athlete.
