Recruiting never stops for coaches and staffers, even during the July dead period

June 24th to July 24th is dead period meaning coaches from FBS programs cannot meet with recruits on or off campus. It’s much-needed vacation time for coaches especially after the non-stop month of June, so football facilities basically become ghost towns.

We might be two weeks into the dead period but make no mistake about it – recruiting never stops. Steve Sarkisian and his staff will do their best to prioritize family and decompress but in this day and age, coaches cannot afford to completely check out.

Instead of making work-life balance the goal during the break, it’s more of a work-life blend. Relax and unwind but keep your phone on, take the call, send the text. Last July, co-defensive coordinator Jeff Choate packed his bags with UT stationary and wrote letters from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to his high priority guys. Choate is a relentless recruiter and understands that handwritten letters hit differently than a text.

On June 1st, Texas only had two 2024 commitments. Five weeks later, that list currently sits at 13 with more possibly coming down the pike soon, so coaches must continue to manage their boards from their favorite vacation destination. After a month of June official visits, many recruits will decide on their school of preference in July so they can focus on their final high school season once August rolls around.

The player personnel and recruiting departments will be in contact with recruits and working on projects that won’t steal too much joy from the break. Dead period is a good time to organize high school prospect lists, take a peek at junior college highlights, do some advanced scouting, and personal development. I’d always read books, watch coaching videos, and work on evaluation-based projects.

Coaches and staffers are paranoid of being outworked, so instead of staying completely away for an entire month, they’ll start to slowly trickle into office during the last week of dead period. From July 25th to July 31st is quiet period, so the staff can host unofficial and official visitors, hold a camp, or have one last recruiting event before dead period resumes for the entire month of August.

Roughly 600 recruits committed to FBS programs in June. Musical chairs has officially started and spots are filling fast. I hope recruits understand this and how important it is to do their homework, have a plan to make adult decisions, and choose where they want to call home soon. Most offers have an expiration date and some recruits might not have an offer in a month.

Claim your chair.

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