Recruiting calendar changes
Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann mostly refrained from giving hard opinions on potential recruiting changes last week when asked before the team left for its trip to Spain. He did mention having some conversation with athletic director Gene Smith regarding the recruiting calendar.
Hopefully Holtmann was looking for more official visits, because that's what he and every other college basketball coach is getting. Among the changes announced on Wednesday was increasing the number of official visits (campus visits paid for by the university) a player can take from five to 15 over a multi-year period.
Now players can take:
* Five official visits between August 1 before their junior year of high school and the end of their junior year.
* Five official visits between the end of junior year and Oct. 15 after high school graduation.
* Five official visits between Oct. 15 after high school graduation and the remainder of their college eligibility. This last change can help transfers wanting to take official visits while looking for a new program, and Holtmann has said he expects to be active in the graduate transfer market most years.
A student-athlete can visit a school only once per year. This change takes effect on August 15.
Holtmann and his staff have already proven to be creative in scheduling official visits, bringing five-star point guard DJ Carton on campus last month during the live evaluation period. It was something Holtmann said he and other coaches he talked to weren't sure they could do until someone in OSU compliance figured out a way to make it work. Carton committed a few days after his visit.
For a staff that's shown an ability to close well on official visits, more opportunity to do so could be a welcome change.
Starting on April 1, 2019, the recruiting calendar will change to add four-day recruiting periods (Monday through Thursday) in April. College coaches will now be able to attend the NBPA Top 100 camp in June. Coaches can attend events during the last two weekends of June that are approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations. They can attend one weekend youth basketball event in early July (which means coaches can still attend Nike's Peach Jam).
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Which NCAA recruiting, agent changes matter most for Ohio State basketball?