LINCOLN — The NCAA extended the recruiting dead period for all Division I sports — football included — through May 31 due to the pandemic, the NCAA announced Wednesday.
A dead period means prospective student-athletes cannot visit coaches or practices on campus officially or unofficially and coaches cannot leave campus to visit or evaluate prospects in person. In essence, the decision continues the status quo that has been true since mid-March 2020, when the NCAA put an immediate halt on recruiting as COVID cases rose.
Since that halt, the NCAA has repeatedly extended its moratorium while expanding options for coaches and prospects to connect on Zoom, FaceTime or other social media video connection.
Some prospects have taken self-guided tours of campuses that include impromptu meetings with current players and, in some cases, video conversations with coaches after those visits. Omaha Westside cornerback Avante Dickerson, for example, paid for a trip to Oregon 10 days before February signing day to walk around the campus and meet with some current players. Based on that, he picked the Ducks.
One Husker signee, Marques Buford, took a similar self-guided tour of NU last year before committing. Buford hung out with players on the team — specifically friend Alante Brown — but didn’t meet the coaches.
Expect more of that until at least June 1 for high school prospects.
What about junior college players?
Coaches won’t be able to evaluate them in person either as jucos are set to play spring football. Basketball players won’t be able to take unofficial visits to a school before the AAU circuit heats up. And Nebraska’s spring game — often a recruiting tentpole for a variety of sports — will not be leveraged for recruiting, either.
It’s likely to put at least some damper on Nebraska’s football recruiting, for the time being, as the program has long believed in-person visits are the surest way to sell the school. NU functioned well last year, though, without those visits, securing a top 20 national class full of players who’d never seen the school.
For local prospects, it merely extends the wait on visits. Several high-profile 2022 recruits — Omaha Burke linebacker Devon Jackson included — want to take in-person visits to a variety of schools before they make a decision.
“If I have to make my decision on the last signing day, I will because I’m not going to be one of those guys who commits, decommits, recommits,” Jackson said in January. “I’m not doing all that. Waste of time. To me, that’s clout-chasing, in a way — you’re doing it for the media and not for yourself.”
Our best Husker football photos from the 2020 season

An employee releases red balloons among the fan cutouts after Nebraska scored its first touchdown against Penn State.

Memorial Stadium was mostly empty for every Nebraska home game this season. Attendance was restricted to select family and friends of players, coaches and staff.

Luke McCaffrey throws a complete pass while getting hit by Penn State's Fred Hansard. McCaffrey is naturally right-handed.

Luke McCaffrey and Scott Frost celebrate their win over Penn State.

The ball floats between Myles Farmer and Penn State receiver Parker Washington, though Farmer was called for pass interference on this play.

A red balloon floats by Connor Culp as he waits to kick off after a touchdown against Illinois.

Cam Taylor-Britt saves a touchdown by hitting Illinois' Chase Brown just short of the end zone.

Dicaprio Bootle slides into the wall after Illinois' Josh Imatorbhebhe beat him for a touchdown catch.

Wyatt Liewer and Dedrick Mills celebrate Liewer's touchdown against Purdue. It was the walk-on receiver's first career touchdown.

Adrian Martinez completed 23 of 30 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown against Purdue. That was the second game he started after losing the job to Luke McCaffrey for two games.

Cam Taylor-Britt breaks up a pass intended for Purdue's David Bell. This acrobatic play helped seal the Husker win.

Adrian Martinez runs with Minnesota's Tyler Nubin hanging on behind. Martinez ran for a team-high 96 yards in that game, but the Huskers lost, 24-17.

Luke McCaffrey looks to throw a pass against Illinois. That was one of two games the redshirt freshman quarterback started.

Nebraska fans attempt to distract Iowa kicker Keith Duncan into missing a field goal. It didn't work, though. Duncan made four of five field goals in a 26-20 Hawkeye victory.

Austin Allen needed every inch of his 6-foot-8 frame to pull in this pass against Iowa. The junior tight end enjoyed a career-best season with 18 catches for 236 yards and a touchdown.

Nebraska safety Deontai Williams trips up Iowa receiver Tyler Goodson.

Wan'Dale Robinson scrambles for a loose ball against Minnesota's Jordan Howden and Justus Harris. The Huskers fumbled three times in that game and lost one.

There was more snow in the stands than people for Nebraska's game against Minnesota on Dec. 12.Â

Dedrick Mills stretches out for a touchdown against Northwestern. The senior running back finished the season with 396 rushing yards and three touchdowns but missed two full games, and most of a third, due to injury.

Luke McCaffrey is shoved out of bounds by Northwestern's Adetomiwa Adebawore. McCaffrey and Adrian Martinez shared time at quarterback in that game, then McCaffrey started the next two.

Luke McCaffrey is twisted up with Northwestern's Blake Gallagher.

Scott Frost, wearing a mask, walks on to the field with his team before the Northwestern game.

Luke McCaffrey stretches out for a snap against Penn State. Erratic snaps from center Cam Jurgens were a big problem at times during the season, though Jurgens got better later in the year.

Cam Taylor-Britt and Penn State's Jahan Dotson both go up for the ball in the end zone. The pass was incomplete.
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