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Information for University of Houston Athletics Coaches & Staff
Bylaw Basics
The NCAA, American Athletic Conference, and University of Houston all have regulations that impact Athletics Department coaches and staff. The NCAA rules break down into the following categories:
Personnel – There are limitations on the number and responsibilities for each sport’s coaches and staff. The individual’s job duties, compensation, enrollment status, and sport-specific staff limitations can all impact what someone can and cannot do for a team.
Amateurism – Student-athletes must be amateurs in their sport in order to be eligible to compete. This includes not entering agreements (written or oral) with professional teams or agents, receiving more than actual and necessary expenses to participate in outside athletic competitions, engaging in impermissible employment activities or promoting commercial entities, products or services.
Recruiting – Only authorized athletics department personnel may communicate with and evaluate prospective student-athletes (“recruits”). Off-campus contacts and evaluations, visits to campus, phone calls, and correspondence may only occur at predetermined times and frequencies. Further, recruits become ineligible when they or their families receive extra/impermissible benefits from UH coaches, staff, or boosters.
Academic Eligibility – Incoming high school and transfer student-athletes must meet initial eligibility requirements based on their high school and/or college records to be immediately eligible to practice, compete, and receive athletic scholarships. Current student-athletes must maintain progress toward degree by meeting minimum standards for credit hours passed and grade point average.
Financial Aid – Institutions may provide athletically related financial aid to student-athletes within applicable individual and team limits.
Awards and Benefits – Current student-athletes may only receive those benefits incidental to their participation in intercollegiate athletics. Student-athletes become ineligible when they receive extra/impermissible benefits from internal or external sources.
Playing and Practice Seasons – Student-athletes may only participate in athletically related activities within established daily and weekly limitations, and each sport also has limits on the minimum and maximum number of competitions each year and who they are allowed to compete against. Additionally, time management regulations require teams to provide their student-athletes calendars in advance with notifications of all of their obligations, notice of any changes to the calendar, and true days off from any athletic department requirements.
The NCAA, American Athletic Conference, and University of Houston all have regulations that impact Athletics Department coaches and staff. The NCAA rules break down into the following categories:
Personnel – There are limitations on the number and responsibilities for each sport’s coaches and staff. The individual’s job duties, compensation, enrollment status, and sport-specific staff limitations can all impact what someone can and cannot do for a team.
Amateurism – Student-athletes must be amateurs in their sport in order to be eligible to compete. This includes not entering agreements (written or oral) with professional teams or agents, receiving more than actual and necessary expenses to participate in outside athletic competitions, engaging in impermissible employment activities or promoting commercial entities, products or services.
Recruiting – Only authorized athletics department personnel may communicate with and evaluate prospective student-athletes (“recruits”). Off-campus contacts and evaluations, visits to campus, phone calls, and correspondence may only occur at predetermined times and frequencies. Further, recruits become ineligible when they or their families receive extra/impermissible benefits from UH coaches, staff, or boosters.
Academic Eligibility – Incoming high school and transfer student-athletes must meet initial eligibility requirements based on their high school and/or college records to be immediately eligible to practice, compete, and receive athletic scholarships. Current student-athletes must maintain progress toward degree by meeting minimum standards for credit hours passed and grade point average.
Financial Aid – Institutions may provide athletically related financial aid to student-athletes within applicable individual and team limits.
Awards and Benefits – Current student-athletes may only receive those benefits incidental to their participation in intercollegiate athletics. Student-athletes become ineligible when they receive extra/impermissible benefits from internal or external sources.
Playing and Practice Seasons – Student-athletes may only participate in athletically related activities within established daily and weekly limitations, and each sport also has limits on the minimum and maximum number of competitions each year and who they are allowed to compete against. Additionally, time management regulations require teams to provide their student-athletes calendars in advance with notifications of all of their obligations, notice of any changes to the calendar, and true days off from any athletic department requirements.
The dates listed below represent the general framework for contact rules and are subject to change. Please confirm accuracy with the Office of Athletics Compliance prior to engaging in recruiting activities
| Sports Other than Basketball and Football | Men’s Basketball | Women’s Basketball | Football | |
| Official visits | September 1 of junior year | August 1 at the beginning of junior year and an additional visit during the individual's senior year | Thursday following the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship game of the PSA’s junior year in high school No official visits during July evaluation periods unless PSA has signed an NLI/financial aid agreement |
April 1 of junior year in high school through the Sunday before the last Wednesday in June and then from the opening day of classes of PSA’s senior year in high school |
| Unofficial visits | September 1 of junior year (includes contact with athletics department staff, athletics-specific tour, complimentary admission) | August 1 at the beginning of sophomore year No unofficial visits during the month of July unless PSA has signed an NLI/financial aid agreement |
No unofficial visits during July evaluation period unless PSA has signed an NLI/financial aid agreement, or during recruiting dead period | Unofficial visits can occur at any time (subject to recruiting calendar restrictions) |
| Telephone calls | September 1 of junior year (unlimited) In swimming, July 1 following the completion of junior year in high school or opening day of classes of senior year, whichever is earlier (unlimited) Exceptions: Official visit, unofficial visit, NLI signing day, PSA's coach |
June 15 at the conclusion of sophomore year (unlimited) Exceptions: Official visit, unofficial visit, NLI signing day |
September 1 of junior year (unlimited) No communication with PSA, PSA’s family members, coach or any other individual associated with PSA as a result of PSA’s participation in basketball during July evaluation period Exceptions: Official visit, unofficial visit, NLI signing day |
One telephone call to an individual (or their family members) may be made from April 15 through May 31 of the individual’s junior year in high school. Additional telephone calls to an individual may not be made before September 1 at the beginning of senior year. Thereafter, calls are limited to once per week outside a contact period, but may be made at the institution’s discretion during a contact period. |
| Written correspondence | September 1 of junior year | June 15 at the conclusion of sophomore year | September 1 of junior year | September 1 of junior year |
| Electronic correspondence | September 1 of junior year | June 15 at the conclusion of sophomore year | September 1 of junior year | September 1 of junior year |
| Contacts | July 1 following the completion of his/her junior year in high school or the opening day of classes of his/her senior year in high school, whichever is earlier. No contact with a non qualifier in first year at two-year college. In softball, September 1 at the beginning of junior year in high school. |
Opening day of classes of junior year. | March 1 of junior year in high school through the day before the official start of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Convention. | July 1 following the completion of his/her junior year in high school or the opening day of classes of his/her senior year in high school, whichever is earlier. No contact with a non qualifier in first year at two-year college. |
| Evaluations | Any time (subject to recruiting calendar restrictions) | Any time (subject to recruiting calendar restrictions) | Any time (subject to recruiting calendar restrictions) | Any time (subject to recruiting calendar restrictions) |
JumpForward
- Record all recruiting activities (official and unofficial visits, contacts, evaluations, phone calls)
- Request complimentary admissions for recruits, prospect’s coaches, and student-athletes to home events in any sport that charge admission, and away events for student-athletes in your sport
- Submit requests to add or delete student-athletes from your roster
- Student-athletes will submit required compliance forms as well as keep compliance updated on other matters as they occur (e.g. new car, employment status, outside competition)
- Can be used to communicate with prospects and student-athletes
- Access forms for monitoring and reporting regular administrative and team activities
Teamworks All athletics department staff members are prohibited from wagering on any sport at the professional or amateur level that the NCAA sponsors a championship. A wager is the act of laying money down on the outcome of an event. Wagering on any NCAA sponsored sport can result in an employee’s termination.
Gambling
All athletics department coaches and staff members are prohibited from wagering on any sport that the NCAA sponsors (professional or amateur). A wager is the act of laying money down on the outcome of an event. Wagering on any NCAA sponsored sport can result in an employee’s termination.
Gambling
All athletics department coaches and staff members are prohibited from wagering on any sport that the NCAA sponsors (professional or amateur). A wager is the act of laying money down on the outcome of an event. Wagering on any NCAA sponsored sport can result in an employee’s termination.
- This applies to all full-time coaches and staff members as well as any part-time, volunteer, or student workers. This also applies to sports that a staff member does not directly work with (e.g. a football staff member is not allowed to bet on basketball just because she does not work directly with basketball, the ban on gambling still applies).
- The ban on gambling includes betting on individual games, fantasy leagues for money or prizes, March Madness brackets, Super Bowl squares, and daily fantasy games.
Coaches and staff should never provide information related to practices, performance, eligibility or medical status of student-athletes or teams to anyone outside of the athletics department, especially those engaged in gambling activities, and shall never compromise the integrity of a competition, be it an individual play, scoring margin, or overall outcome.