Recruiting - Grand Canyon University Athletics

Grand Canyon University has a proud tradition of athletics in the "Valley of the Sun." The university is proud to have 10 national championships to their credit, including three in Men's Basketball (1975, 1978, 1988), four in Baseball (1980, 1981, 1982, 1986), one in Women's Tennis (1981), one in Men's Soccer (1996) and the most recent from the men’s indoor track and field team in 2012. GCU, a former NAIA member, has been an NCAA Division II member since 1990, and began the transition to Division I athletics in 2015. The Lopes are expected to finish the Division I transition process, which would make them eligible for Division I postseason play, following the 2016-17 academic year.

Grand Canyon University has had a number of successful athletes participate in our programs. Tim Salmon, formerly of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, played baseball for the 'Lopes during his collegiate career. Salmon went on to be the 1993 Rookie of the Year and won the World Series in 2002. The baseball program has produced 14 Major League Baseball players throughout its storied history. The basketball program has produced two NBA players who both played for the Phoenix Suns. But, most importantly, GCU prepares athletes for life after athletics by allowing them to grow and have success in whatever career awaits them after their playing days are over.

Recruiting Information You Should Know:

You become a "prospective student-athlete" when you start ninth grade classes.

You become a "recruited prospective student-athlete" at a particular college if any coach approaches you (or any member of your family) about enrolling and participating in athletics at that college. Activities by coaches that cause you to become a recruited prospective student-athlete are:

Providing you with an official visit;
Placing more than one telephone call to you or any other member of your family; or
Visiting you or any other member of your family anywhere other than on the college campus.

No alumni or representative of a college's athletics interest (boosters or donors) can be involved in off-campus recruiting for athletics, only coaches certified to recruit off-campus may be involved.

You may receive letters, e-mails, brochures, articles and any other form of written correspondence or printed recruiting materials from coaches on or after September 1 at the start of your junior year in high school. However, a coach may provide you with a general questionnaire, camp brochure and educational information published by the NCAA at any time.

A coach may show you highlight film/videotape or game film, but may not send it to you or leave it with you or your coach.

In all sports, telephone calls from coaches and faculty members are permissible on or after June 15 before your senior year. After this, a college coach or faculty member is limited to one telephone call per week to you (or your parents or legal guardians), except that unlimited calls to you (or your parents or legal guardians) may be made under the following circumstances:

During the five days immediately before your official visit (by the college you'll be visiting);
On the day of the coach's off campus contact with you; and
On the initial date for signing the National Letter of intent in your sport through the two days after the initial signing date.

Coaches may accept calls from you (or your parents or legal guardians) at any time, regardless of your year in school. Coaches may not return calls to prospects who have not yet reached June 15 following completion of their junior year. Also, coaches may not return calls to prospects who they have already called once during that calendar week. You should be aware of these restrictions when leaving messages for coaches. Remember that you can call them at any time, but even if you leave a message asking them to call you back, they may be restricted from returning the call.

In all sports, coaches may contact you in-person off the college campus three times during your senior year.
In basketball only, there are specified periods when a coach may contact you off the college campus and/ or attend your practices and games to evaluate your athletic ability.

Four-Year College Transfers Only:

GCU cannot respond via e-mail or phone to a four-year college transfer student without the student first obtaining a written release from his or her previous college. Fax the release to the GCU Athletic Department at (602) 639-7824. Once the release is received from the first college, then the GCU coach will be able to contact you, based on the NCAA rules applicable to all prospective students (discussed above).

You can also send a letter to the head coach at Grand Canyon University, 3300 W Camelback Rd, Intercollegiate Athletics, Phoenix, AZ 85017. You should provide information such as height, weight, athletic background, academic information such as your GPA and SAT scores, and a schedule of upcoming events where a coach could see you compete if available.

Remember, coaches can respond to emails from prospective students-athletes after Sept. 1 at the start of their junior year. You can call the GCU coach, but the coach can't return the call unless it is after June 15th following completion of your junior year in high school. If you have any questions about the NCAA regulations and recruiting, please contact Joshua Meyer, Compliance Coordinator at 602-639-6587.