Contact - Extended face-to-face dialog between you or your parent/legal guardian and an institutional staff member or representative of an athletic department.
Contact Period - Head or assistant coaches may make in-person, off-campus contacts with recruits during this time.
Quiet Period - College athletic department staffs cannot leave their campus to make in-person recruiting contacts. However, they can make recruiting contacts with you if you are on their campus.
Dead Period - Period during which you may not officially or unofficially visit schools, and coaches may not make recruiting contacts with you, by any means of communication [e.g., phone, email, post, etc]
Evaluation Period - D-I and D-II head or assistant coaches are permitted to visit your high school to assess your academic qualifications and observe your playing abilities in practice and/or games. They may not make any contact with you during this period.
Official Visit - An all-expenses paid trip where the school picks up your tab. They only occur after you begin classes your senior year. YOU ONLY HAVE 5!!!
Unofficial Visit - A visit to a college/university that you pay for. Unlike official visists, you can take an unlimited number of unofficial visits before your senior year.