If you follow CFT regularly, you know we’re not huge on recruiting because, well, we’re (and by “we’re” I mean “JT”) just not that interested in 17- and 18-year-old kids who haven’t done anything at the collegiate level yet.
That said, there’s nothing like good ol’ intrastate rivalries and any-method-necessary recruiting tactics.
Earlier this month -- New Year’s Day, to be precise -- Mississippi State began putting up billboards at five different locations around Mississippi: Aberdeen, Biloxi, Clinton, Morton and, of course, Oxford. The billboards read “Play With The Best” and featured MSU players holding up the Egg Bowl trophy from their victory over Ole Miss.
The billboards were originally supposed to be taken down conveniently on Feb. 1, just as signing day rolled around, but earlier this week, reports surfaced that MSU had already begun the process of taking down the billboards.
The Oxford Eagle reported earlier this week that the reason for the move was NCAA-related. The rule in question was reportedly bylaw 13.4.3, which says recruiting advertisements cannot be “designed to solicit the enrollment of a prospective student-athlete.”
MSU, according to an interview with the NEMS Daily Journal, confirms the signs are being taken down, but not for any reason involving the NCAA.
“We have not reported any kind of violation,” said Bracky Brett, MSU’s compliance director, “but we’re continuing to look into it and will continue to do so as we would any issue that comes across the desk.”
Another MSU official told the Journal “It was just time for [the Oxford sign] to come down.”
Whether the move NCAA-related, or because Ole Miss made a stink about them, the signs still don’t beat this.