New recruiting rule will restrict coaches-in-waiting

Right about now, there are probably quite a few upset people in the offices of the Texas football program.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the NCAA recently approved a new rule that limits the amount of contact a designated coach-in-waiting can have with recruits. Basically, the coach-in-waiting will be forced to recruit under the same guidelines as head coaches, meaning less visits with potential recruits than other assistants on the staff.

Here’s the relevant information from the NCAA on the restrictions that have previously applied to head coaches, and will now apply to their designated successors:

13.1.2.6 Head Coach Restrictions -- Bowl Subdivision Football.

13.1.2.6.1 Assistant Coach Publicly Designated as Institution’s Next Head Coach. Aninstitution’s assistant coach who has been publicly designated by the institution tobecome its next head coach shall be subject to the recruiting restrictions applicable to theinstitution’s head coach.

B. Bylaws: Amend 13.1.8.4, as follows:

13.1.8.4 Limitations on Number of Evaluations -- Football. In football, institutional staff membersshall be limited to three evaluations during the academic year during which the prospective studentathletecompetes or practices on any team. Not more than one evaluation may be used during the fallevaluation period and not more than two evaluations may be used during the April 15 through May 31evaluation period. An authorized off-campus recruiter may use one evaluation to assess theprospective student-athlete’s athletics ability and one evaluation to assess the prospective studentathlete’sacademic qualifications during the April 15 through May 31 evaluation period. If aninstitution’s coaching staff member conducts both an athletics and an academic evaluation of aprospective student-athlete on the same day during the April 15 through May 31 evaluation period,the institution shall be charged with the use of an academic evaluation only and shall be permitted toconduct a second athletics evaluation of the prospective student-athlete on a separate day during theevaluation period.

13.1.8.4.1 Head Coach Restriction -- Spring Evaluation Period. In bowl subdivision football,during the April 15 through May 31 evaluation period, the head coach [and any assistant coachwho has been publicly designated by the institution to become the next head coach (seeBylaw 13.1.2.6.1)] shall not engage in off-campus recruiting activities, participating in off-campus recruiting activities, participating in an off-campus coaching clinic, visit a prospectivestudent-athlete’s educational institution for any reason or meet with a prospective studentathlete’scoach at an off-campus location.

Obviously, this new piece of legislation will affect Texas more than any other program in the country.

Will Muschamp was designated as the Longhorns’ coach-in-waiting in November of 2008. He’s also one of the top recruiters in the country and one the reasons why the Longhorns pull in a Top Ten recruiting class year in and year out.

For those institutions and fans of the college football game who are against the idea of designating a coach-in-waiting, this is good news and one that we would think would all but eliminate the practice.

For Texas? It sucks, to be blunt (Maryland too, I guess.). But it will really have more of an impact on the Longhorns and seems to be a rule directed squarely at the school, even though it wasn’t as it was proposed by the Big East.

And Florida State can feel fortunate that it didn’t go into effect until after their best recruiter, Jimbo Fisher, officially took over for Bobby Bowden.