Alice is going deeper into the rabbit hole.
Two weeks ago, in what seemed to be the connection to radio host Colin Cowherd‘s cryptic prediction that the NCAA was about to drop the hammer on yet another top-25 program, Yahoo! and ESPN reported that the financial ties between Oregon and a Texas-based scouting service were being called into question.
The investigation centers around Will Lyles of Complete Scouting Services and his connection to Oregon running backs Lache Seastrunk and LaMichael James. Oregon has a history with Lyles’ scouting service, and although the Ducks’ athletic department has been upfront with presenting financial records to the NCAA, Oregon did pay Lyles an eyebrow-raising $16,500 more for his services last year after Seastrunk signed his LOI to Oregon in 2010.
With that investigation ongoing, the NCAA is now apparently looking into a possible connection between Lyles and new LSU signee Trevon Randle, a linebacker from League City, Texas. The NCAA has reportedly interviewed Randle about the situation.
LSU, like Oregon, has admitted to paying for scouting services -- which, for the record, is allowed by NCAA bylaws. Associate athletic director Herb Vincent said LSU paid $6,000 for different scouting services this past year, including Complete Scouting Services, and that the practice is “a normal course of business.”
Vincent also said he has not been contacted from the NCAA about Lyles.
Not to paint a bad picture of Lyles (but we’re going to anyway -- or, at least, Thayer Evans will), but in a recent FOX Sports report on the recruitment of Seastrunk, Texas co-offensive coordinator Major Applewhite even went so far as to call Lyles “bad news” and “a street agent”.
Suffice it to say, things are gaining momentum in a bad way for Lyles, and potentially, any school connected with him. If evidence is found that Lyles influenced a recruit to sign with a particular school, that could be seen as impermissible contact with an agent in the eyes of the NCAA.
The NCAA will continue to look down the rabbit hole. It’ll be interesting to see what they find on the other side.