The NCAA took measures to provide for what it hopes will be a more healthy recruiting environment Wednesday. Some changes to recruiting rules will increase the number of days in various dead periods and alter the level of access coaches will have with recruits in the offseason. Realizing that recruiting has evolved and in some respects run wild, the NCAA hopes some of the changes to the recruiting process will result in fewer violations.
Every little bit helps, right?
Here is a look at the new rules as outlined by the NCAA...
• Allow football student-athletes to participate in preparations for the season during an eight-week period each summer. Those weeks can include eight hours per week of required weight training and conditioning. Up to two of the eight hours can consist of film review. Student-athletes who participate in the summer activities must be enrolled in summer school or meet specific academic benchmarks. The model is similar to those adopted by men’s and women’s basketball in the last two years. Both the Football Bowl and Football Championship subdivisions supported this change.
Essentially, this expands on the formalized offseason training within a football program. It also cuts down on the chances any coach or staff member accidentally breaks any offseason training rules.
• Prohibit a school’s staff members from attending an all-star game or activities associated with those games and from having in-person contact with recruits participating in the games from the time the recruit arrives at the event until he returns to his home or school. Both FBS and FCS supported this ban.
High school football all-star games are generally big attractions for coaches, although by the time most of these games are played the recruiting of those players eligible for those games is pretty much over, although this may vary from state to state. But anything that limits the distractions for players taking part in any special activities is a good move.
• Establish a dead period when no in-person recruiting can take place. The dead period, scheduled to coincide with winter holidays and the annual American Football Coaches Association convention, begins the Monday of the week in which mid-year junior college transfers can begin signing the National Letter of Intent. It ends the Wednesday of the week of the AFCA convention. For 2013-14, Dec. 16 through Jan. 15 is now a dead period. The FBS supported this proposal, but the FCS did not because its coaches need more time to discuss it. Army and Navy may seek a temporary exception from this new rule if the date of this season’s game makes it difficult for them to follow it.
This is a good move to prevent high school players from having the holiday season filled by distractions. It also keeps coaches closer to home rather than traveling during the busy holiday rush. That is time better served doing some holiday shopping anyway, right?
• Establish a 14-day dead period in late June and early July for Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
• Allow schools to pay for meals for up to four family members who accompany a recruit on an official visit. Before this change, schools could pay for the recruit and his parents, legal guardians, spouse or children, but excluded siblings and other family members. This approach provides schools more flexibility to address each recruit’s specific family situation. Both the Football Bowl and Football Championship subdivisions supported making the rule more flexible.
This just makes sense. Why should a prospect’s little sister have to pay for a lunch when her big brother and parents are getting a free meal?
These changes will not slam the door shut on violations of course, but it should help.
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