The SEC has cancelled their men’s basketball tournament and now put the league’s football coaches on ice as well.
Talking to the press in Nashville, commissioner Greg Sankey confirmed that in tandem with the conference’s decision to postpone all sporting events through March 30 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, recruiting on and off-campus will be stopped through the same date.
This notably affects a large number of recruits visiting various universities over the coming weeks and likely limits spring football practices as well. The spring evaluation period is also coming up and it appears coaches won’t be going around the country making visits until the all clear is given for that either.
Greg Sankey: "We did have conversations about recruiting ... and have stopped on-campus and off-campus recruiting for a period of time. That could be extended. I think the NCAA needs to fully engage on that issue."
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) March 12, 2020
Commissioner @GregSankey announces all SEC athletic events are suspended through the month of March. pic.twitter.com/8ACKigTtn0
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 12, 2020
🚨RECRUITS🚨
— Taylor Searels (@taylor_searels) March 12, 2020
We are so sad to postpone unofficial visits this spring! Healthy prospective and current student-athletes is a major priority & we look forward to getting you all on campus at a later time. Until then, stay healthy, wash your hands & Anchor Down! ⚓️⬇️ https://t.co/7BxwMJWyJl
Already we’ve seen other schools such as Notre Dame and USC pause spring football practice while Michigan canceled their spring game. The Wolverines and rival Ohio State also announced they wouldn’t be recruiting on- or off-campus so it appears like it’s just a matter of time before the entire recruiting calendar hits pause or is torn up altogether.