OT: NCAA rule change to prevent recruits from signing multiple agreements

Submitted by GoWings2008 on

I tried to do my due dilligence to see if this was posted already, but didn't see it.  Mods please feel free to delete if it has been.

Some high level recruits were signing multiple agreements "that permitted mid-year enrolling freshmen to sign financial-aid paperwork with college programs after July 31 of their senior years."

These aren't national letters of intent, but was a loop hole that allowed kids to have a sort of agreement with multiple schools without having officially committed to any of them. 

A few examples of them had a particular theme, one that may be apparent to you all as it was to me (copied from the article):

• Josh Malone, the No. 7-ranked receiver prospect nationally out of Gallatin, Tenn., signed agreements with Clemson, Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee before pledging to the Volunteers.

• No. 3-ranked running back Dalvin Cook of Miami, signed with Miami, Florida State and Florida. He settled on FSU.

• Safety Laurence Jones of Monroe, La., rated No. 3 at his position, signed with LSU and Alabama. Jones then committed to the Crimson Tide.

Link:  http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/id/10292917/ncaa-tries-stop-recruits-signing-scholarship-agreements-multiple-schools

Edit:

Additionally:  "The NCAA officials said their organization has no power to limit the number of agreements a prospect can sign, because financial-aid documents -- unlike the letter-of-intent -- falls outside of NCAA jurisdiction."

The rule apparently applies to early enrollees or, more accurately, those who enroll mid year.

MGoBoard

GoWings2008

January 15th, 2014 at 9:39 AM ^

as if the benefit is more for the school than for the student. 

"The arrangements benefit schools by removing many recruiting restrictions. Once a prospect has signed an agreement with a school, it may publicize his signing and communicate, free of normal NCAA-imposed limitations, with the prospect outside of a dead period."

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Blue Mike

January 15th, 2014 at 10:10 AM ^

I believe that the reason recruits have started doing this is because it is like a reverse LOI.  By signing the financial aid agreement, the school is obligated to have a spot for the kid (though not necessarily on the football team).  Kids are signing multiple agreements so that they are assured that they'll have a safety net if an offer gets pulled, coach leaves, etc.  

The rub (from the coach's standpoint) is that it is non-binding; A kid can sign as many as he is offered, and nothing happens if he doesn't enroll in that school.  Coaches would like it to be a full contract - signing the agreement is akin to signing a LOI - so they don't have to keep a spot open for a kid who isn't ready to commit to the school.

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ijohnb

January 15th, 2014 at 9:39 AM ^

think the entire recruiting scene needs to be scaled back.  Schools and recruits should have the opportunity to meet, discuss the team, academics, and other topics of particular interest and recruits should be offered an opportunity to tour the campus and watch a game if they choose.  This early signing period, verbal commitments, formal commitments, switching commitments, early enrollees, this has a mind of its own now and it is overbearing.  The entire recruiting process has gotten out of control.  The same way I don't want to know too much about contracts and money in pro sports, the recruiting process is becomming very tiresome and taking away my enjoyment of college football to some degree.

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superstringer

January 15th, 2014 at 9:46 AM ^

The fact that every single little recruiting tidbit is now massively hyped, overplayed, and analyzed to death on Internet blogs, like... like... hmm well an example of one doesn't come to mind immediately, but ... the point is, recruiting has become its own business -- for the schools, the kids, AND the fans and media.  Horse is out of the bottle, genie out of the barn, bridge under the water, etc.  The fact we read a post about the update on Marlon Mack this morning shows how out of control this is.  Kid has a UCLA offer, no Michigan offer, but got contacted about a possible visit... and THAT is worthy of an update on the main site?  My point is, if that's news, then, recruiting is "way out of control" and let's all stop acting aghast about it.

If you don't like it, bury your head in the sand and go search for bewb pix.  Kate solves every problem, you see.

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ijohnb

January 15th, 2014 at 10:09 AM ^

solves most everything. 

I am not aghast, I am just tired of it.  My hope is that if spread the gospel, and be all "booo, nobody cares, recruiting is lame" enough times that poeple will come to my side and I don't have to look at Marlon Mack's contextless amazing cut back move on the front page any more.  But it will instead probably just get me negged.

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Huma

January 15th, 2014 at 9:53 AM ^

Or a much quicker and simpler solution to your problem is for you to just not read these posts. But changing the system and media coverage to fit your preference is probably a better idea. /s

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Mr Miggle

January 15th, 2014 at 10:18 AM ^

I didn't see anything that prevented recruits from continuing to sign multiple agreements.

The only change I see is that schools can talk about their EE recruits once they signed their agreements, as opposed to having to wait until they enroll. That brings it in line with being permitted to talk about recruits once they sign their LOI, rather than wait until they enroll in the summer or fall. The rule favors the first school a recruit signs with, but I don't see any new reason the recruit wouldn't sign with multiple schools, or the additional schools would refuse to accept him.

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GoWings2008

January 15th, 2014 at 10:23 AM ^

I tried to address the topic without coming up with a longer-ish title.

there is nothing from prevented recruits from signing multiple agreements, due to the loophole that's discussed.  However, the NCAA is addressing it by clarifying that "only the program that a prospect signed with first is allowed such privileges."

Hope that helps.

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LB

January 15th, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^

If that was it, I completely misread it as well. Thanks for the clarification.

I'm inclined to suspect that this is a very limited issue - it only applies to EE's to begin with. Michigan had 7, and I suspect that Hoke would at least enjoy a mental chuckle if you asked him how much of a problem this presents for him. Of course, some schools probably had 47 players to consider, so I can see how it might be more of a concern for them.

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Blue Mike

January 15th, 2014 at 10:31 AM ^

The original rule allows any school that signs a financial-aid agreement with a player to remove recruiting restrictions before they have signed an LOI.

The update just passed restricts this ability to only the first school who has the agreement.  So it removes the incentive for subsequent schools to sign an agreement.  While it would benefit the player, the school no longer gets any benefits from entering that agreement, so they likely won't offer it.

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Blue Mike

January 15th, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^

I don't think it's so much about the schools getting blindsided, but more about some schools taking unfair advantage of the recruiting advantages it brings.  Imagine if Malik McDowell or DaShawn Hand were on track to enroll early, and Florida or Alabama signed them to a FA agreement.  They would have essentially unlimited contact with the recruit, including during dead periods.  That would give them an advantage of Michigan, right?

Michigan could (or could have before) also signed them to a FA agreement, but not all schools are willing or able to do so because the agreement binds the school to give the player a scholarship if they attend the school.  That could be a big deal at some schools without unlimited resources.

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maize-blue

January 15th, 2014 at 10:24 AM ^

A simpe solution to any recruiting mess, paying players, yada, yada is to do away with college football and create a semi-professional/minor league football system.

 

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LB

January 15th, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^

 

 

GRAY AREA

  • College sports in general
  • Ann Arbor

However, during the part of the season during which games are not being played the mods are pretty easy on those posts as long as we can stay away from the things that prevent us from having nice things.

*Disclaimer - I am not a mod, have never been a mod and probably should never be named a mod, so take it for what it's worth.

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LSAClassOf2000

January 15th, 2014 at 11:45 AM ^

I took a quick dive into the NCAA legislative summaries - there is a ruling RWG-13-1 which might be where the issues arose, if I am understanding this correctly. The described intent, per this document here, is to specify that anyone who has signed an offer of admission or NLI or has received a deposit in response to the offer of admission is no longer subject to Bylaw 13.1. It also states that the intent of that ruling was to say that anyone who enrolls in classes during the summer term at an institution prior to their actual initial enrollment shall not be considered a prospective student-athlete. That's listed under "intent", of course, so if this is the right ruling there have been issues, it seems. 

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