Auburn will have to keep the limos in the garage next year.
The NCAA passed legislation Thursday night that prevents more than two assistant football coaches from visiting a high school in one day during the spring evaluation period, a measure aimed at preventing the all-out recruiting blitz employed by Auburn and several other schools recently. The news was first reported by the Athens Banner-Herald.
The rule is effective immediately.
The spring evaluation period is for coaches to gather information on prospective recruits from coaches, administrators and guidance counselors. Coaches are not allowed to make contact with the players.
But Auburn has created a buzz the last two years with the controversial tactic of sending its assistants en masse to high schools in and around Alabama in stretch Hummer limousines.
The NCAA said such actions were "just as much to be seen as to actually conduct an evaluation," concluding that schools are "unnecessarily expending resources in order to have multiple assistant coaches attend these evaluations as a result of the perceived recruiting benefit."
The measure specifically mentioned the use of limousines and "extravagant buses." Although Auburn used a decorated bus for fundraising rallies this spring, it did not send it to schools on recruiting trips.
Other schools, although less flashy, have followed Auburn's lead, and Carver High, home of highly-touted recruits Gabe Wright and Isaiah Crowell, has been the center of attention.
Georgia sent six assistants to Carver on Monday. After Auburn sent six Tuesday, Florida State arrived with four Wednesday.
On Thursday, Auburn head coach Gene Chizik distanced himself from the "Tiger Prowl" phrase Auburn has used to describe its evaluation forays the last two springs.
He said "Tiger Prowl" had "nothing to do with recruiting" during an SEC teleconference, drawing a distinct line between Auburn's recruiting efforts in the morning and fundraising rallies — what he called the actual "Tiger Prowl" — at night. Auburn used the large bus painted in team colors and emblazoned with logos at the fundraising events.
Chizik said he unsure what effect the limousines and the en masse approach has had on Auburn's recruiting.
In February, after his first full year of recruiting on the Plains, Chizik and his staff landed a consensus top-five class. The Tigers have already secured commitments for 2011 from three highly-rated offense linemen — Spencer Region, Thomas O'Reilly and Reese Dismukes.
"I don't know whether that's something that played a huge part in our signing class or not," Chizik said. "We like to think that there are some things that we did that added to the success of the recruiting class, but at the end of the day it's about relationships and about how hard you work to get young men and convince them this is the best place for them and their families."
2 comments:
Its about time our recruiting efforts started forcing the NCAA to make silly rules. Saban shouldn't have all the fun.
Seriously, I can't disagree with all of the NCAA's logic. If every coaching staff started copying Auburn, any high school with a coveted prospect would be overwhelmed with these kinds of visits and it would be a series of disruptions. Auburn already got the PR for it, so its probably good that we can let it go now and get back to something normal...
... until the next great idea. Keep the NCAA rule changes coming Chizik.
Marmot, I agree with you that overloading high schools is not a good idea, but you are wrong to give the NCAA credit for that "logic".
The NCAA cited "excessive expendatures" as the reason for the rule. Now that the NCAA has secured the latest round of exorbitant TV contracts, they are switching from their capitalist wardrobe to their "socialist-let's keep it all fair" wardrobe.
Post a Comment