Analysis: Unofficial Visits in N.C.A.A. Recruiting Draw Concern, Not Scrutiny

Just weeks after Southern California Coach Lane Kiffin, who was the coach at Tennessee when the transaction is said to have occurred, appeared to have escaped N.C.A.A. scrutiny from his tumultuous tenure as the Volunteers’ coach, the Yahoo Sports report pulled him back into the N.C.A.A. cross hairs.

Perhaps more important, the report portrays Garza and the Tennessee staff flagrantly disobeying N.C.A.A. rules on unofficial visits. (An unofficial visit is one in which the prospect and his family must pay their way to campus.) Yahoo said Garza paid a third party the money for Seastrunk and his mother to make the trip in July 2009 using a MoneyGram, even providing the receipt.

Coaches, recruiting analysts and an N.C.A.A. official said in interviews that illegal payment for a prospect’s unofficial visit was one of the most commonly manipulated N.C.A.A. rules. While the importance of unofficial visits has increased because of the speeded-up recruiting calendar with unofficial commitments, there is little scrutiny of how prospects and their families pay for the visits.

“It seems to be a real concern,” said Rachel Newman Baker, an N.C.A.A. managing director of enforcement, who said the N.C.A.A. had been studying the issue in both football and basketball. She added, “As we’ve been doing our outreach and meeting with folks, it seems like this has been on top of the list.”

On an official recruiting visit, a prospect’s travel, hotel and meals can be paid for by universities while the prospect visits campus, according to N.C.A.A. regulations. Those visits cannot be taken until the start of the prospect’s senior year of high school.

There are so few perks allowed on an unofficial visit that a university cannot pick up a prospect at the airport or pay for a hotel stay. The N.C.A.A. rulebook has four pages on official visits and one and a half on unofficial visits.

“Behind the scenes in college basketball, people will tell you that the unofficial visit is one of the bigger problems facing recruiting right now,” the ESPN basketball recruiting analyst Dave Telep said. “It’s a place where things can be easily manipulated by third parties. At the same time, I have no idea how you can fix it.”

The problem appears to be as pervasive in college football as it is in basketball. The former coach Urban Meyer said that in the later part of his six-year tenure at Florida, he heard about abuses elsewhere of the unofficial visit rule.

“I’d ask my assistants, ‘Why is this kid not visiting us?’ ” Meyer said. “They’d say, ‘Coach, we’re not paying for his trip.’ ”

According to Drew Cannon, a Duke student who does research for Telep, 51 of Telep’s top 100 senior basketball prospects had already unofficially committed to universities by Sept. 1. Nearly all of the top 100 had made unofficial visits.

Brad Stevens, the Butler men’s basketball coach, said that 90 percent of the official visits during his tenure had involved players who had already made commitments to the Bulldogs.

Because prospects cannot make official visits until the start of their senior year of high school, the official visit has become more of a ceremonial showcase of campus than a critical part of the recruiting calendar.

“It’s totally changed, I would say, in the last five years,” said Dan Dakich, a former college head coach and assistant who now coaches travel basketball and hosts an Indianapolis radio show. “Kids are committing so much earlier, and parents totally understand the process. The people I deal with say, ‘Can you help us get him on campus?’ ”

And that is where problems can occur, especially in a time when unemployment, gas prices and airfares are high.

“I see guys flying across the country or regionally like it’s a rock star tour,” Telep said. “Knowing what I know about some of those situations, I don’t know the means of where this is coming from.”

View the original article here

Irish recruiting update

Things have been relatively quiet on the Notre Dame recruiting front the past two weeks with the Fighting Irish away from home. And they will likely stay that away until the week of Oct. 16, the Sunday before the Irish host USC at night.

For now, it's worth taking a look at what other potential Notre Dame prospects are doing in their time before then.

William Mahone, the highly touted four-star running back from Austintown Fitch (Ohio) High School, will be joining prep teammates Demitrious and Chris Davis at Heinz Field tonight for Pitt's game against South Florida, according to our guy Jared Shanker.

Shanker says this is the last shot for Pitt to make a strong impression on Mahone, who will likely choose between the Panthers, the Irish and Michigan State. The Davis twins have already committed to Pitt.

Still, Shanker said, it would be surprising if Mahone didn't end up in South Bend, Ind. He visited Sept. 17 for the Irish's win against the Spartans, and he liked it so much that he is paying his own way back for the Irish's Oct. 22 game against the Trojans.

Until then, however, don't expect much movement from a Notre Dame 2012 recruiting class 15-deep, one that moved up two spots to 11th overall in the nation in ESPN's latest rankings, released Wednesday.

View the original article here

Big Ten recruiting needs: Legends division

National Signing Day is just about a week away, so let's take a look at the recruiting needs for each Big Ten team.

In compiling these lists, I tried to look at positions that have depth issues for 2011 and/or 2012.

Let's start off with the Legends division.

IOWA

Running back: Marcus Coker's breakout performance in the Insight Bowl got Iowa fans excited for the future, but there's still a significant depth issue here. If Adam Robinson can't get reinstated, the Hawkeyes will be looking for No. 2 and No. 3 options behind Coker. As we've seen the past two seasons, freshmen backs will see the field at Iowa.

Linebacker: Iowa felt the losses of Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds this season, and it must continue to rebuild the depth at the three linebacker spots. Multiyear starter Jeremiha Hunter departs along with players like Jeff Tarpinian and Troy Johnson. Iowa needs to build around rising star James Morris.

Wide receiver/tight end: Iowa loses Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Allen Reisner and Colin Sandeman this year. Also, receiver Marvin McNutt and tight end Brad Herman depart after the 2011 season. Although the Hawkeyes boast young talent at both positions, they need to build depth with this class.

MICHIGAN

Secondary: The Wolverines couldn't find many answers here in 2010, and though the return of players like cornerbacks Troy Woolfolk and J.T. Floyd will help, there are opportunities for freshmen to make an immediate impact. Michigan simply needs more options at both secondary spots in 2011.

Defensive line: It's crucial for coach Brady Hoke and defensive coordinator Greg Mattison to begin building depth up front. Future NFL player Mike Martin departs after 2011 along with Ryan Van Bergen, so Michigan needs to solidify both line positions.

Kicker: Field goals were an adventure in 2010, and Michigan simply can't have so much uncertainty at kicker going forward. The Wolverines need a reliable leg here ASAP.

MICHIGAN STATE

Linebacker: I like some of the young linebackers the Spartans bring back in 2011, but you can't overlook the losses of multiyear starters Greg Jones and Eric Gordon, not to mention reserve Jon Misch. Michigan State should have a decent group of first-string 'backers, but wants to build depth in the defensive midsection.

Offensive line: Not only do the Spartans lose three starters from the 2010 line, but they're still not where they need to be depth-wise up front to become a consistent top-tier Big Ten program. Michigan State wants to become like Iowa and Wisconsin. The big step is to keep fortifying both lines, especially on the offensive side.

MINNESOTA

Pass rusher: Minnesota finished last in the Big Ten in sacks last season (9) and hasn't had an intimidating pass rusher since Willie VanDeSteeg in 2008. The recent departure of defensive tackle Jewhan Edwards, who led the team in both sacks and tackles for loss in 2009, underscores this need.

Offensive line: The Gophers lose three starters up front, and while they boast some promising young linemen like tackle Ed Olson, the depth just isn't there yet. Minnesota's best teams had powerful offensive lines, and new coach Jerry Kill must continue to create competition up front.

NEBRASKA

Running back: The Huskers lose standout Roy Helu Jr., and while Rex Burkhead quickly will become one of my favorite Big Ten players, he might not be an every-down back for Nebraska going forward. You always want options in the backfield, and Nebraska must continue to address its run game with the 2011 class.

Wide receiver: Nebraska loses Niles Paul and wants to identify playmakers to surround Taylor Martinez or whomever starts at quarterback. Brandon Kinnie departs after the 2011 season, and while Burkhead helps in the receiving department, Nebraska needs others to emerge.

NORTHWESTERN

Running back: Although Mike Trumpy and Adonis Smith emerged as possible answers late in the 2010 season, Northwestern needs to create real competition here. The Wildcats have lacked a dominant back during the Pat Fitzgerald era and need a dangerous rushing option to complement Dan Persa.

Defensive line: The Wildcats lose only one starter (Corbin Bryant) from the 2010 squad, but four more rotation players (Vince Browne, Jack DiNardo, Kevin Watt and Niko Mafuli) depart after 2011. Fortifying the pass rush is a major priority going forward.

Tags:

Big Ten Conference, Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan State Spartans, Michigan Wolverines, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Northwestern Wildcats, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Vince Browne, A.J. Edds, Jeremiha Hunter, Marvin McNutt, Taylor Martinez, Willie VanDeSteeg, Dan Persa, Jewhan Edwards, Brady Hoke, Colin Sandeman, Ryan Van Bergen, Roy Helu Jr., Pat Fitzgerald, Niles Paul, Mike Martin, Pat Angerer, Jerry Kill, Greg Jones, Adam Robinson, Rex Burkhead, Corbin Bryant, Allen Reisner, J.T. Floyd, Eric Gordon, Troy Woolfolk, Troy Johnson, Brandon Kinnie, Marcus Coker, Adonis Smith, Jeff Tarpinian, Mike Trumpy, Ed Olson, James Morris, Jon Misch, Brad Herman, Jack DiNardo, Greg Mattison, 2011 recruiting needs, Kevin Watt, Niko Mafuli

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here

Could TCU open up Texas recruiting base?

ESPN Recruiting's Jamie Newberg takes a look today at how the addition of TCU to the Big East could affect recruiting for the league.

Obviously, having a pathway to an automatic BCS bid now helps the Horned Frogs immensely as they make pitches to prospects. It could also mean that Big East schools benefit from the exposure in Texas and start signing players from that talent-rich area.

"I can't speak for the other schools in our league but I think we are going to try and take advantage of it," Syracuse coach Doug Marrone told Newberg.

My take: I think that this could open doors for a few prospects here and there, but it's certainly not going to open any floodgates. The best players in Texas will still go to Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, and the idea of playing in the East Coast probably will not be that appealing to many of them.

But any extra pipeline can help. West Virginia got quarterback Jeremy Johnson out of Texas last year, though he quickly got homesick and ended up transferring. A more successful example is Louisville starting center Mario Benavides, who's from Los Fresno, Texas.

Big East coaches now have some additional recruiting tapes to comb through.

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here