Recruiting regulations have long been some of the most hotly contested NCAA rules. The lives of coaches and recruits are both changed when these rules change, as the recruiting process can become obnoxious and simply overwhelming. Technology is responsible for much of this. Phone calls, e-mails and text messages can now be sent from any place at any time, forcing the NCAA to step in and put a cap on the amount of communication that can take place between coaches and recruits.
The game has now changed. The NCAA is set to pass bylaws that will lift many of these communication limitations. Via Mitch Sherman of ESPN:
Everything else went through, including Proposal 13-3, which removes restrictions on numerical limitations and modes of recruiting communication, including text messaging.
So starting with the class of 2014, college coaches can call, text and communicate privately by any methods available without restrictions. No more one-call-per-week. No more ban on text messaging, which was instituted in 2007.
If 13-2 passes in April, prospects in their junior years can expect up to six visits per institution at home and school from coaches during the contact period, just as seniors experience.
The unintended consequences will be many.
Recruiting is already contested fiercely. Coaches look for any edge they can find within the rule book, and sometimes outside of it.
Starting in August, it will be OK for a coach to call a prospect 10 times a day and text him constantly, so it will happen. Coaches won't hesitate for a moment out of concern that if they don't push the envelope, a rival program will.
Sherman hit the nail on the head. These rules changes are going to make an already stressful process even more stressful for young men across the country. Many recruits already make early decisions in order to avoid the stress that comes with being uncommitted, and that number could easily climb in the coming years.
Still, there could be positive ramifications from these changes. Some coaches blatantly ignore the NCAA's contact rules, calling and texting recruits far more than what is allowed. These new rules will allow honest coaches to close the gap in the recruiting process.