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NCAA early recruitment restrictions could be tested in lacrosse this year

By Derek Helling

Mar 10, 2017; College Station, TX, USA; General overall view of NCAA logo during the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championshps at the Rhonda and Frosty Gilliam Jr. Indoor Track Stadium at the McFerrin Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2017; College Station, TX, USA; General overall view of NCAA logo during the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championshps at the Rhonda and Frosty Gilliam Jr. Indoor Track Stadium at the McFerrin Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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New recruiting restrictions involving high school underclassmen that could be placed on NCAA lacrosse programs this month would act as a test run for broadening the restrictions to all NCAA sports.

NCAA early recruitment restrictions that will be deliberated later this month have the potential to significantly change how coaches and recruits interact.

In the current system, there are no restrictions on incoming calls between coaches and recruits. That means recruits can call coaches as much as they want. There are bans on coaches placing the calls to recruits or their families, but not on calls initiated by the recruits.

The proposed change according to Peter M. Torncello and Gregg E. Clifton of collegeandprosportslaw.com would apply the same ban to incoming calls. If enacted, it would be a violation of NCAA rules for coaches to have any contact via telephone with recruits or their family members before September 1 of the recruit’s junior year of high school.

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The concerns that this new restriction would address involve both coaches and recruits. High school freshmen and sophomores are seen as not being ready to make a decision that will affect their futures so powerfully like where they will attend college.

Additionally, there is so much that can happen before a high school freshman/sophomore recruit actually gets on campus. Coaches could be fired or take other jobs. Recruits could sustain injuries or change sports. Those possibilities and others make it so committing to a player at this juncture doesn’t make sense for programs.

The NCAA DI Council will consider this proposal at its annual meeting April 12-14. If it is approved, the new rules will take effect for both men’s and women’s lacrosse on September 1 of this year. While it’s unclear how long the NCAA would collect data on the change before considering broadening it to other sports, what’s certain is that using lacrosse as a guinea pig for enacting similar restrictions in revenue sports is the objective.

Expecting this, or any other, change to come to football and men’s basketball soon would be unrealistic. Regardless, the fact that the NCAA is considering limiting early recruiting is newsworthy in and of itself.

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