The rules of recruiting in the NCAA

The GIST: Recruitment can be a delicate dance, especially with NIL busting a move on the floor. Monitoring and enforcement are tricky, and when coaches and other reps are caught red-handed, the consequences can run the gamut.

The process: The NCAA defines recruiting as “anything more than a hello” between reps and potential players or their parents. In practice, however, the line between legal and illegal communications is wildly blurry — and exposing rule-breakers is difficult, as much of this contact occurs over email and social media.

• The aforementioned Harbaugh’s current communication controversy has him accused of contacting potential recruits during a COVID-19 dead period, then lying about it to the NCAA. Pants very much on fire.

• There are many instances of major programs placed in time-out because of other recruitment-related offenses, like arranging endorsements at Kansas, directly paying players at NC State, and using…unsavory tactics to woo recruits at Louisville.

The NIL minefield: Some of the most serious NIL concerns relate to recruiting and the potential creation of pay-to-play schemes. As we’ve said before, there’s a fine line between suggesting a recruit could bank big NIL money and straight-up offering them financial incentives to commit — a huge violation that could heavily favor the richest programs…as long as they’re not caught.

• These kinds of financial incentives aren’t new — see the Louisville fiasco, part two — but what was an open secret is now even more enabled by NIL. And with the stark lack of current regulation, the NCAA is scrambling to write and enforce the rules.