Some college coaches would like to see the NCAA overturn the so-called “Saban Rule,” which prevents head coaches from going on the road in the spring to recruit at high schools.
And there are some good points to support the stance, most notably the accelerated pace of the football recruiting process. Many big colleges, including Georgia and Georgia Tech this past year, fill up most of the spots in their recruiting class the summer before prospects begin their senior year of high school.
So why not give the head coaches more access to prospective recruits at an earlier date for a more thorough evaluation? USC’s Steve Sarkisian would like the opportunity for head coaches to join assistants on the road in the spring.
“They are talking about an early signing period, (but) I don’t know how we could have an early signing period if the head coach has never met with a young man in person or seen the kid work,” Sarkisian said.
“Hopefully we can get back to that in months of April and May — when our assistants get back on the road, that the head coaches can get back out there and evaluate as well.”
Back in 2008, an NCAA-related committee changed the rules to take head coaches off the road in the spring so they could avoid making illegal contact with prospects while visiting the high schools. It was nicknamed the “Saban Rule” because the Alabama coach, who was known to visit almost 100 high schools during the spring, was questioned for having improper contact or “bumps” with juniors.
Even though changing back to the old rules makes a lot of sense because kids are being recruited at such an earlier age these days, there doesn’t seem to be much support from coaches for it — at least if the coaches still aren’t allowed to make contact with the kids.
“You can’t do that (change the rule),” Ohio State’s Urban Meyer said. “It’s a show when you go on the road and try to hit eight or nine schools per day and fly all over the country. And then when you get there, the rules say you’re not able to meet with (prospects). And they’ll have fans there and people there. That’s not spring recruiting.
“Spring recruiting is spring evaluation. … With a head coach going into a high school, you’re not allowed to meet with a kid, so there’s no reason to do it. That’s really not an option with the current model of the evaluation period.”
LSU’s Les Miles likes the rules just the way they are because he feels like the old way often put him in an uncomfortable position.
“As soon as the college coach walks on the high school campus, the prospect comes and finds him,” Miles said. “You have to say, ‘Listen I can’t talk to you. You’ve got to move along.’ What happens is that you can’t be polite.
“And then there were a number of coaches who would sit down and interview a guy. They’d talk to high school coach, and put the kid in there in the office with them. You know, that’s not right.
“To me, I like the rule the way it is: It stops the head coach from violating the rule, which is tremendously important. No. 2, it allows somebody to coach the players that you have on your campus. You continue to develop the guys you have on your team. To me, that’s often overlooked in recruiting by coaches who don’t see the year-round influence being quite as important. When I’m on the road, I miss my team. I need to be around them.”
Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson has mixed feelings about whether head coaches should be allowed back on the road.
“I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but I also think you’ve got to coach the kids you have in your program,” he said. “And all the other coaches are gone in the spring. There needs to be somebody here to monitor it, and to be here for the kids who are in the program.
“Well everybody (on the coaching staff) can’t be gone. So I can see both sides. … I’m 50-50 on whether the coaches should be on the road in the spring. It could be OK. It used to be that way. I haven’t seen a whole lot of difference (since the rule changed).”
Georgia’s Mark Richt is fine with spring recruiting, but only if the head coaches can meet with the juniors.
“The only way I would want to be back on the road in the springtime is if it became a contact period,” Richt said. “I don’t want to be out there and having to avoid contact. It gets a little chaotic anytime a head coach enters a high school.”
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