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http://www.dailynebraskan.com/vnews/displa...8/4158f6b5f114dNew recruiting rules take razzle-dazzle out of visits
By Eric Stitt / Daily Nebraskan
September 28, 2004
With seven recruits officially visiting Nebraska this weekend, the football team has forcibly grown accustomed to the recently changed recruiting guidelines.
On Aug. 5, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved a list of rules affecting the ways schools recruit potential athletes.
The new rules have constrained schools from spoiling recruits during their visits. In other words, the celebrity treatment no longer exists.
No more utilizing private jets, limousines or posh vehicles for transportation. And only standard lodging and meals are provided. Also, programs cannot use particular aids such as scoreboards or screens for acknowledgement during visits to entice recruits.
Cornhusker Recruiting Coordinator Scott Downing said the new guidelines will “level the playing field” of recruiting and won’t discourage him.
“As long as everyone complies with them, we’re fine,” he said. “Whether you support them or not, that’s what the rules are.”
Downing said he was a little disappointed when he realized Nebraska wouldn’t be able to have a mock “Tunnel Walk” or use the HuskerVision for recruits during visits.
“I think (the NCAA) has taken a little bit of the ‘wow,’ the pizzazz out of (visits),” he said. “That was something we always enjoyed doing. It was always fun to see the recruit’s eyes when they saw that. When they went through it, they kind of enjoyed it.”
Also, programs aren’t able to place football jerseys in lockers for recruits anymore. Downing thought that was special for some recruits.
“For some kids that’s an emotional moment,” he said. “It’s their dream come true to see their name on a Nebraska jersey.”
Rivals.com writer Sean Callahan said the inability of a school to now simulate a gameday in the offseason is a strong reason why Nebraska will have had an astounding total of 15 official recruiting visits after this weekend.
He said NU knows it’s extremely important for a recruit to experience a gameday atmosphere because that’s when the program sells itself.
But even if the Huskers are having a difficult time getting comfortable with a few of the newest guidelines, they aren’t as bad off as conference rival Colorado, according to Rocky Mountain News college football writer B. G. Brooks.
Brooks, who is the beat writer for University of Colorado football, said it’s too early to tell if the NCAA’s new rules will have a significant effect on recruiting.
Brooks said he thought Colorado was at the forefront of programs that were under scrutiny in recent years for violating recruiting limitations. He also said the Buffaloes put themselves in a tough position when they hastily self-imposed recruiting rules on March 4, something no other Division I program has done this year.
Their constructed guidelines won’t allow official recruits to be housed by student athletes or attend off-campus parties. Visits are limited to one night instead of two, with an 11 p.m. curfew. Furthermore, recruits cannot visit on game weekends and must be under adult supervision.
Brooks said CU’s administration “absolutely” responded too quickly to particular allegations last spring by immediately enforcing new recruiting guidelines. He said Colorado’s self-set rules were severely stricter than the ones the NCAA later put into effect.
However, he said some of the those new recruiting rules are good because they’ve gotten rid of the “star treatment” that recruits were receiving on trips.
The new rules, he said, will “serve as a wake up call,” because recruits will have to earn that superstar image from now on.
“All athletes are pampered to begin with,” Brooks said.