Les Miles Pushes NCAA Publicity Rules to the Limit
Asked indirectly about Dylan Moses, a ninth grade running back who committed to LSU over the weekend, LSU head coach Les Miles responded indirectly:
When Miles was asked about the freshman phenom by reporters on Monday, the coach responded, “Certain guys (have) ability to evaluated as youngsters … I’ve watched him in certain games and he’s got all the right stuff. Certain ninth-graders can develop quickly.”
Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution asks if this is a violation of the NCAA rules against commenting on prospective student-athletes. As Carvell points out, Miles talks about a specific prospect, and “he’s got all the right stuff” certainly sounds like “commenting generally about the prospective student-athlete’s athletic ability”, which is one of the types of comments singled out as prohibited.
If this is not a violation, it would mean the rule more or less requires a coach to say the prospect’s name to be a violation. That would lead to a comical result where coaches talk openly and freely about prospects and to prospects through the media, but treat them like Lord Voldemort. “There’s a young man, freshman running back in Baton Rouge, who we think would make an excellent addition to the team and we hope commits real soon.”
Later in a series of tweets that accompany the article, Gentry Estes and Kipp Adams of 247 Sports agree that the rule, while seemingly trivial, prevents coaches from going off the deep end talking about prospects. But on the flip side, it also gives coaches an out to not have to discuss their recruiting with the media or boosters. Coaches can be as vague as they want and blame it all on the NCAA. Despite the hassle the rule causes for coaches, it will not be changed in the foreseeable future because the alternative hassle for coaches is much bigger.
Bethel University Minnesota Sports Recruiting.