LSU’s Cam Cameron Fights Official Visits with Off-Campus Contact
Chris Foster of the LA Times has the story of some inventive recruiting work by LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron:
Cameron flew west at the same time as receiver Malachi Dupre (River Ridge Curtis High), linebacker Kenny Young (Curtis High), and defensive end Davon Godchaux (Plaquemine High), who are on official visits to UCLA.
Cameron would be able to squeeze in two visits if he accompanies the prospects back, which is also permissible:
Why was it OK for Cameron to be on the same plane with three players? He is allowed to visit recruits one day per week.
As for the return flight, the three leave UCLA on Sunday. The NCAA calls Sunday the first day of the week. Cameron would be allowed to visit again.
Most people call them home visits or in-school visits, but only basketball has those types of limits on off-campus contact and even then only for juniors. For every other prospect, an off-campus contact can occur anywhere in the world.1
This is just another illustration of how the official visit is not as sacred as it seems. The NCAA has a bylaw expressly allowing multiple institutions to split the costs of an official visit. But that does not stop even coaches from thinking an official visit is their exclusive time with a recruit, the most well-known example being Lane Kiffin’s mistaken accusation against Urban Meyer in 2009.
- Except at the site of the prospect’s competition before the contest is over and the prospect has been released by the coach(es). ↩