The NCAA announced two rule changes this past April, and both were met with plenty of vitriol. The one that resounded the most in the immediate aftermath was the decision to ban satellite camps, which was hit with such backlash that it was soon overturned and satellite camps were reinstated.
The second big decision from the NCAA came in the form of deregulating text messages. It allows coaches and recruiting personnel the ability to text any prospect any number of times.
“The texting thing is the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said at the time.
A number of coaches believed that this would result in a free-for-all when it came to any staff reaching out to any recruit at any time. Coaches were concerned that recruits wouldn’t have the same ability to virtually walk away from a conversation via text the same way they can with Twitter or any other social networking site -- by not opening the app.
“The texting thing, I was against,” said Cal head coach Sonny Dykes, who offered his take on why texting is different than communicating via social media. “The big important difference is somebody has to friend you in order to be able to talk to them via social media. If you were a kid and we were recruiting you and you weren’t interested, you weren’t getting 250 text messages a day from us, because you weren’t getting anything from us. That inability to maintain some privacy I think is a very substantial negative.”
Following the rule change, it was apparent that many coaches didn’t trust their counterparts to keep their text message numbers within reason. Coaches, after all, have been known to push up to and even over the line when it comes to NCAA rules. Without a rule in place, it was easy to guess things could devolve into chaos.
But nearly one month into the deregulation, which went into effect on April 28, many recruits love the decision.
“I like it a whole lot,” said ESPN 300 defensive tackle Greg Rogers. “It’s made it a lot more convenient and easier -- not having to go on Twitter.”
Isaiah Wilson, the nation’s No. 2 overall prospect, guessed that he receives just four or five texts per day and treats it the same way he does Twitter direct messages. Fellow ESPN 300 defensive lineman Deonte Johnson said he receives, on average, just three texts per day and has no concerns about how he’d handle it if things start ramping up as he gets closer to a decision.
ESPN 300 quarterback Ryan Kelley said he received only a few texts from Auburn and Utah after he decommitted from Oregon. Now, after committing to Arizona State, Kelley pretty much only talks to the Sun Devils staff.
“It hasn’t gotten crazy yet for me,” said ESPN 300 running back Salvon Ahmed. “Coaches know kids don’t want to be blown up all day, so a lot of the coaches I’m getting recruited by are respectful with it. They just hit you up every once in a while.”
One of the early positives that staffs have experienced is communicating during unofficial visits. Mike Eubanks, director of recruiting and football relations at Stanford said he has used text messages to maintain contact with prospects during unofficial visits, whether it’s keeping updated on a flight change or if they can’t find a parking spot. But under head coach David Shaw, Stanford coaches and staffers are very aware of not bombarding a recruit with text messages.
“I’ve had several instances where I’ve needed to text with someone and that’s been helpful,” Eubanks said. “But we’re trying deliberately not to open Pandora’s Box.”
ESPN 300 tight end Jimmy Jaggers is in the same boat as many other prospects. The uncommitted recruit said he received at least one text per day, but only talks to two or three coaches per day and only about five schools text him consistently.
There is obviously an opportunity for this to ramp up as signing day closes in and more prospects are on the verge of committing or flipping their commitments, but coaches hoping that a spate of text messages will result in a commitment likely already know that won’t alone win them a recruit.
“I’m not going to be making my decision off of the fact that School A sends half as much handwritten letters and edits and texts as School B,” Jaggers said.
And ultimately, even if coaches do ramp text messages up to ridiculous levels down the stretch, recruits still might not even bat an eye.
"I could see it getting overwhelming for sure," Jaggers said. "But that happens with this process no matter what."
