An April ADs meeting in Southern California could produce more clarity on the current recruiting deregulation debate.
The April 20 meeting was organized by USC AD Pat Haden long before the deregulations were finalized in late January. However, the meeting in Santa Monica, Calif., is expected to draw upwards of 120 persons who could represent a majority of athletic directors in the FBS (Division I-A). The meeting will not be open to the public or media, Haden said.
Having all of those ADs in one room could solidify opinion regarding the legislation that has been criticized by several coaches since the NCAA board of directors approved it in January. Some coaches have complained about too much deregulation that currently includes unlimited phone calls and texting and the possibility of the establishment of a player personnel department.
The NCAA announced Wednesday that the Rules Working Group would “reconsider” some of the proposals at its May 2 meeting. By that time, both the ADs would have met and a March 20 deadline would have passed for NCAA schools to formerly override the legislation.
An NCAA override request would be triggered if at least 75 schools vote for reconsideration of the legislation that is part of NCAA president Mark Emmert’s reform package. If a five-eighths majority (125 schools) weighs in by that date, the legislation would be suspended pending a vote by the membership.
The new recruiting guidelines are scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 1.
Compliance expert John Infante reported this week that the NCAA board of directors will reconsider the deregulations at its May meeting. Infante wrote “this essentially means that the proposals are overridden.”
Ohio State AD Gene Smith and Texas AD DeLoss Dodds are among those expected to speak at the April 20 meeting. Haden’s original idea was to gather ADs in one place to share ideas, sort of a think tank on college athletics.
