Here’s a rule change many around college football saw coming a mile away. The NCAA has tweaked its policy concerning mid-year enrollees and the burgeoning phenomenon of them signing multiple financial aid agreements. Those kids still can do so, but now the NCAA will rule that the schools who don’t ultimately land the prospect will be in violation of recruiting rules.
I wrote about this as a preview to 2014 National Signing Day (in a story that apparently has been scrubbed from existence from the Internet. My Social Security number still exists, so I’ve got that going for me, which is nice). Marshall recruit Cole Garvin, who enrolled at the school this semester, signed his agreement in November, which allowed Marshall unlimited contact. Yet Marshall’s was the only letter he signed.
Other prospects signed multiple agreements, which allowed several schools unlimited contact and muddied the recruiting waters. Five-star receiver Josh Malone was the most visible example, signing agreements with Tennessee, Florida State, Georgia and Clemson before picking Tennessee. The NCAA hasn’t outright banned the practice, but that new wrinkle will make another school think twice about signing a mid-year enrollee who already signed an agreement to another one.
