Football recruiting’s spring evaluation perdiod began Wednesday and schools have from April 15 to May 31 to spend four weeks visiting recruits to evaluate either athletic or academic ability.

April 15 was also two days after news of that little NCAA inquiry seeped out into the public. So I asked Bill Stewart if when the time came to begin the four weeks — that’d be May 1 — he might use the visits or the phone calls to make sure the kids weren’t under the impression the NCAA is specifically investigating the Mountaineers.

If you read some headlines or scrolls at the bottom of a cable channel or three or just a story by a misinformed person, you might get that impression. And face it: Some alternate version of the true story is going to be used against WVU in recruiting. If WVU is to wait until the end of spring practice to disseminate the true story — there’s no other choice, really — there’s a certain certainty someone is going to sully the Mountaineers first.

Well, Stewart wouldn’t comment specifically — he can’t; no one can — and in general terms wasn’t very worried and seemed pretty confident things would blow over and sort themselves out by the time the more intense recruiting period rolls around.

I’ll admit, I was suspicious. But then again, why would he worry when three days later you’ll host a gaggle of junior prospects and throw this piece up on the stadium’s big screen?