Head coaches forced to stay home
Illinois coach Ron Zook believes college football’s ruling class has enacted a law to keep the serfs from joining the landed gentry. Alabama coach Nick Saban, the man the rule was instituted for, hates it. USC coach Pete Carroll thinks his rivals have handcuffed him because they’re lazy. And while Zook, Saban, Carroll and their ilk sit in their offices this spring, a silent majority of head coaches will breathe easier.
A few coaches are seething because of a new NCAA rule that forces head coaches to stay home during the April 15-May 31 evaluation period, when college coaches swarm the nation’s high schools to eyeball players and schmooze prep coaches. Those head coaches say the rule eliminates a valuable chance for coaches to gather information about players they’re recruiting. College coaches weren’t allowed to talk to the actual prospects during the spring, but they could talk to their coaches, teachers and guidance counselors. Also, college head coaches could build relationships with high school coaches, which could come in handy down the road.
si.com
4/29/08
Magnolia Tribune
