How do the new college football recruiting rules affect Michigan?

Jim Harbaugh impacts new football recruiting model

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The NCAA Division I football council released a new set of recruiting rules on Friday to create an "improved recruiting environment for students and coaches."

Michigan fans are probably wondering: How do the rules affect Michigan?

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Jim Harbaugh will find new ways to go above and beyond in the recruiting world, but until then, here are the new restrictions that he'll have to circumvent.

An extra assistant coach

One of the biggest announcements from the NCAA is the addition of a 10th assistant coach position. Harbaugh has been masterful in putting together an all-star coaching staff at Michigan, and now he has another open spot with which to work.

Remember, Harbaugh tried to hire the father of future No. 1 quarterback recruit Michael Johnson Jr in February. He expected the NCAA to pass the proposal for a 10th assistant coaching position, but the NCAA pushed back the decision.

In just two seasons at Michigan, Harbaugh has already seen several of his assistants promoted to higher positions at other schools. D.J. Durkin is now the head coach at Maryland after being Harbaugh's defensive coordinator, and passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch was hired as UCLA's offensive coordinator.

Harbaugh is sure to take advantage of an additional coaching spot.

Hiring people close to recruits

The NCAA has also prevented schools from hiring "people close to a prospective student-athlete" for two years before or after the player enrolls at the school.

This is another rule that greatly affects Michigan, a school that has perfected this science. The Wolverines hired legendary recruiter Chris Partridge in 2014 in the midst of their takeover of New Jersey recruiting. Since hiring Partridge, Michigan has pulled many of the top recruits out of New Jersey, including Rashan Gary and Tarik Black in the last two offseasons.

Partridge came to Michigan from Paramus Catholic High School in the same season as top recruit Jabrill Peppers, a move that wouldn't be allowed under the new recruiting model, since Partridge was Peppers' head coach in high school.

Devin Bush Sr. is another example of this practice. Harbaugh brought him to Ann Arbor with his son, Devin Bush Jr., to be an analyst for the team.

It's unclear if a move such as Michigan's 2015 hiring of Gwen Bush -- the mother of then-Stanford graduate transfer cornerback Wayne Lyons -- would be prevented under the new rules. Lyons decided to transfer to Michigan for his final season of eligibility, and Bush has since become a critical part of Michigan's recruiting strategy.

Camps and clinics

One of Harbaugh's most famous moves since he returned to Michigan was the satellite camp tour in the summer of 2015. Since then, the NCAA has repeatedly passed new rules to regulate those camps.

The NCAA is limiting coaches' participation in camps and clinics to 10 days in June and July, but the biggest obstacle for Michigan is that the camps must "take place on a school's campus or in facilities regularly used by the school for practice or competition."

Staff members with football responsibilities are included in the restrictions.

From the NCAA

Here's the full release from the NCAA:

"The Division I Council acted Friday to offer potential Division I football student-athletes earlier opportunities for official visits to college campuses and increase their access to college coaches. The Council also acted to make the recruiting environment more transparent and better tied to high schools.

Current student-athletes also will have increased access to coaches under the football recruiting proposal, adopted as a package by the Council. The proposal comes a year after an attempt to more tightly restrict coaches’ participation in camps and clinics failed. At that time, the Division I Board of Directors asked the Council to come up with a more comprehensive plan to regulate the football recruiting environment for students and coaches.

Council chair Jim Phillips, Northwestern’s vice president for athletics and recreation, said the Council and its Division I Football Oversight Committee accepted the challenge that resulted in the new legislation.

“Today’s adoption of the football legislation marks the most significant progress in recent years to improve the football environment and culture for current and prospective student-athletes and coaches,” he said. “Importantly, the action of the NCAA Division I Council delivers on the charge of the Division I Board of Directors to comprehensively improve the football recruiting environment. This affirms that the new Division I governance structure can effectively and timely address important issues.”

The new legislation accomplishes several things:

It changes the recruiting calendar to allow for an early signing period in December (effective Aug. 1). Only the Collegiate Commissioners Association can create new National Letter of Intent signing periods.

It adds a period for official visits that begins April 1 of the junior year and ends the Sunday before the last Wednesday in June of that year. Official visits can’t occur in conjunction with a prospect’s participation in a school’s camp or clinic (effective Aug. 1).

It prevents Football Bowl Subdivision schools from hiring people close to a prospective student-athlete for a two-year period before and after the student’s anticipated and actual enrollment at the school. This provision was adopted in men’s basketball in 2010 (effective immediately, though schools may honor contracts signed before Jan. 18, 2017).

Football Bowl Subdivision schools are limited to signing 25 prospective and current student-athletes to a first-time financial aid agreement or a National Letter of Intent. Exceptions exclude current student-athletes who have been enrolled full-time at the school for at least two years and prospective or current student-athletes who suffer an incapacitating injury (effective for recruits who sign after Aug. 1, 2017).

It limits the time for Football Bowl Subdivision coaches to participate in camps and clinics to 10 days in June and July and requires that the camps take place on a school’s campus or in facilities regularly used by the school for practice or competition. Staff members with football-specific responsibilities are subject to the same restrictions. The Football Championship Subdivision can conduct and participate in camps during the months of June and July (effective immediately, though schools may honor contracts signed before Jan. 18, 2017).

It allows coaches employed at a camp or clinic to have recruiting conversations with prospects participating in camps and clinics and requires educational sessions at all camps and clinics detailing initial eligibility standards, gambling rules, agent rules and drug regulations (effective immediately).

It allows Football Bowl Subdivision schools to hire a 10th assistant coach (effective Jan. 9, 2018)."

Further information from the NCAA:

"After an intense period of study by a subgroup of the Football Oversight Committee, that group recommended — and the Council introduced — the legislation  adopted Friday. Some tweaks happened along the way, including changing effective dates and eliminating recruiting calendar adjustments to allow for a June National Letter of Intent signing period.

Football Oversight Committee chair Bob Bowlsby, commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, said the legislation was the result of widespread collaboration with numerous stakeholders.

"This is a significant move forward for football recruiting," he said. "The entire package of rule changes is friendly for students, their families and their coaches. We will continue to monitor the recruiting environment to make sure the rules work as intended, and we will suggest adjustments when necessary."

Football Bowl Subdivision members voted 14-1 for the proposal. Voting is weighted, with the autonomy conference representatives each receiving two votes and the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference and Sun Belt Conference representatives each receiving one vote.

Football Championship Subdivision representatives on the Council voted 12-1 for the proposal, as amended for FCS football. The provisions prohibiting the hiring of individuals associated with a prospect to noncoaching personnel positions and placing a hard cap on the number of initial signees were removed from the proposal because members do not believe those issues are as prevalent in the FCS. FCS members considered other amendments that would apply only to FCS football, and adopted one that allows the group to conduct camps and clinics in June and July.

Decisions are not final until the close of the Division I Board of Directors meeting April 26.

The Council also considered other legislation during its two-day meeting. Members tabled a proposal that would prohibit coaches from making verbal offers of athletics aid to prospects before Sept. 1 of the junior year. The delay allows for a broad review of early recruiting rules."


About the Author:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.