Report: Kansas pulls Bill Self off recruiting trail amid NCAA case

The Kansas Jayhawks and Bill Self are fresh off a national championship and theoretically, should be reaping the benefits in the recruiting world. However, according to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, the head coach has been pulled off the road during July’s recruiting live period, with the program’s case against the NCAA being the reasoning.

In addition to Self, assistant coach Kurtis Townsend will be staying at home as well. Two other assistants have been on the road but are not involved with the NCAA investigation.

“Self and Townsend were subject to self-imposed sanctions from Kansas that signal the first cooperative effort by the program as it continues a years-long battle with the NCAA stemming from the FBI investigation into bribery and corruption in college basketball recruiting,” Norlander said in his report. “KU received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA in September 2019 before issuing a strongly worded response in May 2020. Since then, Kansas and the NCAA have been quiet about the case publicly.”

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This past weekend was one of the biggest on the college basketball recruiting calendar, with the Nike EYBL’s Peach Jam taking place in South Carolina. All of the top coaches in the sport were there but Self was noticeably absent. A huge event where the Jayhawks’ headman would have been able to make a few moves.

Kansas does not currently have a commitment from anybody in the 2023 class but has sent out a slew of offers. Self has always been one of the top recruiters in the country and showed by landing a near top 10 class in last year’s cycle. Five-star prospects are continually playing their college basketball in Lawrence.

With Self not on the road, he will not be getting any face-to-face action with recruits anytime soon. Coaches will not be allowed to see recruits in person again until the middle of September. However, there is still a chance Self and Thompson are still not involved by then according to Norlander.

Until then, Self will have to focus on his upcoming 2022-2023 season and look to defend his national championship crown. There will be a lot of roster turnover for the Jayhawks this season, with the head coach having to start from scratch. His run in March will live on forever but for now, it’s about putting on a product to get back to the Final Four.