This Week in Coaching: Newly proposed recruiting rule changes don't solve college football's crammed calendar

Earlier this week, ESPN’s Pete Thamel released a lengthy Twitter thread on some potential significant changes to college football’s recruiting calendar, and the news should make lots of coaches (and their families) happy. 

The NCAA Football Oversight Committee is “expected to introduce non-controversial legislation” to the Division I Council next month, per Thamel. If the various proposals pass, the new rules would be adopted Aug. 1.

News: NCAA Football Oversight Committee expected to introduce new “non-controversial legislation” to DI Council on April 12/13, per document obtained by ESPN. If passes Council and then NCAA Board of Governors, it would be adopted Aug. 1. Two steps away, but likely to happen. 1/8

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 28, 2023

So what are the potential changes? 

Essentially, college football’s never-ending calendar would be tinkered to allow staffs to contact prospects a year earlier and lessen the number of evaluation days. Staffs wouldn’t be on the road as much, yet the rules give them the opportunity to develop deeper relationships with prospects earlier in the process. 

The idea of the changes revolved around, “A new calendar to promote current (student-athlete) experiences and work-life balance for coaches who engage in off-campus recruiting activities,” per Thamel. 

It’s pretty simple, most coaches will love these proposals. While it still feels like putting a band-aid on a gapping wound — at some point the FOC must address the sport’s crammed calendar in December with the Early Signing Period and the initial transfer portal window — it at least solves some issues. 

Staffs would be able to breathe a bit more, and have more time off in the spring. Perhaps the tweaks in the rules keep more coaches who aren’t overly invested in recruiting in college. The staffs that are obsessed with recruiting would still have plenty of room to outwork their colleagues, too, as the proposals offer the opportunity to connect with prospects much earlier in the process. 

Under the potential changes, coaches would be permitted to legally (because LOL it’s been happening for years anyway) sit down and speak with juniors during the January and spring evaluation periods. More notably, though, is that staffs would be able to conduct in-home visits with said prospects. That’s big. Staffs would also be allowed to initiate phone calls several months in advance now (June versus September).

Many staffs will gripe that the FOC didn’t recommend allowing more off-campus recruiters, but that could change in the future much like the analysts coaching in practice rule. On3’s Matt Zenitz reported Monday that the proposal to allow analysts and other off-field staffers to coach during practice is not expected to pass before the 2023 season. However, the expectation is rules will change once the details are haggled over. 

“The rule’s not going to pass even though there’s overwhelming support for two reasons,” one team official told Zenitz. 

“One, everyone agrees any staff member should be able to coach during practice but it’s somewhat split on anyone coaching during games. Two, schools are preparing for student-athletes to be employees, so trying to have the money to pay them and don’t want to have to pay unlimited coaches.”

Still, FOC’s proposals to tweak the recruiting calendar would be small, but important, wins for both coaches and prospects.

At some point soon, the sport will have to make more sweeping changes to the calendar. As SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said earlier this year, “We’re crushing coaches in December,” and that month is only going to get crazier with the looming 12-team playoff in 2024. 

FOC’s latest proposals are a start at least. 

ELI DRINKWITZ FILLS MISSOURI’S OL OPENING

Former Houston co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Brandon Jones is set to be Missouri’s new OL coach, per FootballScoop. 

The Tigers had a staff opening after Marcus Johnson left for the same job at Purdue earlier this month, but Eli Drinkwitz quickly filled the vacancy with a veteran OL coach with experience at Texas Tech, Cal and East Carolina. Jones was available after not being retained by Dana Holgorsen in January. He’d been at Houston for four seasons and was the highest-paid assistant on staff, earning over $500,000.