Buckeyes self-report four recent minor recruiting, transfer portal violations
COLUMBUS — Ohio State has self-reported four violations, all minor, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The level III violations were reported Tuesday.
All four violations came within a five-month window, according to the Dispatch. They include contacting a player before he entered the transfer portal and providing a high school player with an edit after a visit. According to the report, a coach contacted a player who posted his intention to enter the portal, but stopped all communication as soon as he learned contact wasn’t allowed.
Ohio State submitted the violation to the Big Ten and the NCAA on Aug. 18, 2023, stopped recruiting activities for one week and cut down its in-person days and official visits.
“Once he learned that the (student-athlete) was not contactable, he ceased communications until the SA entered the NCAA Transfer Portal,” the report read, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The second reported violation stemmed from an edit provided during the “SummerFest” recruiting event in July. One of the recruits from the class of 2026 committed on the visit, and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline shared a graphic from the creative staff with his guardian, Adam “Pacman” Jones. Because the prospect wasn’t a junior in high school, that goes against NCAA rules, and Ohio State lost two recruiting days after reporting it.
This is in reference to Buckeyes 2026 wide receiver commitment Chris Henry Jr., who committed while on his visit to the Buckeyes.
Another violation included a photo of a recruit with two unnamed boosters, according to the report. That took place in September, and the photo was removed during the first quarter after a staff member noticed the photo was online. The boosters both received rules education, one wasn’t allowed to receive a sideline pass for two games and the NCAA took away two in-person recruiting days as a result.
Finally, a staff member commented on a commitment post in January, which goes against NCAA rules. The comment was posted to social media before it was deleted after learning it was a violation. The staff member deleted the post and received education on recruiting and social media. This is a minor violation.
None of these violations are major in their levels, according to the NCAA. Ohio State and other programs around the country routinely self-report violations to the NCAA and self-discipline, as well.
Ohio State signed six transfers from the winter transfer portal window and signed a top-five recruiting class in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
