But one simple tweet saying something along the lines of the quote above is actually very helpful and is part of being a fan.
No, it isn't. It makes you a booster, and you're committing an NCAA violation on behalf of your school.
But don't believe me. Five other Compliance officers from five other schools have weighed in since yesterday. Their responses:
knapplc,
It is not permissible for anyone other than the respective coaching staffs to communicate through any medium (i.e. Facebook, twitter, phone calls) with potential recruits for Clemson University’s athletic programs. Fans should not interact with recruits via twitter, Facebook or any other form of social media.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions for me, and thank you for bringing this question to the Compliance Department.
Andy Campbell
Compliance Coordinator
Clemson University
Jervey Athletic Center
PO Box 31
Clemson, SC 29633
Hi knapplc,
A booster may not interact with prospects on social media. Recruiting is supposed to be done by athletics staff members only and the NCAA considers contacting prospects in any form (email, social media, in person, etc.) as recruiting.
Thanks for asking and let me know if you have further questions.
-Dustin
Dustin M. Gray
Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance
Iowa State University
1800 S. Fourth, Jacobson Bldg Ames, IA 50011
No, it would not be permissible. Only coaches should be contacting prospects.
***Note - this response came from Lance Troester, Compliance officer at Oklahoma State. Submitted as received.
Hi there,
Thank you for your email. In general, it is NOT permissible for fans to interact with non-signed recruits via any social media sites, especially if the person trying to contact the recruit is a booster for that University. Since the NCAA has no way to discipline the fans, the punishment then falls on the recruit and the school.
Please let me know if you have any other questions and thank you for asking!
--
Danielle Berish Charters | Compliance Coordinator
Boise State University
GO BRONCOS!
Hi knapplc,
CU boosters and fans need to be careful of their interactions with recruits on social media websites. The NCAA holds all institutions responsible for their fan’s actions in regards to recruits and social media.
Please do not use Twitter, Facebook or other websites to contact CU recruits. Creating fan pages, groups or starting trends in order to recruit someone to CU is impermissible. Even though a recruit has verbally committed to CU, they should not be mentioned via social media until l they actually sign a National Letter of Intent to attend CU.
Please be mindful of your actions on social media websites. We want to protect the eligibility of CU recruits and future Buffs!
Thanks,
Kevin
Kevin T. Prochaska
Associate Director of Compliance
University of Colorado |369 UCB | Boulder, CO 80309
Not sure how I feel about being confused with a CU booster or fan on that last one, but the point cannot be hammered home enough for our slower members here. It is not, not, not OK to tweet recruits.
It's not OK.
It's not part of being a fan.
It's not normal.
It's a violation of NCAA rules.
You can get your school in trouble.
You should not do this.
I can keep emailing Compliance departments from schools across the country and keep posting their responses here if I need to.
I think I will, in fact. Every time some nitwit says "It's OK, it's part of being a fan, the recruits like it" I'll email another Compliance office and post their response.