Signing Day came and went almost a week ago but recruiting is still a hot topic in college football. The FanHouse has been all over the issue this week. As always, USC leads the headlines with Joe McKnight's communications with Reggie Bush and the limo sent to a recruit. Both are obscure no-no's. But there's also a storm brewing at Clemson between the divergent missions of the university and the football team. And then this morning came news of Urban Meyer's near-violation of yet another obscure rule.In the years I've followed recruiting I don't recall this much carryover of issues a week after signing day. Perhaps this is because of the rise of the recruiting websites, perhaps it's because of the game's tremendous popularity right now. Perhaps a million other things but this may be the proverbial bubbling before cauldron's lid bursts off.
And perhaps it's because a Midwestern school with great pull managed to register their complaints against lowly Illinois and its big recruiting class all the way into the pages of the New York Times.
Look no further than Brian's entry today about NCAA President Myles Brand forming a committee to review recruiting practices to see that things are definitely heating up.
As for remedies, Brian suggests getting rid of the idea of singing day. Eh. I'd rather they just simplify and reduce the rules and ask that the NCAA spend the necessary dollars to credibly enforce them. Of course the NCAA has earned the reputation of a bad lover over the years, all take and no give so my suggestion is probably pie in the sky but you never know.
