Download the Oct. 2021 Jacksonville St. Public Negotiated Resolution
A Jacksonville State football assistant coach committed recruiting violations when he had recruiting contacts with a potential transfer without obtaining written permission from the prospect's prior school or being authorized to contact that prospect through the notification of transfer process, according to an agreement released by the Division I Committee on Infractions.
The NCAA enforcement staff, school and assistant coach agreed that from January 2019 through November 2020, the assistant coach exchanged 450 impermissible text messages and had at least 10 impermissible phone calls with a transfer prospect while he was enrolled at his previous school.Â
According to the agreement, the assistant coach formed a mentor/mentee relationship with the prospect after being introduced to him by a current Jacksonville State player during his own recruiting process.  The text messages involved scripture, motivational quotes and/or general encouragement. Regardless of the content of the communications, however, once the prospect enrolled at another school, the coach's continued contact with him violated NCAA rules, which require a coach to obtain permission to contact a student-athlete at another school or to obtain authorization through the notification of transfer process.
The violations, which were self-reported by the school, were discovered when the prospect decided in November 2020 to transfer to Jacksonville State to be closer to home and subsequently enrolled the following January.
This case was processed through the negotiated resolution process. The process was used instead of a formal hearing or summary disposition because the university, the involved coaches and the enforcement staff agreed on the violations and the penalties. The Division I Committee on Infractions reviewed the case to determine whether the resolution was in the best interests of the Association and whether the agreed-upon penalties were reasonable. Negotiated resolutions may not be appealed and do not set case precedent for other infractions cases.
The university and the enforcement staff used ranges identified by the Division I membership-approved infractions penalty guidelines to agree upon Level II-mitigated penalties for the university and assistant coach. The report contains the full list of penalties as approved by the Committee on Infractions, including:
- One year of probation.
- A $5,000 fine.
- A three-week ban on all recruiting communications for the assistant coach during fall 2021.
- An off-campus recruiting ban for the assistant coach for three days in fall 2021 and six days in spring 2022.
Members of the Committee on Infractions are drawn from the NCAA membership and members of the public. The members of the panel who reviewed this case are Tricia Turley Brandenburg, deputy director of athletics and senior woman administrator at Towson; Joe Novak, former football head coach at Northern Illinois; and Dave Roberts, special assistant to the athletics director at Southern California and chief hearing officer for the panel.
