dudeman0501
07-21-2004, 10:12 PM
http://files.aximsite.com/sec/mikeshula.jpgNew Recruiting Rules Worry Auburn, Alabama
SOURCE: SECsports.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- From now on, Auburn's long-distance recruits will be flying into Atlanta, where they will be met and driven 101 miles to campus.
And, thanks to an NCAA rule change that would prohibit colleges from using university jets for campus visits, Alabama's recruits will land 60 miles away in Birmingham.
"This could be a nightmare," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "If I were a parent, I'd be concerned about all the rules they're changing."
The NCAA Management Council endorsed rules Tuesday designed to clamp down on lavish college recruiting, including restricting recruits to commercial air travel. The organization's board of directors will meet for emergency approval Aug. 5.
"It's a knee-jerk reaction," Tuberville told The Birmingham News in a story Wednesday. "Now you're going to have an 18-year-old kid going through a big airport and having to change planes for the first time. It's mind-boggling they don't look at the safety of the kids."
Tuberville said most SEC schools will be affected because "there's not a team in the conference that has a direct flight from anywhere, except maybe Vanderbilt."
Alabama recruiting coordinator Randy Ross also worries about the changes.
"It would be a concern, but not necessarily from the point of us picking them up (in Birmingham)," Ross said. "For a lot of kids, getting to the airport from where they live is difficult. It may be a hardship on many young men.
"Another thing is for kids who play basketball. We may pick those kids up on Friday night after a game so they don't miss Saturday morning. We do a lot of our academic program on Saturday morning. Now, if they can't get to an airport and get out on Friday night, they'll fly on Saturday morning. They could spend at least half a day traveling."
UAB recruiting coordinator Ross Robinson said he likes the changes.
"Some schools have some advantages others don't," Robinson said. "If it puts us all on the same level, we welcome the changes."
SOURCE: SECsports.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- From now on, Auburn's long-distance recruits will be flying into Atlanta, where they will be met and driven 101 miles to campus.
And, thanks to an NCAA rule change that would prohibit colleges from using university jets for campus visits, Alabama's recruits will land 60 miles away in Birmingham.
"This could be a nightmare," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "If I were a parent, I'd be concerned about all the rules they're changing."
The NCAA Management Council endorsed rules Tuesday designed to clamp down on lavish college recruiting, including restricting recruits to commercial air travel. The organization's board of directors will meet for emergency approval Aug. 5.
"It's a knee-jerk reaction," Tuberville told The Birmingham News in a story Wednesday. "Now you're going to have an 18-year-old kid going through a big airport and having to change planes for the first time. It's mind-boggling they don't look at the safety of the kids."
Tuberville said most SEC schools will be affected because "there's not a team in the conference that has a direct flight from anywhere, except maybe Vanderbilt."
Alabama recruiting coordinator Randy Ross also worries about the changes.
"It would be a concern, but not necessarily from the point of us picking them up (in Birmingham)," Ross said. "For a lot of kids, getting to the airport from where they live is difficult. It may be a hardship on many young men.
"Another thing is for kids who play basketball. We may pick those kids up on Friday night after a game so they don't miss Saturday morning. We do a lot of our academic program on Saturday morning. Now, if they can't get to an airport and get out on Friday night, they'll fly on Saturday morning. They could spend at least half a day traveling."
UAB recruiting coordinator Ross Robinson said he likes the changes.
"Some schools have some advantages others don't," Robinson said. "If it puts us all on the same level, we welcome the changes."