May 15, 2009

David Fox
Rivals.com College Football Staff Writer

College coaches looking for a way around the NCAA's text message ban have a new way to keep in touch with prospects using current technology.

Division I and II coaches may contact recruits one-on-one using direct or private messaging functions on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. As long as direct messages can be viewed only by the coach and prospect and not by the general public, the contact is permissible.

Direct messaging on Facebook and Twitter sends messages to a user's e-mail address, though these messages also can be retrieved on Facebook or Twitter or by cell phone.

The NCAA considers direct messaging on those sites to be a form of e-mail, which is the only permissible form of electronic communication between coaches and recruits. Coaches remain prohibited from communicating with recruits by text message, instant message or in a chat room. Posting public messages on a recruit's social networking page ? on a Facebook "wall," for example ? also is forbidden.

"[Twitter and Facebook] have functions on their sites that allow for direct e-mail correspondence," Cameron Schuh, associate director for public and media relations with the NCAA, wrote in an e-mail. "As long as coaches are using the e-mail applications on the sites to directly e-mail with a prospective student-athlete, then this is permissible."

The NCAA banned coaches from text messaging recruits in 2007 after the Student-Athlete Advisory Council complained texts became too intrusive and too expensive.

Many social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, can be used for free. On these sites, message recipients can decide how they would like to be contacted and even if they want to be contacted by a particular user. Users also can send and receive messages by cell phone if they choose.

Over the past year, numerous college coaches have increased their presence online. USC football coach Pete Carroll, Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez, Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis, Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari and Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean are among those who maintain Twitter pages. Carroll, Rodriguez and Colorado football coach Dan Hawkins also maintain Facebook pages.

Coaches often use Twitter, a so-called microblog that limits users' posts to 140 characters, to update fans on spring practice, announce speaking engagements or post inspirational quotes.

Recruits using Twitter are permitted to subscribe to a coach's public posts (or "follow" the coach), but coaches are not permitted to reply since those posts can be viewed publicly.

"It's one of those things where you don't want anybody else doing anything that you're not," Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin said in April. "I was reading that [Georgia] coach Mark Richt had started it and had one, so we wanted to make sure there wasn't anything that could possibly be a benefit that we weren't doing. It's another method of getting out there and letting our fan base or recruits know what we're doing."

Many coaches didn't appear to be aware that Twitter and Facebook could be used to contact recruits. That is about to change. Illinois football coach Ron Zook, for one, "tweeted" that he is pleased with the new interpretation. "How about the ncaa saying U can communicate with recruits using twitter?" he posted on his page Thursday afternoon.

David Fox is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at dfox@rivals.com.