Am Fully Committed :No.1 Player In America Commit To Michigan Wolverines Women’s Basketball Over Alabama and Tennessee Vols

Am Fully Committed :No.1 Player In America Commit To Michigan Wolverines Women’s Basketball Over Alabama and Tennessee Vols

A Lady Vols basketball assistant coach was turned in by another school for apparently committing the same minor NCAA violation as other schools involving the same recruit.

In October, a prospect asked the Tennessee assistant to meet her at her family’s private business during a recruiting visit rather than her home or school, just as other coaches had previously done. But this time, UT was slapped with an NCAA rules violation.

It was an inconsequential infraction for the staff of first-year UT coach Kim Caldwell. But it shed light on the fine print of the NCAA rulebook and the competitive nature of SEC recruiting.

Also, in two other minor violations, a UT assistant swim coach was guilty of sending an ill-timed email. And a UT assistant rowing coach made a premature post on social media.

UT athletics reported three Level III NCAA violations in the second half of 2024, according to a document obtained by Knox News through a public records request.

Level III infractions are minor breaches of conduct. They are common and routinely reported by athletic departments at every school. They almost always result in low-level penalties, as was the case with these instances by UT.

UT’s violations provide a glimpse into the convoluted nature of the NCAA rulebook. Here’s a breakdown.

In October, a UT women’s basketball assistant had set up a recruiting visit with a prospect, which was permitted. But the prospect’s family requested that the coach meet them in a private room at a business they own rather than their home.

According to the UT compliance report, coaches for two other universities had previously visited the prospect at the same location. The prospect and her family preferred that setting rather their home, so coaches obliged.

But when a photograph featuring the prospect and the UT assistant coach appeared on social media, another school turned in the Lady Vols for a recruiting violation.

By rule, coaches can only meet a recruit for an off-campus visit at their school or residence.

The compliance document did not include information on how the reporting school recognized the location, and the photo is no longer on social media.

The prospect confirmed to the compliance office that coaches from other schools had already visited her at that location before UT did. A university spokesperson told Knox News that UT doesn’t know if the other schools were reported for the same violation.

But the indication is that no one had a problem with how the prospect was recruited until the Lady Vols came on the scene.

The report did not identify the prospect, UT assistant or the school that reported the violation.

As a penalty, UT counted the contact as two recruiting opportunities and two recruiting days with that prospect. The Lady Vols coaching staff also had to undergo a refresher course on recruiting rules.

But the minor violation didn’t slow down Lady Vols recruiting. Caldwell’s 2025 signing class ranks No. 2 in the country and features three McDonald’s All-Americans.

It’s sometimes referred to as the “click don’t type” rule.

According to the UT report, an assistant rowing coach “had forgotten that the rule does not allow for typing, only clicking” when the assistant coach committed a violation in July.

The assistant coach commented on a photo on a recruit’s social media post before the athlete committed to UT, which was a minor violation.

As a penalty, the assistant coach did not participate in any recruiting activities for seven days. Plus, UT did not contact the recruit for 14 days, and it had no in-person contact with the recruit for 45 days.