The old joke inSECcoaching circles goes something like this:Jeremy Pruitt got caught cheating at Tennesseebecause he had more than one bagman.
Now it looks likePete Golding could be staring at a visit from the NCAA— whatever that means/is worth — because he didn't useanygo-between.
He's — allegedly — doing the dirty work himself.
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Multiple coaches have now accused Golding of tampering with signed players, a move that's againstNCAArules — even though the coaching community isn't sure if it will ever be enforced.
Tampering is a Level II violation, which typically means it's treated as a breach of coaching conduct. In other words, you're on double-secret probation, and if you do it again, we're going to be really mad because we're the NCAA and you're not.
Which is to say, it has no teeth. At least not yet.
Some in the coaching community want tampering changed to a Level I violation, and have specific sanctions and fines for each event. A loss of scholarships, or more damning: a coach suspension.
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For each event.
In other words, if what Clemson and Fresno State coaches allege is true and Golding tampered with signed players, he'd have to serve a two-game suspension in the upcoming season.
He'd serve one game for allegedly sending texts to former Clemson (and nowOle Miss) linebacker Luke Ferrelli, and another game for alleged illegal contact with Fresno State wide receiver Josiah Freeman.
Or the NCAA could go even stronger, all but daring coaches to tamper with other rosters. The first violation is 10% of the season (one game), the second violation is 50% of the season (six games) and the third violation is a season-long suspension.
If the goal is to truly eliminate this nonsense, there must be teeth to the rule.
No more soft playing it, no more declarations of investigations only to find out months (or years) down the road the coach was given one year of probation and wasn't allowed to contact recruits for the first two days of the transfer portal opening.
Or some other do-nothing sanction.
Want to make coaches think twice about tampering? Hit them where it hurts most: Take away their ability to coach games.
Matt Hayesis the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at@MattHayesCFB.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NCAA can end tampering by suspending coaches who do it
