"NCAA is a joke": CFB fans react as Colorado gets cited for Coach Prime's minor recruitment violation
Deion Sanders, otherwise known as Coach Prime, got in a bit of hot water with the NCAA, being tagged with a minor recruiting violation Thursday. The incident occurred when Sanders mentioned Colorado quarterback pledge Julian Lewis during his weekly coaches show, USA Today reported.
Coach Prime's mention of Lewis came in November, before the latter could formally sign with the Buffaloes on Dec. 4, the first day of the early signing period. NCAA rules don't allow coaches and schools to comment on recruits before pen meets paper.
Colorado is making changes to Coach Prime's show in response to the violation.
"The content will no longer be livestreamed," the school wrote, via USA Today. "External relations will therefore be able to review and edit content that could be construed as impermissable publicity of (recruits)."
While the state of recruiting has changed, with money involved during the process, fans feel there are more pressing issues for the NCAA to address rather than coaches uttering a likely incoming recruit's name before he's officially part of the team.
"Players getting millions but mentioning a recruits name is a violation," @JoshuaCReeves said with a clown emoji following. "The NCAA is a joke."
With the state of college football these days, factoring in NIL and the transfer portal, someone else had the same sort of thought on the matter.
"I didn't even think it was possible to commit a recruiting violation these days." @MikeSki206 said.
A Colorado fan brushed off the infraction while mentioning something else the organization should be worrying more about. The two topics, of course, are unrelated.
"The fact that mentioning a recruit too early leading to a minor violation makes the same headlines as an SEC WR bowling his sports car through a school zone while intoxicated is funny to me," @BuffsSzn wrote.
Another fan wasn't quite clear on the NCAA's guidelines, which can be confusing at times.
"Confused but is not allowed to mention players that he's recruiting or something ?" @Phxlly said.
To some, the news about Coach Prime and the Buffaloes doesn't come as much of a surprise.
"Deion... Colorado... having recruiting violations!?" @HuskerWave posted with a GIF of a man in a state of confusion, most likely being used in a sarcastic nature.
Revisiting Coach Prime and the recruitment of Julian Lewis
Lewis, rated a four-star prospect by 247 Sports, was first committed to play for Lincoln Riley at USC for over a year. He decommitted in November, and not long after landed with Coach Prime in Boulder.
The Buffaloes also brought in Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, who Lewis figures to battle with for the starting job behind center as next season approaches. Salter played for the Flames for four years, picking up a wealth of experience at the college level.