You can’t stop Nick Saban. You can only hope to contain him.
Earlier this year, the NCAA passed two new rules to control head coaches from going to visit high school campuses—both of them aimed at trying to slow down Saban and SEC head coaching fraternity member Urban Meyer.
Many have actually gone as far as to call the new restrictions “The Saban Rule.”
The rule demands that head coaches cannot make trips to high school campuses for evaluation and can only contact recruits by phone call once during the 45-day period.
As I reported about two weeks ago, Saban was not happy about this new rule.
“I think its ridiculous,” Saban said about two weeks ago. “I think we’ve really limited ourselves by what we’ve done, and I totally disagree with it.”
Even with new rule, Saban is still making his way around high school campuses on the Internet.
In a new hint of brilliance, Saban is now talking to recruits through video-conferencing, something completely legal by NCAA rules.
According to the NCAA, “All electronically transmitted human voice exchange (including video conferencing and videophones) shall be considered telephone calls.”
As I also stated above, the NCAA says that coaches can call recruits only once, but recruits can make contact with the head coach as often as they wish.
Just last week, the only coach with a No. 1 recruiting class at two different schools talked to Athens High School prospect William Ming through a video conference.
Tide assistant Curt Cignetti visited the junior in north Alabama and left behind a web address.
Ming then went into a computer lab and talked with Saban for a good half hour.
“You could see facial expressions and hand gestures just as if you were sitting across the desk from him,” Athens head coach Allen Creasy said of the conversation Ming had with Saban. “(That’s) a first from a recruiting standpoint.”
Looks like someone has read the rules.
Through this new technique, Saban has once again made his way into new territory and made an impact in the recruiting world. It is almost a sure bet that William Ming will not be the last Tide prospect to have access to NickSabantalk.com.
“This is opening another door for him,” Creasy said. “If you’re not looking for innovative ways to push the envelope, somebody else is. That’s what keeps the top guys on top.”
Even though Alabama won’t have the room to pull in another No. 1 class this year, don’t expect Saban to be too far from the top come National Signing Day 2009.
Saban is one of those guys who will find ways to continue to recruit his way no matter how many rules are made in his honor.
Information from al.com was used in this article.
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5 months ago
As much as I dislike Nick Saban, I will admit he is a heck of a recruiter. Though, now it must be noted that his line of good value players is diminishing. Yes, Saban is getting talent, but unlike at LSU, at Bama Saban is settling more and more for players with discipline problems. He didn't do this at LSU, but the fact that he is doing it now at Bama shows he is desperate to start winning as soon as possible.
This is something people might not realize.
5 months ago
This move is smart, not brilliant. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to discover video conferencing.
Saban is not recruiting more players with discipline problems that he did at LSU. For one thing, only 1/2 of a Saban recruiting class has even stepped foot on the UA campus so I don't know how you could come to that conclusion. The discipline problems during the season and offseason were with recruits from the previous four years. Jeremy Elder is the only Saban recruit I am aware of who got in trouble, and he was summarily kicked off the team. In any event, Alabama's discipline problems aren't any worse than several other SEC teams like Georgia, MSU, South Carolina, Florida.
5 months ago
Chris, the whole point of Saban going as far as he is with trying hard to make the contacts is so more Jeremy Elder's dont make it to campus. He wants to talk to teachers, coaches, couselors and anyone else connected to the recruit to learn about his upbringing and any potential discipline problems. Go read the article about the Saban rule and you will see that that rule has hurt him.
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