Stoops wants tougher penalties for improper contact

Bob Stoops compared the NCAA’s decision to deregulate recruiting as a trip into the Wild West earlier this spring.

No limits on phone calls, mailings, media guides and the ability of non-staff members to contact recruits were opening up the flood gates of recruiting.

All of this was set to take place in August.

Alabama hired a massive staff of former coaches and support personnel readying for the changes. Stoops and Oklahoma Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione were already discussing their approach to new hires because of the proposed changes.

SCOOPHD: STOOPS TALKS DEREGULATION AND RECRUITING

But deregulation is over.

For now.

The NCAA has tabled the proposed legislation changes.

“Seemed like they were just ready to, in other words, let’s take it out of the NCAA and our compliance hands, and let’s have no regulation,” said Stoops. “Well, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. I don’t think it’s been totally broke, so let’s not totally change it.”

The proposals were confusing to fans and coaches alike. Why so broad? Why such sweeping changes?

It seemed it would have been beneficial for the NCAA to seek out the guidance of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) when making these decisions.

Stoops wasn’t able to answer why that doesn’t happen when asked Monday evening in Tulsa.

“I don’t know. I can’t answer to that,” he said. “All I know is we were pretty proactive once we do realize some things are happening. We get our voice thrown out there pretty quickly. Grant Teaff, I think, does a great job of that, of getting ahold of us as coaches, and what are our opinions, and then making sure that, hopefully, they address our opinions and get some things changed or put on the backburner and let’s think this through a little more.”

Stoops isn’t against everything that was thrown out there.

As mentioned, Stoops was prepared to make the necessary hires in creating Oklahoma’s own personnel department. But talking with  Stoops over the last two months leading up to the NCAA killing the legislation, it was clear he was certainly against unlimited phone calls and texts.

“Some of it I am (for), some of it I’m not,” said Stoops about recruiting reform. “I’m not gonna sit here and detail my opinion on every single bit of it. I’m glad they’re looking at it. It needs to be well thought out.”

Stoops believes improper communication is an issue in recruiting. But he doesn’t believe it should be deregulated. He believes it should be scrutinized more than it is.

“If a player says he talked to so and so at whatever time of year, whether you can trace it or not, however he called him, he called me, I talked to him, well, that’s a violation,” said Stoops. “Have it severe enough to where they don’t want to do it. I don’t think we do a good enough job of that.”

Wherever recruiting legislation goes in the future, the NCAA needs to be more in-tune with the AFCA. Maybe then we’ll see some changes for the better

As it stands now, it was an experiment that never got off the ground.

RECRUITING BOOST COMING

Headington Hall on the corner of Lindsay and Jenkins, just opposite Memorial Stadium, is coming along nicely.

Bob Stoops has hailed the new living facility as a major benefit to recruiting for all of OU’s athletics programs.

“I think it will be incredible for every sport. I think it’s gonna be a huge boost to everybody,” said Stoops. “They’re brand new. You’ve got apartment-style living in that each kid has his own bathroom, shower, toilet area, opposite a TV room and kitchen area. I think it will be fabulous.”

The dorms will even have extra large beds for football players and Lon Kruger’s basketball players. If Sherri Coale can recruit another Courtney Paris, they’ll even have some extra long beds for her basketball players too.

But it will also feature creature comforts that will make living life on campus much more metropolitan as well.

“I’ve been through it and it has a movie theater, coffee shops, new dining hall; it’s gonna be everything you want,” said Stoops.