Recruiters flood prized jocks with text messages

Eden Prairie junior Willie Mobley woke up Wednesday morning, turned on his cell phone and had 10 new text messages from college recruiters.

Considered one of the top 250 national high school football prospects in this year's junior class, Mobley said he has received as many as 80 text messages daily from college recruiters.

"It's nice to know that people are interested in you," Mobley said. "Right now I'm fine with it. I like it. But I'm sure after a while it will get kind of old."

It's already gotten old to some. The NCAA's Division I board of directors will consider today approving a ban on the use of text messaging in recruiting for all sports. The potential ban was recommended by the NCAA's management council, which includes University of Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi.

NCAA officials say they believe the practice has become too intrusive and costly for recruits and could lead to future abuse if not addressed. But many coaches are not happy about the proposed ban, which would go into effect in August. E-mails will still be allowed, even if text messaging is banned.

"I think it's a negative for our staff because we have coaches who are enthusiastic and aggressive in recruiting," Gophers football coach Tim Brewster said. "They love to text and are good at it."

The use of texting in recruiting became popular a few years ago because of its popularity with teenagers. It's instant, easy and accessible from anywhere as long as the person has his or her cell phone.

"If you're not doing it now, you're behind the times," Gophers football recruiting coordinator Dan Berezowitz said.

Brewster said he sends anywhere from 50 to "a couple hundred" text messages a day, but not all of them are to recruits. That's just Brewster - his assistant coaches send dozens more apiece.

Colorado football coach Dan Hawkins estimates he sends 50 to 150 daily. Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self is a conservative in his text usage, estimating his staff sends fewer than 1,000 messages each month.

"Some staffs may send 15,000 a month," Self said. "They've got programs set up where you can mass text message."

The practice is not limited to major sports. Text messaging is a popular recruiting tool in men's and women's sports, revenue and non-revenue sports.

"It is such a convenient way to communicate," Gophers volleyball coach Mike Hebert said. "We're finding that [recruits] don't even open e-mails. It's just the culture now. Instead of fighting technology, we should find ways to embrace it."

Convenient tool

Coaches say text messaging allows them to relate to recruits on a more personal level, is more convenient than e-mail, is helpful in coordinating recruiting visits and no longer requires high school coaches to act as intermediaries. Many recruits say they prefer texting to phone calls because they can decide when or even whether they respond.

The NCAA, however, fears it also leads to abuses. Recruits describe receiving texts at all hours of the day, including while in class.

Berezowitz said most recruits have cell phone plans that provide unlimited text messaging because they already use it so frequently with family and friends. But it can pose financial problems without such a plan. Former Arizona recruit Delashaun Dean once had an $800 cell phone bill from text messaging coaches, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

The NCAA also is aware that coaches can use texting to skirt the rules. While the NCAA has strict limits on how many recruiting phone calls coaches are allowed to make, prospects are permitted to call coaches any time. Coaches can improvise by texting a recruit and asking the prospect to make the call.

"It's intruding on their lives and creating inappropriate relationships with coaches," Anna Chappell, chair of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, wrote on the NCAA website. "If you don't stop it now, what roads are you going to have to cross later on?"

Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, said his organization favors a rule that allows text messaging during certain times of the year. Teaff sent a letter to the NCAA board of directors this week asking it to table the issue so that a task force can study it further.

Gophers men's basketball coach Tubby Smith said he realizes how it can be a problem.

"I can see it being a distraction in class if they're texting people back," Smith said. "I'm kind of on the side of eliminating it."

Maturi said the NCAA management council considered alternatives before deciding to eliminate texting.

"It is almost impossible to monitor restrictions, and thus it was agreed to eliminate," Maturi wrote in an e-mail.

Self acknowledged the potential for abuse in text messaging.

"I think all staffs, if they're honest, will say that they've abused it in some form or fashion," he said.

Cretin-Derham Hall star wide receiver Michael Floyd, one of the nation's top recruits, said he was selective when handing out his cell phone number to college recruiters, partly to avoid being inundated with text messages. Floyd said he limits text messages to about 25 a day.

Not everyone abuses the practice, of course. Former North Dakota State men's basketball coach Tim Miles, now at Colorado State, said he makes sure his coaches are respectful of the time of day when they text. Colorado's Hawkins said he's also mindful of his message.

"I'm not going to [text] you 15 times a day telling you how great you are," he said. "I try to be more genuine and original."

If the ban is approved, coaches say the way they approach recruiting will change dramatically.

"I think this is going to throw everyone for a loop," Berezowitz said. "I think [text messaging] can make or break whether you get a kid. It's communication. The kid knows that you're always thinking about him."

Said Smith: "I'm not a big e-mailer. I'm still from the old school, but you have to use what the kids are using. We'll do whatever is legal."

Staff writer Jeff Shelman contributed to this report.

Chip Scoggins • ascoggins@startribune.com