How Josh Heupel will manage NCAA recruiting restrictions after Tennessee football scandal
NASHVILLE – Josh Heupel knows how he'll cope with recruiting restrictions as Tennessee football enters a five-year probation because of NCAA violations committed under fired coach Jeremy Pruitt.
That’s because Heupel has been doing it for the past two years since he replaced Pruitt.
The Vols began their probation on July 14 after the NCAA decision that found more than 200 infractions under Pruitt. It will end on July 13, 2028.
But the recruiting restrictions didn’t surprise Heupel, who addressed the sanctions at SEC Media Days on Thursday.
Documents obtained by Knox News through open records requests revealed that UT offered a plea bargain to the NCAA in 2021, which included recruiting restrictions similar to those in the final decision.
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Heupel was privy to those negotiations, so he knew what penalties likely would come.
He trimmed scholarships, recruiting visits, off-campus evaluations and contact with prospects over the past two years as self-imposed penalties to soften the blow once probation began.
In January 2021, Heupel replaced Pruitt, who was fired for cause amid the NCAA investigation.
Heupel said he asked UT Chancellor Donde Plowman, athletics director Danny White and administrations for projections about the sanctions. And they planned how to get ahead of penalties to minimize their impact.
“From Day 1 when we first got here, (I asked) ‘Where do we think this thing is going to go?’ ” Heupel said. “With five years to go (on probation) and the penalties that came down, we’ve been handling almost all these things at a higher percentage than what we’re actually going to have to over the next five years.”
Why scholarship cuts won't be that bad
The key to self-imposing penalties was to dilute their impact.
The NCAA credited UT with scholarship cuts and recruiting restrictions from Heupel’s first two seasons. So the Vols can stretch the penalties over seven years rather than five.
For example, UT must cut 28 scholarships. But it cut 16 in Heupel’s first two seasons and plans to trim two more this season. That leaves only 10 scholarships to trim over the final four years of probation.
It means UT could carry about 82 or 83 scholarship players in the next few seasons, just slightly below the maximum 85 allowed. Heupel’s first two teams dipped well below that.
In 2021, UT carried only 77 scholarship players. That included 70 under traditional rules and seven super seniors, who didn’t count toward the cap of 85 because their eligibility was extended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heupel hopes the self-imposed penalties in other recruiting areas also will deaden the blow of probation.
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Heupel already was recruiting well under restrictions
Recruiting under Heupel started slowly in the aftermath of Pruitt’s firing and a mass exodus of 38 players transferring before the 2021 season. Plus, NCAA rules restricting in-person contact between coaches and recruits didn’t help.
UT’s 2021 signing class ranked No. 17 by 247Sports Composite.
Heupel said opponents exaggerated the Vols’ potential penalties to scare away recruits, including the possibility of a postseason ban. But the NCAA cited UT’s “exemplary cooperation” in the investigation in not giving it a postseason ban.
“We’re not dealing with unknowns now,” Heupel said. “You’re not dealing with other programs that are beating you up and in some ways sensationalizing what’s going to happen.”
Heupel and his staff overcame self-imposed penalties to land the No. 10 class in 2022, anchored by five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. It marked the Vols their first top 10 class since 2015.
“Our recruits who just enrolled (from the 2022 class) never felt any of the effects of (restrictions) during the recruiting process,” Heupel said. “We’re transparent with recruits, open and honest with them.”
On Thursday, less than a week after the NCAA verdict, five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews committed to the Vols.
Heupel has a plan to manage restrictions
To figure out how UT will restrict recruiting in the future, just look to the past.
If UT maintains the cuts that it self-imposed the past two years, it could satisfy the restrictions before probation ends. That gives Heupel freedom to manage the cuts.
“There’s flexibility for us to navigate the space and take the necessary things we need to with what’s most advantageous to us within certain regulations that (the NCAA) gave us,” Heupel said.
UT must cut 36 official visits by recruits during probation. It already trimmed seven in Heupel’s first year and an unspecified number in 2022-23, according to the NCAA report. Schools get 56 official visits per year, so there’s room to trim a few if UT uses them strategically.
UT also must cut 40 unofficial visits by recruits and 120 offseason evaluation days during probation. And it cannot have contact with recruits for 28 weeks. The Vols already carved into those totals with self-imposed penalties.
Taking its punishment won’t be easy. But UT believes it can absorb the pain left by the Pruitt era.
“I don’t recommend anyone going through this,” Heupel said. “We’ve only navigated this space because we’ve been thoughtful (and) put the student-athlete first.
“As much of a climb as we had in the first 24 months, (considering) the trajectory of where we were and where we can go – I don’t think there’s any better time to be a Vol.”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Josh Heupel will manage cuts at Tennessee after recruiting scandal
