NCAA sanctions Florida for recruiting violations
The NCAA sanctioned the Florida Gators for recruiting violations on Tuesday, charging head coach Dan Mullen with failing to “promote an atmosphere of compliance.”
The Division I Committee on Infractions said there were two Level II violations of recruiting contact rules.
The penalties issued included one year of probation and a $5,000 fine for the program and a one-year show-cause order for Mullen.
In one case, Mullen and an unnamed assistant coach had impermissible in-person contact when they met with a prospect’s head coach while the prospect was in the room. Mullen also sent the prospect text messages about his interest in recruiting the prospect, violating NCAA rules that prohibit off-campus contact until after a prospect’s junior year of high school.
In the second incident, members of the coaching staff had impermissible contact with approximately 127 prospects when seven non-scholastic football teams visited the Gainesville campus and toured the football facilities on their way to a tournament in Tampa.
“The head coach agreed that he did not promote an atmosphere of compliance in light of his personal involvement in one of the violations,” the NCAA report read.
Penalties also included a seven-day off-campus recruiting ban for the entire coaching staff during the spring 2021 recruiting period.
Florida (8-3) is set to face Oklahoma (8-2) in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 30 in Arlington, Texas.
Mullen, 48, has a 29-8 record through three seasons with the Gators. He was 69-46 in nine seasons at Mississippi State before signing a reported six-year, $36.6 million contract with Florida in November 2017.
–Field Level Media
