Is it permissible for athletics department staff to promote a prospective student-athlete's team?

The decision regarding whether athletics department staff can promote a prospective student-athlete's team revolves around the NCAA's governing principles, which emphasize fair competition and the integrity of recruitment processes.

Promoting a prospective student-athlete's team could lead to various interpretations of undue influence or preferential treatment, which the NCAA seeks to avoid. The regulations are designed to ensure that all student-athletes and prospective student-athletes are treated equally and that their recruitment is based solely on their athletic abilities and character, rather than on promotional efforts by college staff. Therefore, allowing athletics department staff to promote such teams could be viewed as a violation of the principles of fair play and could give the impression that certain student-athletes are being favored over others.

By not permitting staff to engage in promoting teams associated with prospective student-athletes, the NCAA aims to maintain a balanced playing field within recruitment processes and uphold the standards of ethical conduct in collegiate athletics.