Looks like Steve Alford's departure from Iowa and disgruntled fans to New Mexico and open arms looks to have a few more bumps along the way. After Alford took the New Mexico job, he contacted the kids who had already signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) to attend Iowa. According to Alford, it was a courtesy to let them know he would not be the one to coach them next year. Or was that all he did?"I knew for about a week it was a good possibility from him and my AAU coach, who's good friends with him," said [Jake] Kelly. "But (Alford) called me the day he signed with them and just told me that he wanted me to come with him, and that they needed me and that he thinks they've got a good future there with some of the recruits that he thinks will follow him."[Emphasis added.]
This is a big recruiting no-no. NLIs say that you are signing with the school, not the coach, and that once an NLI is signed other institutions and their coaches can't try to recruit you. Expect that if Kelly really wants to follow Alford to New Mexico or get out of the Iowa NLI he will backtrack from that statement.
The article also notes that other college coaches have contacted Kelly's high school coach to let convey word that they are still interested in him if he can get Iowa to release him from his NLI. That is acceptable. It's all about going about things through the proper indirect manner. A coach can get word to the recruit that they want or are still interested in him, but they can't tell him directly. Jane Austen's got nothing on recruiting rules.
Alford hasn't responded to the latest stories. His Athletic Director, of course, is going with Alford's original story.
