NCAA Extends Official Visit Costs to Cover Two Parents/Guardians

How many times have you read recruiting coverage where the reporter mentions how much the prospects' mother or father or legal guardian will have an impact on their recruiting. If a player wanted that family member to come along on an official visit to a school, then the parent/guardian had to fund their own way.

Today, that has changed. The NCAA has decided that it will allow for schools to pay for the travel of a recruit and up to two family members on official recruiting visits. It's important to note that these are official visits. On unofficial visits, the recruit and family members all have to pay their own way.

That's a big and very significant change for schools who are recruiting players from far away whose parents may not be able to afford the trips across country on recruiting visits. Now, the parents/guardians' don't have to rely only on phone calls, rare in-home visits, or their sons' word on the situations at the schools. For the recruits who are trying to make the best decision possible for their future, this is a great move.

For schools, it will mean an increase in cost. With that, as Keith Niebuhr points out, they will be much more discerning in who they agree to allow in for official visits. They were already careful, as schools are only allowed a certain number of official visits per year, but now they have to make sure the recruit whose parents they're paying for to travel is legitimately considering their school and may sign with them.

In an age of seemingly constant news of how the NCAA is screwing up, count this one in the win column.