NCAA busts Texas A&M football program for recruiting violations

By DAVE FAVILA
LFN

The Texas A&M Aggies football program, specifically head coach Jimbo Fisher, is apparently in hot water with the NCAA.

On July 2, the NCAA announced that Fisher committed recruiting violations between January 2018 and February 2019.

In a statement released by the NCAA, the governing body said that Fisher “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance because of his personal involvement” regarding an assistant visiting a prospect at high school prior to the completion of the prospect’s junior year.

Texas A&M was placed on one-year probation, must pay a $5,000 fine and the entire A&M coaching staff must undergo a 10-day recruiting ban for the fall 2020 season. In addition, Fisher was handed a six-month penalty that bans him from using his phone, email or texts to contact possible recruits for nine days in January 2021.

Also, Fisher will not be able to recruit in person during the 2020 fall season and the Aggies’ off-campus recruiting days will be reduced in December and January 2021.

The NCAA also busted the A&M coaching staff for exceeding the weekly athletic activity limits during the spring and summer of 2018. According to the NCAA, the amount of exceeded time translated to seven extra hours of practice.

Last season the Aggies went 8-5 overall and were 4-4 in SEC play, earning a trip to the Texas Bowl where they beat Oklahoma State, 24-21.

With veteran senior quarterback Kellen Mond back to lead the squad and a very favorable schedule, the Aggies are poised to have a breakout season.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine predicts the Aggies to finish in second place in the SEC East behind Alabama.

2020 Aggies schedule
Sept. 5 – Abilene Christian
Sept. 12 – North Texas
Sept. 19 – Colorado
Sept. 26 – Arkansas
Oct. 3 – At Mississippi State
Oct. 10 – Fresnos State
Oct. 17 – at Auburn
Oct. 24 – at South Carolina
Nov. 7 – Mississippi
Nov. 14 – Vanderbilt
Nov. 21 – at Alabama
Nov. 28 – LSU