In Boulder, Colorado, the athletic department recently decided to stop livestreaming its weekly coaches show with head football coach Deion Sanders. This decision follows an incident where the name of a notable football recruit came up during the show, which is against NCAA rules. Documents obtained reveal that this minor violation occurred in November when the name of quarterback recruit Julian “JuJu” Lewis was mentioned before he signed with Colorado on December 4, 2023.
According to NCAA regulations, schools are not allowed to comment on or publicize a recruit until they officially sign. After noticing the infraction, Colorado self-reported the violation and has since taken several corrective measures. These actions include providing additional educational materials about rules to coach Sanders and reducing their recruiting-person days by four during the spring 2025 contact period. The university also stated that they would implement new controls on the weekly coaches show to prevent similar issues from happening in the future.
In a statement, Colorado athletics emphasized their commitment to complying with NCAA regulations and their proactive approach in educating their staff and players. “We take all infractions seriously, regardless of the severity,” the statement noted. “This demonstrates the effectiveness of our established compliance systems.” This violation is one of six self-reported incidents processed within Colorado’s football program recently, highlighting that minor violations are relatively common in college sports.
Even though Lewis was not harmed by the violation – his eligibility remained intact – the name mention was frowned upon since Lewis had not yet officially signed with the university. The first mention of Lewis occurred when a host referred to his commitment to Colorado. Sanders then mentioned getting “JuJu” on the phone as an example while discussing recruiting.
Both instances were deemed unintentional and not meant to gain any recruiting advantage. NCAA regulations regarding recruiting publicity have a long-standing history, aimed at maintaining fairness and privacy in recruitment processes. This recent incident serves as a reminder of the complexities surrounding rules compliance in college athletics.
