1-1-1: NCAA fails yet another test, extends the dead period again

On Wednesday, the NCAA Division 1 Council had a chance to make a statement.

They could have come out and said that the dead period will definitively end after April 15. The council had the chance to implement strict protocols to ensure that recruits and their families can safely visit colleges and interact with coaches.

All of this would have shown that after nearly a year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing dead period, the council was working hard to figure out a way to allow prospects to make an informed decision about their futures.

Instead, they chose what appears to be the easy way out, and pushed it back yet again, this time until May 31. So, in this special edition of "1-1-1," I share my thoughts on this decision, as well as the impact it will have on five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau.

I tend to not use the word "unfair" too often, but I'm going to use it here.

What is happening right now to recruits in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 classes is unfair and just a slap in the face after all the hard work they have put in.

Since Pop Warner, these kids have trained, made sacrifices to perfect their craft and, in the case of some of them, have the opportunity to commit to Division 1 football programs.

Even after all of this, however, their futures are left up to a group that is mostly composed of athletic directors, commissioners, and others that don't represent their best interests. In fact, of the 40 members on the NCAA Division 1 council that made the decision to extend the dead period yesterday, 21 of them are ADs.

Only one of those members is a student-athlete, with that person being Caroline Lee from Southeastern Louisiana University.

Through no fault of their own, prospects will have to wait until the beginning of June, at least for now, before they can interact with coaches in person. This is all because an entity that does not have their best interests in mind are making decisions that will impact their futures.

Now, some people may make the argument that recruits can still go to campuses and, if their schedules line up with the coaches, can FaceTime or Skype with them during their visits. This is true as high school prospective student-athletes can visit universities and tour the campus with academic personnel, and won't be violating any rules as long as they do not interact with coaches.

In my opinion, this is not enough for kids who are tasked with making a decision that will impact them the rest of their lives.

The recruits I have spoken with tell me there is just a difference in meeting coaches in person versus over the phone. Traditional unofficial and official visits will allow them to see all of the football facilities and even partake in film sessions; that just isn't the case with self-guided visits.

Also, not every football prospect and his family can take self-guided tours. Unless they live close to the school they will be visiting, then they're going to have to spend a good amount of money for gas/plane tickets, a hotel room for the night and going to a restaurant/drive-through for their meals.

Whereas, on official visits, lodging, travel and food are all paid for. It's a drastic difference compared to what players have to work with now.

I would be remiss if I did not bring up another important fallout of Wednesday's news: the lack of a spring evaluation period.

We know that recruits like Quinn Ewers, Domani Jackson, Denver Harris and other highly rated players will get attention on a national level. All you have to do is watch a few minutes of their tape and know that they can be potential game-changers at the collegiate level.

When it comes to other prospects, however, they rely on the spring evaluation period tremendously. This period of time allows for coaches to visit their schools, see them practice and potentially land offers afterwards.

Spring evaluation is crucial for players of all classes, specifically incoming juniors and seniors. It also gives staff members a chance to form relationships with their coaches, which could last several years down the line.

Not having this period for evaluation greatly hurts those under-the-radar recruits who would benefit from having a college coach watch them in person. Sometimes, coaches go to these practices after seeing a player on tape to make sure the program should offer them.

It is just not right, in my opinion, what the NCAA is doing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating and we're still not out of the clear yet, but there is a safe way to get things back to some sense of normalcy. When it comes to visits, that could mean requiring proof of a recent negative test before they get to the school, mandatory temperature checks, masks, social distancing, limited prospects on campus, and any other safety measures.

To me, it just seems like they are taking the easy way out — simply extending the dead period again — instead of getting together and working hard toward a solution after nearly a year of this moratorium on visits.

Hopefully this will be the last time the dead period is extended, but I fear we'll be dealing with similar news again in the future.

The news on Wednesday was a terrible blow for 2022 and 2023 recruits, but it also will have a huge impact on J.T. Tuimoloau.

The nation's sixth-ranked senior prospect opted not to sign on National Signing Day just over a couple of weeks ago. This was done with the hope that he could potentially take trips to each of the schools in his top five before choosing where he'll be spending the next three-to-five years of his life.

Instead, he will now have to take trips out to each of these schools — Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Washington — on his family's own dime. I don't know right now how much this hurts the Buckeyes' pursuit of Tuimoloau, but Wednesday's developments definitely do not help them.

While Ryan Day's program has been viewed as the one in the best position to land Tuimoloau for several months, their perceived lead over his other options isn't the size of the Grand Canyon. If it was, then Tuimoloau wouldn't have felt the need to stretch his recruitment out this long, or would have probably just taken one visit to Columbus to make sure that's where he wants his future home to be.

Tuimoloau is seemingly going to give every college a shot, but Alabama and Oregon definitely are viewed as the other top contenders alongside Ohio State.

One has to wonder if this news helps the Ducks out the most as they are the closest to him out of the three, and a trip there would be less than a five-hour drive. Also, the University of Washington could be a sleeper here as they are the in-state school, and he's just a half-hour away from the campus.

Tuimoloau's recruitment is difficult to get a read on, so time will be the determining factor here. Also, it still remains to be seen if him and his family can even take self-guided visits to each of the programs he's considering.

Unfortunately, through no fault of his own, Tuimoloau may have to end up committing to a school he's never visited. I truly wish there would be an exception that could be made for him and his family. There has to be a way his father, mother and himself can take his official visits to ensure that he makes a decision he's comfortable with come May or whenever he signs.

Given the NCAA's track record, however, I doubt that they would do such a thing for one player. We'll be reaching out to his camp in the near future, and will have an update if there are any new developments.

Before reports came out that the NCAA was considering pushing the dead period back again, two of Ohio State's top commits made some visit plans.

On Feb. 4, five-star linebacker CJ Hicks tweeted at Rivals100 LB Dasan McCullough, "I'll see you in Columbus April 16." McCullough quote-tweeted with the smiling emojis, and Rivals250 running back target Damari Alston even said, "Me too," as well.

These plans were probably made with the intention of there being a spring game the next day, and all of them being able to interact with the coaches together. That will no longer be the case due to the dead period, but I could still see this trip coming to fruition.

I haven't heard from any of the verbal commits what their new plans are, but I think some of them will try to organize a 2022-themed Buckeye Bash for April 16. Most of the attendees will probably be members of Ohio State's upcoming class, but even a couple of targets, such as Alston and another key recruit, would make the event a success.

Hicks and McCullough made these plans knowing there was a possibility the dead period could be extended again, so I think the pair of them are just eager to get on campus, even if they can't meet up with the coaches.

The spring time of last year is when the Buckeyes gained a lot of recruiting momentum, and a commit-organized even could lead to another surge in the 2022 cycle.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.