Buddy Garrity: “You can’t fake boosterism, Eric. It comes from the heart. That’s the beauty of it.” Friday Night Lights
Alumni & Boosters: whatever I said about agents, well, double that for boosters. Inducements are illegal. Money, cars, gifts, family housing, hell, a free taco lunch to talk about your son’s athletic future is off the table when it comes to boosters and the recruiting of prospective student-athletes. And pretty much every program has a “Buddy Garrity” somewhere close by.
Under NCAA bylaws, boosters are prohibited from recruiting high school athletes both before and after a National Letter of Intent is signed. And any recruiting violation by a booster is attributed to the school.
And the NCAA bylaws are unforgiving - under § 13.02.14.1, once an individual or entity is classified as a university’s “representative of athletic interests,” aka “booster,” they are considered a booster for life! There is no coming back from boosterville. Stay away from boosterville.
So that’s about it. Those are the main players at the recruiting table: mom, coaches, current players, academic counselors and compliance departments, agents and boosters. Study up. Don’t be the sucker at the table.
