Tennessee, 1 Other SEC Program Reportedly Facing “Serious” Investigation
The NCAA has reportedly planned to launch a serious investigation on the Tennessee football program. This dive into recruiting scandals could just be the first of many in the SEC.
Andrew Perloff of the Dan Patrick Show reported the Volunteers’ unfortunate news on Monday morning. He also added that Georgia could be next, siting sources that told Dan Patrick the Bulldogs “got sloppy in recruiting.”
Dan says that he's heard from source that Tennessee football will face a serious investigation. He also said that Georgia could be next. "I was told Georgia got sloppy in recruiting." @dpshow
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) January 8, 2021
This external investigation of the Tennessee program should come as no surprise.
Back in mid December, the Volunteers launched an internal investigation from its compliance department to look into alleged recruiting violations and alleged impermissible benefits to current players.
Sources told Sports Illustrated last month that the issues were likely brought to light by a whistle blower inside the program. An initial report from Trey Wallace of Fox Sports Knoxville included this statement from the university:
“In keeping with our institutional commitment to compliance, we often look closely at regulatory issues that are brought to our attention via internal or external channels. Maintaining compliance is a shared responsibility, and active monitoring is part of that process.”
According to the report, linebacker coach Brian Niedermeyer was one of the main assistants questioned in the internal investigation. In 2019, Niedermeyer was ironically named the National Recruiter of the Year by 247Sports and ESPN. He was the third Tennessee staff member, including head coach Jeremy Pruitt and wide receiver coach Tee Martin, to win the award.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported the Volunteers program has issued a hiring freeze on all positions and won’t extend contracts for assistant coaches until the investigation is completed.
Including the 2021 recruiting class, the Vols have now notched three top-15 recruiting classes in a row. Further investigation will conclude if those rankings are legitimate.
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