JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida State’s football program is facing significant penalties after an assistant coach was found to have facilitated contact between a transfer player and a booster that included an offer to pay that player $15,000 a month if he signed with the Seminoles.
The case was handled through the negotiated resolutions process, which is similar to mediation and doesn’t put the infractions through a formal hearing. Head coach Mike Norvell was not named in the NCAA report. The violation occurred in April 2022, and a release from the school said that “the committee affirmed that the head football coach promotes an atmosphere of compliance.”
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READ: The full NCAA report can be found here
The NCAA didn’t name the coach, but Yahoo and other media outlets said that offensive coordinator Alex Atkins was the unnamed person found to have committed two Level II violations. Atkins reportedly drove the prospect and his parents to meet with a booster with Rising Spear, the school’s NIL collective.
According to the NCAA, the booster attempted the recruit to sign with Florida State and offered a name, image, and likeness deal worth $15,000 per month in his first year at the school. Atkins was not present for the meeting with the booster. After that initial meeting, the booster contacted the player and his parents to continue the sales pitch. The recruit ultimately withdrew his name from the transfer portal and remained at his current school.
Atkins provided false or misleading information when questioned, something that typically triggers the strictest Level I violation. The NCAA cited “the unique facts and circumstances” of Atkins’ “truthful” admissions about facilitating the meeting between the player and the booster.
“We are pleased to reach closure to this situation and view this as another step in strengthening our culture of compliance at Florida State University,” said Michael Alford, Vice President and Director of Athletics at FSU. “We take all compliance matters very seriously, and our full cooperation with the NCAA on this case is a clear example of that commitment. We remain committed to compliance with all NCAA rules including disassociation of the booster and the collective.”
Among some of the penalties agreed to are:
- Two years of probation.
- A two-year show cause order for the assistant coach, including a suspension from the next three regular-season games, a two-week restriction on recruiting communication, and required attendance at an NCAA Regional Rules Seminar.
- A restriction from off-campus recruiting during fall 2023 for the assistant coach.
- A three-year disassociation from the booster.
- A one-year disassociation from the collective.
- A $5,000 fine plus 1% of the football budget.
- A 5% reduction in football scholarships over the two-year probationary period, amounting to a total reduction of five scholarships.
- A reduction in official (paid) visits in the football program in the 2023-24 academic year by seven. The school also will not roll over six unused official visits from the 2022-23 academic year.
- A reduction in football recruiting communications for a total of six weeks during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years.
- A reduction in the number of in-person recruiting days during the 2023-24 academic year by six evaluation days during fall 2023 and 18 during spring 2024.