“For sure,” he said. “Yes.”
Tampering in college football involves recruiting players who are currently enrolled at another school. It’s against the rules to contact student-athletes who have not entered their names in the transfer portal, which does not open until Jan. 2. It’s accepted, though, that tampering is happening across the game despite the rules in place to prevent it.
Sarkisian said Thursday he considers it to be a “major problem.”
On Wednesday, he questioned the ethics of using a coach’s job status as leverage in an effort to persuade his players to leave. He added that he was facing similar challenges on the high school recruiting trail, too. That’s part of the reason why he used his time in front of the media Wednesday to forcefully deny rumors floated by ESPN personality Desmond Howard that he could be leaving his job at the end of the season.
More broadly, though, Sarkisian said the tampering issue is a product of the times.
“We live in a world right now of instant gratification. We’ve got players on our roster right now who are highly recruited, very good football players who are in the developmental stage of their career,” Sarkisian said. “The family back home, or the agent representing him or the high school coach doesn’t know that. He’s just saying, ‘Billy’s not playing, I need to find him a home where they’re going to play him.’”
Often, Sarkisian said, these conversations around transferring are accompanied by financial promises that he called “unrealistic.” He’s trying to combat the short-term thinking some of his young players cope with from their inner circles.
Michael Huff, a national champion, Jim Thorpe Award winner, unanimous All-American and NFL All-Pro, spoke to the team this week, Sarkisian said, adding that when Huff revealed he achieved all of that after taking a redshirt as a freshman, current players were stunned.
“I think it’s a friendly reminder that we’re not finished products, that these guys have to develop over time,” Sarkisian said.