Last week, it was reported that University of Texas (“UT”) Regent Wallace Hall reached out to Nick Saban’s agent to ascertain whether Saban would be interested in coaching UT’s football team. Subsequent to the reports, I received telephone calls and emails asking whether UT violated NCAA rules by reaching out to Saban while he is under contract with the University of Alabama. Simply, the answer is no. NCAA rules do not prohibit an institution from contacting coaches who are currently under contract. There are no anti-tampering rules relating to college coaches. The NFL, however, has anti-tampering rules that prohibit other teams from contacting coaches under contract. If an NFL team contacts a coach under contract, the team will be penalized by the NFL including possibly the loss of draft picks, required compensation, and monetary fines. Under the NCAA structure, there is no regulation against the movement of coaches. However, the coach’s contract may require certain triggers such as permission from the institution’s athletics director prior to contact.

For any questions, feel free to contact Christian Dennie at cdennie@bgsfirm.com.