The Big 12 saw one of its top coaches call out another program for tampering with his players. But 12 months later, the situation has changed. The conference’s commissioner has now called for an NCAA reform that would make the tampering rules more flexible for college football programs.

During the Big 12 spring meetings, Commissioner Brett Yormark said the NCAA is reforming its tampering rules. And a key part of the reforms could allow contract negotiations to begin between programs and players before the transfer portal opens.

“(NCAA president Charlie Baker) gave us an update on how they’re thinking about reforming some of the tampering rules, and I think directionally we like where he’s going. He kind of laid that out for us. It’s got a bit of a pro model to it where there’s a contact period before the portal opens and all that needs to be worked through, but directionally, we liked what we heard,” Yormark said as per The Deseret News. 

Unlike college football, the NFL has an official legal tampering window before free agency. It involves a two-day negotiation period before the teams are allowed to sign free agents. However, even this window is subject to restrictions. NFL teams can contact the certified agents of unrestricted free agents; however, when contacting the player through a phone or video, the number is limited to five. These calls can last up to an hour.

College athletics is in dire need of such reform. Otherwise, there will be more instances of head coaches calling out rivals for tampering. In the Big 12, one such case involved Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders calling out the Virginia Cavaliers for tampering with his players and offering them money.

“Carter got offered a bag… What’s the school that offered you the bag? Virginia… Virginia, you’ve got to stop,” Sanders said in a video via Well Off Media. “I’ll let you have one. I ain’t say nothing about it. Come on, now. Come on. We let you have one. I ain’t say nothing about.”

The players involved were defensive back Carter Stoutmire and rusher Isaiah Augustave. Per AthlonSports, Augustave balked at the $500,000 NIL deal he received from Virginia and decommitted from Colorado. However, the deal fell through because he was unable to meet the academic requirements. Augustave eventually transferred to the South Carolina Gamecocks after reopening his commitment.

On the other hand, Stoutmire was unflinching. The defensive back has a deeper connection with Coach Prime and remained loyal, regardless. He was not just a part of Sanders’ first recruiting class; he is also the son of Coach Prime’s former Dallas Cowboys teammate Omar Stoutmire.

Dabo Swinney called out Ole Miss for tampering

And the tampering allegations weren’t limited to the Big 12. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney launched an attack on Ole Miss and Pete Golding during a press conference for allegedly tampering with Luke Ferrelli, who was apparently attending classes at the time.

Swinney got the backing of ACC commissioner Jim Phillips earlier this month, who called for “repercussions.” And just like Yormark, Phillips also discussed similar matters with NCAA president Charlie Baker, who told him that such cases are “going to be dealt with.”

The reality is that the legal tampering window may just be a face-saving measure from the NCAA in light of all the tampering controversies. Players have been tampered with even after they have signed with teams through the portal. Then there’s the reason student-athletes don’t honor their contracts with their current programs. It remains a mess, and it will require more than some assurances from the NCAA president.