Andrew Linnehan

 

Illini Head Coach Dan Hartleb has recruited and developed 54 professional baseball players... He says that he got all of them cleanly, unlike other programs.

Today’s Potent Quotable comes from the Illinois baseball camp, where Head Coach Dan Hartleb hinted on multiple occasions of illegal recruiting that may be rampant in college baseball. Listen to this:

When asked how the new scholarship rules implemented by the NCAA would affect recruiting, Hartleb said:

“I would have preferred to have flexibility to give any percentage of scholarship. We have had many great players at the University of Illinois come in with minimal scholarship money and earned solid scholarships. I think you will see programs that recruit ethically have depth issues from time to time.”

A follow-up question was asked about the removal of the one-time transfer exemption that allowed students not to have to sit out a year after their initial transfer decision:

“I think at the University of Illinois, we’ve always recruited responsibly. I think student-athletes need to do their homework with regard to recruiting class size and programs that force players out on a regular basis. I would hope that coaches would continually recruit ethically and that student-athletes, parents, and high school coaches would gain information and an awareness of recruiting practices throughout the country.”