Steve Sarkisian is the new Rick Neuheisel. Have you heard? A couple ticky-tack recruitment violations – one of which we’re pretty sure was an LA Times sting operation – have some local columnists smearing the rookie UW football coach with the same brush they used to tar and feather the ex-UW football coach: "‘Sark the Shark’ is ruining the Huskies’ good name! If this is what he’s done in his first few months on the job, just imagine how much worse it could get! Bring back that pillar of gridiron propriety, Ty Willingham!" Or something like that.

Calm down, folks. Yes, it’s any college coach’s job to know the rules when it comes to proper recruitment procedures, but holy halfback pass, have you seen some of these rules? The NCAA posts a practice test of randomly generated questions on wooing blue chips on its website (Sark, for the record, apparently aced his test), and let’s just say the rules are a tad anal retentive. Here’s a sample:

1. When an institution’s coach picks up a prospective student-athlete from the nearest major airport upon arrival for an official visit, the 48-hour period for the official visit starts at the time the prospect arrives on campus, provided the prospective student-athlete’s transportation to campus is without delay for personal reasons or entertainment purposes.
A) True
B) False

2. Which of the following methods of communication with a prospective student-athlete is NOT permissible?
A) A blank U.S. Post Office postcard with a message from the team
B) A mass electronic mail letter noting the team’s accomplishments
C) A videotaped message to the prospective student-athlete placed on a DVD
D) An institutional note card with one athletics logo on the
outside and not preprinted information on the inside

3. During an official visit, an institution may entertain a prospective student-athlete by taking the prospective student-athlete to a social event that is located within a ___________.
A) 30-mile radius of the institution’s campus
B) 50-mile radius of the institution’s campus
C) 100-mile radius of the institution’s campus
D) Unlimited mile radius of’ the institutions campus

4. Coach Kemper’s best friend is the director of athletics at a local high school (which Coach Kemper did not attend). The friend asked Coach Kemper to donate an autographed clipboard to be auctioned in an upcoming fundraiser for the high school. May Coach Kemper donate the item for the high school fundraiser?
A) Yes
B) No

5. Which of the following may be sent to a prospective student-athlete during his or her sophomore year of high school?
A) Questionnaires
B) Game programs
C) Media guide
D) All of the above

Answers: 1. True; 2. C; 3. A; 4. B; 5 A

So Coach, unless you want to be burned in effigy, make sure you don’t donate any signed clipboards to high school fundraisers any time soon, OK?