Clemson reports eight NCAA violations during 2023 calendar year

Chapel Fowler
·6 min read

At some point during the last calendar year, a member of the Clemson football team “impermissibly sold team issued gear,” which was a violation of NCAA rules.

As a result, the Clemson athletic department provided “rules education” to that football player and a reminder to all of its student-athletes regarding NCAA bylaw 16.11.2.4, which reads: “An item received for participation in intercollegiate athletics may not be sold or exchanged or assigned for another item of value.”

That was one of two NCAA rules violations committed by the Tigers football team and one of eight total NCAA violations reported by the Clemson athletics department from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2023, according to documents obtained by The State through a public records request.

All eight of Clemson’s violations during the last calendar year were ruled as Level III violations by NCAA enforcement staff, according to documents.

The NCAA, on its website, defines Level III violations as those that are “inadvertent and isolated or limited in nature,” provide “no more than a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage” and provide “no more than a minimal impermissible benefit.”

Level III violations are the least severe a school can commit and are described as “breach of conduct” violations, whereas Level II violations are described as a “significant breach of conduct” and Level I, the most severe, are described as a “severe breach of conduct.”

Level III violations can lead to fines or recruiting constraints, as they frequently involve impermissible contact with prospective student-athletes (referred to as PSAs). Of Clemson’s eight 2023 violations, five involved recruiting and two resulted in further NCAA action.

The Clemson baseball team, which is entering its second season under coach Erik Bakich, had the most NCAA violations of any Clemson team in 2023 with three.

Football had two violations, and the men’s basketball team and men’s track and field team had one violation apiece. The creative media department also had one violation.

Clemson’s eight violations in 2023 are three fewer than the 11 violations it reported for calendar year 2022. The university’s athletic department has reported and resolved 40 total NCAA violations, all of them Level III, over the past four calendar years dating back to 2020, according to previous reporting from The State.

In its 2023 NCAA violations report released to The State, Clemson either redacted or did not include specific names of athletes and/or coaches involved in each case.

Other select pieces of information — including the exact date of when the football player impermissibly sold team gear and when the NCAA made a decision in that case — were also redacted.

Here’s a full list of the violations.

Baseball

  • Violation: Coach had impermissible contact with a prospective student‐athlete (or PSA) prior to July 1 of the prospect’s senior year. Date: March 13, 2023. Bylaw: 13.1.1.1.1 (subsection of Time Period for Off-Campus Contacts – General Rule). Institutional action: Rules education with staff. Reduced the number of off‐campus contacts with involved PSA from three to one after the first permissible date. NCAA result: Deemed Level III and no further action, as decided April 14, 2023.

  • Violation: [Redacted] student-athlete (or SA) exceeded the maximum 20 hours of countable athletically related activities (or CARA) that is permitted per week for the week of [redacted]/23 by two hours. Date: Oct. 20, 2023. Bylaw: 17.1.7.1 (Daily and Weekly Hour Limitations – Playing Season). Institutional action: A 2‐for‐1 reduction in CARA hours for the SA for the week of [redacted]/23. As a result, the SA was [redacted]. Rules education for the staff. NCAA result: Deemed Level III and no further action, as decided Nov. 2, 2023.

  • Violation: A coach responded back to a text message to a prospective student-athlete during a recruiting shutdown period. Date: Nov. 21, 2023. Bylaws: 13.02.5.6 (Recruiting Shutdown), 13.17.1 (subsection of Recruiting Calendars). Institutional action: Institution provided rules education to coaching staff. NCAA result: Deemed Level III. “The institution should be required to preclude the baseball program from sending recruiting materials/correspondence to any PSAs for a period of one week,” as decided Jan. 2, 2024.

Football

  • Violation: Coach inadvertently responded to a direct message on Twitter from a 2024 PSA prior to the first permissible date to send correspondence. Date: March 9, 2023. Bylaw: 13.4.1.1 (subsection of Recruiting Materials and Electronic Correspondence — General Rule). Institutional action: Rules education with staff. Staff precluded from electronic communication with involved PSA for two weeks when first permissible (Sept. 1). NCAA result: Deemed Level III and no further action, as decided March 14, 2023.

  • Violation: During [redacted], recruited student-athlete impermissibly sold team issued gear. Date: [redacted]. Bylaw: 16.11.2.4 (Items Received for Participation in Intercollegiate Athletics). Institutional action: Institution has [redacted] and has provided rules education to the student‐athlete as well as a reminder to the entire student‐athlete population. [Redacted]. NCAA result: Deemed Level III and no further action, as decided [redacted], 2023.

An overall view of Littlejohn Coliseum
An overall view of Littlejohn Coliseum

Men’s basketball

  • Violation: A PSA participated in a gameday simulation during their official visit. Date: [redacted], 2023. Bylaw: 13.6.7.9 (Activities During Official Visit). Institutional action: “Rules education has been provided to the staff member regarding gameday simulations. Counting the activity as one of the permissible recruiting interactions for the PSA and reducing the remaining number of recruiting opportunities with the PSA by one.” NCAA result: Deemed Level III. In addition to the actions taken, the institution “should be required to reduce men’s basketball 2023‐24 recruiting in-person days by two,” as decided Dec. 12, 2023.

Men’s track and field

  • Violation: A [redacted] student-athlete received athletics-based aid based on an [redacted]. Date: Aug. 23, 2023. Bylaw: 14.5.5.4 (Eligibility for Institutional Athletically Related Financial Aid). Institutional action: “Due to bylaw 15.3.3.3, institution counted his expected athletic aid (50%) for the fall semester toward the team limitations. Rules education provided to coaching staff related to transfer aid legislation.” NCAA result: Deemed Level III and no further action, as decided Jan. 5, 2024.

Creative media

  • Violation: Institutional staff member mistakenly tagged a PSA’s social media account when it meant to tag [redacted]. Date: Sept. 30, 2023. Bylaw: 13.10.1.1 (Comments Before Commitment). Institutional action: Rules education conducted with involved staff member and the entire department. Impermissible tag was immediately reassigned from the impermissible PSA [redacted] to the permissible [redacted] once the error was realized. NCAA result: Deemed Level III and no further action, as decided Oct. 6, 2023. “The enforcement staff provided partial relief from the standard penalty based on the specific and unique circumstances of this case.”