Wisconsin Football Penalized for Recruiting Violations

The University of Wisconsin football program has been placed on one year's probation and fined $25,000 after an NCAA investigation found that nine coaches and staffers made 139 impermissible phone calls to 48 recruits in 2023, mostly before the allowed contact date. Head coach Luke Fickell and assistant coach Matt Mitchell received temporary bans from recruiting communication, and former staffers Greg Scruggs and Max Stienecker received one-year show-cause orders restricting their recruiting activities. The NCAA classified the violations as Level II infractions, citing unfamiliarity with compliance processes and misunderstandings of recruiting call rules, which have since changed. Wisconsin self-reported the violations and also imposed penalties including reductions in recruiting and evaluation days. The NCAA noted that most calls would now be permissible under current rules and recognized Wisconsin’s proactive cooperation. This marks Wisconsin’s first major NCAA infraction since 2000.