The NCAA handed down its punishments from its investigation into the Tennessee football program Friday morning. The NCAA put Tennessee on five-year probation which includes a myriad of recruiting sanctions but no bowl ban. Former Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt received a six-year show clause.
In its release, the NCAA said Tennessee’s violations — which included nearly $60,000 in impermissible benefits to players and recruits as well as a paid unofficial visit scheme during the NCAA dead period — met the governing bodies former standards for a bowl ban.
However, the compliance from Tennessee and new sanctions techniques that aim not to punish student athletes not involved in the violations helped the Vols’ skirt a bowl ban.
“Tennessee’s cooperation throughout the investigation and processing of this case was exemplary by any measure,” the panel said. “Although this case involved egregious conduct, (Tennessee’s) response to that conduct is the model all institutions should strive to follow.”
Let’s take a detailed look at all the punishments the NCAA handed down.
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Tennessee’s Punishments (Five Years of Probation)
Enhanced financial penalties
- $8 million fine that is equivalent to the financial impact the school would have faced if it missed the postseason during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
- Legislated fine of $5,000 plus 3% of the football program budget and a fine to address the ineligible competition in the 2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Game.
Football scholarship reductions
- 28 total over the five years of probation
- At least two a season
- Tennessee self imposed a reduction of 16 total scholarships during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons which count towards the 28
Recruiting visit reductions
- A reduction of 36 official visits during the five-years of probation
- At least four official visit reductions per year
- Prohibit official visits in connection with a total of 10 regular-season home games, four of which must be against SEC opponents
- Tennessee self imposed a reduction of seven official visits over the last two years which count towards the 36
- A reduction of 40 unofficial football visit weeks during the five-year show cause
- At least six unofficial visit weeks reductions per year
- Prohibit unofficial visits in connection with a total of 10 regular-season home games, four of which must be against SEC opponents
- Tennessee self imposed a reduction of eight unofficial visit weeks over the last two years which counts toward the 40
Recruiting communications reductions
- A 28 week ban in recruiting communication over the five-years of probation
- Must include at least three weeks a year with one week in December, one week in January and one week from March to June.
- Reduction of 120 evaluation days over the five-years of probation
- Tennessee self imposed a reduction of eight weeks of communication over the last two years which counts towards the 28
Reduction of wins
- “A vacation of all records in which student-athletes competed while ineligible.”
Pruitt and other coaches sanctions
Jeremy Pruitt
- Six-year show-cause
- Must sit out a full year if a school hires him during that time frame
Bethany Gunn (Former Director of Recruiting)
- Five-year show-cause
Chantryce Boone (Former Assistant Director of Recruiting)
- 10-year show-cause
Derrick Ansley (Former Tennessee and current Los Angeles Chargers Defensive Coordinator)
- Two-year show-cause
Brian Niedermeyer (Former assistant coach)
- Five-year show-cause
Shelton Felton (Former assistant coach)
- Four-year show-cause
Drew Hughes (Former Director of Player Personnel)
- Four-year show-cause
Michael Magness (Former student assistant)
- Three-year show-cause
