Every major recruiting service calls Micah Parsons a 5-star prospect, but Ohio State is no longer recruiting him because of ESPN’s College GameDay.
And no, that’s not a joke.
According to Colin Hass-Hill of The Lantern, Ohio State self-reported recruiting violations to the NCAA. The issues occurred Sep. 9 when the pregame show visited Columbus before the Buckeyes hosted Oklahoma, and Parsons was an official visitor that weekend.
Hass-Hill notes a recruit, who is believed to be Parsons, on a campus tour entered College GameDay’s set, where he interacted with the show’s cast.
Recruits on official visits are allowed to contact media members who are associated with the school, so Parsons could’ve met Ohio State alum Kirk Herbstreit and guest picker Eddie George with no issue. However, neither GameDay host Rece Davis nor analyst Lee Corso attended the school. Parsons took a picture with them.
Per the report, Parsons and his parents were given special access to the GameDay production area and the set itself, which the public cannot do. The NCAA deems these improper benefits.
Among the self-imposed punishments, Ohio State agreed to stop recruiting Parsons and declared him ineligible “for an unknown amount of time,” according to Hass-Hill.
Parsons is scheduled to reveal his college choice Dec. 20. He still could pick Ohio State, but that would be an unexpected result.