After NCAA decision, UND coach Eric Schmidt says 'you don't run and hide; you meet it head on'
Jun. 12—GRAND FORKS — Less than a week after the NCAA leveled penalties on the UND football program for what the organization deemed a tampering recruiting violation, Fighting Hawks head football coach Eric Schmidt stood in front of hundreds of recruits and their families Thursda
Jun. 12—GRAND FORKS — Less than a week after the NCAA leveled penalties on the UND football program for what the organization deemed a tampering recruiting violation, Fighting Hawks head football coach Eric Schmidt stood in front of hundreds of recruits and their families Thursday afternoon.
The second-year head coach has about 300 high school athletes across 16 states and Canada and about 45 college football coaches representing about 20 different programs at the Pollard Center and Memorial Stadium this week in what Schmidt says is the biggest camp they've put on at UND.
So how does Schmidt plan to continue his recruiting momentum amid the NCAA's decision?
"You don't run and hide; you meet it head on," Schmidt said. "I think anybody that has been recruited by our staff understands that we're going to do this thing to win our league, win a national championship, and we want to do it honestly, with integrity.
"Any questions recruits have or parents have ... we're not even waiting for questions. We're saying, 'Hey, this is what happened. This is what we believe in.' We're going to live with the decision. We're going to move on from it. We're not going to complain about it. At the same token, we're going to do everything we can to make sure that we're doing what we can do to make sure that North Dakota is getting the kids here that we want within the rules."
According to the NCAA report, UND assistant coach Travis Stepps had "impermissible recruiting conversations" with an athlete from another school who was not entered in the transfer portal. The athlete, who Stepps had a previous relationship in recruiting, reached out to UND in hopes of leaving his current junior college. The athlete eventually transferred to Lindenwood.
UND self-reported the violation, which the NCAA raised to Level II status and handed out a $25,000 fine, a one-week ban on communication with recruits, a 3% reduction in official paid visits, a one-game suspension for the offending assistant coach and a year of probation.
After Schmidt and UND athletic director Bill Chaves offered official statements on the matter last Friday that expressed both an acceptance of the NCAA decision and a frustration with the penalties, the football program quickly returned to the constant churn of the recruiting cycle.
