On Monday, the NCAA took another step towards the so-called 5-for-5 rule becoming the law of the land. Nebraska basketball was one of the programs keeping close tabs on this rule, as it could have meant Jamarques Lawrence and Kendall Blue could return for one more season in 2026. In the end, part of the 5-for-5 rule moving forward would not be retroactive, closing that door. However, tucked into the NCAA's announcement was a new tampering enforcement idea from the Big Ten that, if adopted, would require schools to comply with a rule they would find near-impossible to honor.
While not a rule just yet, the Big Ten's idea is being moved forward for official consideration later this summer. Should it come to pass, it would mean that any time a school like Nebraska accepted a transfer player, as it did with Anthony Colandrea, the Huskers would have to prove they didn't tamper with the former UNLV quarterback.
NCAA's new proposals close one Nebraska basketball door while opening another issue
"The board also introduced a proposal that would direct the infractions process to presume violations occurred in cases of impermissible contact with transfer students (i.e., tampering)," the NCAA said in a statement. "If the proposal is adopted by the Division I Cabinet in June, schools suspected of tampering with student-athletes prior to their entry into the Transfer Portal would need to demonstrate the violation did not occur to avoid penalties."
As a knee-jerk reaction, the rule seems like a perfect one to stop schools from tampering with players once and for all. Take Nebraska's quarterback situation as an example of one that could be stamped out. Before the Huskers went after Colandrea, they had another quarterback committed.
Former Notre Dame QB Kenny Minchey committed, then decommitted, and signed with Kentucky within 24 hours. Tampering clearly went on there; it shouldn't be hard to prove it with a little digging. But how exactly would Kentucky prove it didn't tamper? Turn over the phone records and emails of every university employee? What if the Wildcats' staffer used their wife's or girlfriend's email? How do they prove they didnt?
Nebraska could face an impossible burden under new NCAA tampering idea
There's a reason why the American justice system is set up the way it is. Innocent until proven guilty is how the US does it because proving oneself innocent is nigh impossible. How does someone accused of theft or murder prove they didn't do it?
The Big Ten and the NCAA aren't part of the justice system, so this rule could obviously pass, but the question remains. How would Nebraska prove it didn't tamper with Anthony Colandrea? How about any of the players the Huskers brought over from San Diego State?
For now, the proposed rule by the Big Ten does not dictate the standard of "proof" needed. It's absurd to think schools won't claim every single player they lost that was a blow to their team wasn't tampered with. Allegations will fly fast and furiously. There's also no indication of the way this would be adjudicated or who would oversee these cases.
This rule is likely to get broad support at first simply because it would add strict rules against tampering. However, the Big Ten is asking Nebraska, and every other school in the country, to prove something that there's simply no way to prove.
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