Finishing up last week’s Open Forum today.

Q: YogiBear said:
How was the visit by Doran Grant last week? Is he interested in USC and do they have a chance with him?

A: His visit went well. USC should be in his top five when he narrows his choices. He met with the coaching staff, which briefed him on the effects of NCAA sanctions. And Monte Kiffin showed him videos of defensive coverages he’s run at Tampa Bay and USC. But the frontrunner remains Ohio State for the Akron native.

Q: gotroy22 said:
Is there any NCAA rule against our coaches using a private jet versus commercial airlines to go visit our recruit?

A: I believe the rule is that a recruit may not fly on a private jet. But it is permissable for a coach.

Q: Mike said:
1 related question and 1 unrelated.

Can you explain the “new” appeals standard in place that has been referred to as making it more difficult to successfully appeal now?

Unrelated technical question.
Do you have to approve a reader comment before it shows up in the comments? It seems to take an inordinant amount of time for a posted message to actually appear in the comments.

Sorry for being so late to the game on this open forum.

A: In 2008, the NCAA changed its rules so that the appeals committee can only rule penalties excessive if it finds the infractions committee demonstrated an abuse of discretion.
That makes it much harder to win an appeal.
I do not approve reader comments. I actually rarely read any reader comments unless someone notifies me that a reader is being inappropriate.
Sometimes, it just takes time for the server to post a comment.