The Buzz Around College Softball: Is It Tampering?
If you have been apart of the Twitter/X softball world over the past 48 hours you have probably seen the word tampering going around and viral. But what exactly does tampering refer to?
Heard a lot about tampering during portal season in women's basketball too.
— Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch) June 13, 2025
Here's the thing: It's not going to stop, and the NCAA isn't going to do anything about it, unless coaches call out each other by name and back it up with proof. https://t.co/o1jxMxJkyO
Tampering according to the NCAA rules is outlined in 13.1.1.3, "An athletics staff member or other representative of the institution's athletics interests shall not communicate or make contact with the student-athlete of another NCAA Division I institution, or any individual associated with the student-athlete (e.g., family member, scholastic or nonscholastic coach, advisor), directly or indirectly, without first obtaining authorization through the notification of transfer process."
For example, in 2024, the NCAA ruled that Southern Utah violated 13.1.1.3 and communicated with two football players that were not yet in the portal. This was ruled and considered impermissible and tampering because both athletes had not yet entered the portal when the coach and the athletes had discussions. The athletes entered the portal the next day; thus, tampering.
Again, if you haven't been living under a rock, then you have seen several tweets about tampering in softball and this is not a new claim in college sport. Sports Illustrated reported in February of this year that an anonymous survey revealed that Group of Five football coaches felt tampering was rampant in in their sport. Furthermore, they stated Power 4 coaches poached athletes away from their programs and talked to athletes before they entered the portal.
Earlier this week, mid-major coaches called out tampering within the sport of softball and claimed players were being poached off rosters to larger Power 4 school and institutions that could offer larger NIL incentives.
Everyone should ask the college coaches they encounter this summer to tell them their worst story of tampering. https://t.co/mOyDI2ZGi1
— Laura Matthews (@LauraMatthews12) June 9, 2025
The conversation of tampering escalated through the week as Texas Tech snagged the No. 3, 4, 6, 7, and 29 ranked transfers out of the portal including Tennessee's Taylor Pannell. Pannell entered the portal the morning of June 12 and by 9 pm had signed with the Red Raiders.
Tennessee's head coach Karen Weekly took to Twitter/X and boasted that Pannell's timeline was tampering and in violation of NCAA policy.
I think we can all agree on 2 things: 1) women making money in sports is awesome and long overdue; 2) contacting players (directly or indirectly) before their season ends and signing them to NIL deals before they enter the portal is wrong. Money isn’t the issue - tampering is!
— Karen Weekly (@KarenWeekly) June 13, 2025
As this story progresses, we will see if Tennessee files a formal complaint with the NCAA against Texas Tech for tampering or if other schools and programs come forward with this claim.
More News: Tennessee Softball Coach Karen Weekly Issues Statement Amid Transfer Portal Departures
More News: How Will the NCAA House Settlement Affect the Future of College Softball?
More News: How an NIL Loophole is Transforming Texas Tech Into a Softball Powerhouse
Allison Smith is an expert in leadership and organizational behavior in collegiate and professional women’s sports. Smith is a professor (Georgia State University), researcher, and writer. Smith holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in Kinesiology and Sport Studies. Smith’s research centers on combatting the underrepresentation of women leaders in sport, lack of organizational structure for work life integration for sport employees, and lack of programming and oversight for preparing athletes to transition to life after sport. Since graduating with a bachelor’s in journalism in 2011, Smith has sought opportunities to write about sports as a contributing writer focused on the growth of women’s collegiate, Olympic, and professional sports in this new age and movement for multiple outlets including Athletic Director U, and now Forbes.com. As a former Division I and II pitcher and Division III pitching coach Smith will bring unique insight and expertise to Softball on SI.
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