Clemson athletics reports seven NCAA violations during 2024 calendar year
A letter of reprimand for baseball coach Erik Bakich.
A recruit’s boyfriend receiving meals he wasn’t supposed to get.
A Tigers track and field athlete “immediately” declared ineligible and a tutor “permanently removed” after the former paid the latter $10 for school help.
Those were some of the details that emerged from Clemson’s most recent NCAA violations report, which was obtained by The State via public records request and revealed that the school and its athletics department reported seven NCAA violations during calendar year 2024.
Five of the seven violations were of a recruiting nature; six of seven led to no further action from the NCAA; and all seven violations were classified as Level III violations, which are the least-severe kind and generally result in little to no punishment.
The NCAA defines Level III violations as violations that are “isolated or limited in nature”; provide no more than a “minimal” recruiting or competitive advantage or impermissible benefit; and/or are “inadvertent” and “limited in nature.”
A Level III “breach of conduct” violation is followed by Level II (“significant breach of conduct”) and Level I (“severe breach of conduct”). Level I infractions can lead to major punishments such as stripping wins or postseason bans.
Per Clemson’s 2024 NCAA violations report, the Tigers athletic department reported seven violations last year and resolved all of them by January 2025. Clemson also resolved two additional violations that had been reported late in calendar year 2023.
No Clemson sports team committed multiple violations in 2024, according to the report. Baseball, women’s basketball, men’s golf, softball, gymnastics, rowing, and track and field were linked to one violation apiece.
Notably, the football team — the most prominent team on Clemson’s campus, and the one with the largest roster, staff and recruiting department — did not commit any NCAA violations in 2024, per the report. The football team had 11 violations (all Level III) over the previous four years, the most of any Clemson sport.
In total, Clemson’s athletic department has now reported and resolved 47 total NCAA violations over the past five years, according to previous reports obtained by The State. All 47 of those violations were classified as Level III by the NCAA.
Here’s a closer look at Clemson’s 2024 NCAA violations. Certain information, including the specific date each violation occurred, was redacted in the report:
Track and field
In November 2024, a student-athlete on Clemson’s track and field team received “impermissible academic assistance” from a tutor in the athletic department. The student-athlete paid the tutor $10 in exchange for their assistance.
Clemson said it “immediately” declared that student-athlete ineligible for competition and “permanently removed” the involved tutor from “all positions in the athletic department.” It’s unclear if the athlete is still with the track team.
Baseball
The Clemson baseball team conducted “game day simulations involving prospect-aged students” during a camp at some point in 2024, the report said.
As a result, Clemson provided “rules education” to the baseball staff. Bakich, the head coach, and the camp director both received letters of reprimand.
The prospective student athletes (PSAs) who took part in the “game day simulations” were also declared ineligible to compete at Clemson until they had their eligibility restored by the NCAA’s student-athlete reinstatement (SAR) staff.
The NCAA, upon review, also required Clemson to count this “impermissible activity” as a contact with each prospect who was involved. Teams are limited to a certain number of recruiting “contacts” with prospects annually.
This was the only 2024 violation that resulted in further NCAA action.
Women’s basketball
A recruit’s boyfriend received two meals while accompanying her on her Clemson women’s basketball official visit, per the report. The date of the recruit’s official visit is redacted, but the document shows the violation was resolved in July 2024.
NCAA rules state that schools can provide up to three meals per day to a PSA and “up four family members” during a prospect’s official visit.
As a result, Clemson provided “rules education” to the women’s basketball coaching staff and declared the PSA ineligible until she repaid the cost of her boyfriend’s two meals ($59.98) by donating that same amount of money to a charity of her choice.
NCAA rules state that schools can provide up to three meals per day and “reasonable snacks” to a recruit and “up four family members” during that recruit’s official visit. Spouses and domestic partners are included within the NCAA’s definition of “family member” eligible for such meals but “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” are not listed.
It’s unclear if the recruit ended up choosing the Tigers.
Softball
A softball assistant coach “impermissibly included information about the athletics program” in a questionnaire that was mailed to multiple prospects before Sept. 1 of their junior year. Clemson, in response, made the softball staff wait an additional two weeks before having any communication (written or electronic) with the involved recruits once it became “permissible” to send such recruiting materials.
The school also provided rules education.
Gymnastics
In January 2024, gymnastics head coach Amy Smith did not sign off the team’s “squad list” prior to its first competition during its inaugural season (a home meet vs. William & Mary at Littlejohn Coliseum). As a result, she received rules education.
Per the NCAA, an institution must complete a “squad list” for each of its varsity sports by that team’s first day of outside competition. Players must be on the squad list form to be eligible to represent their school in athletics competition.
Men’s golf
At some point in 2024, a men’s golf recruit accepted a discounted rate for a round of golf while on his Clemson official visit. The school provided rules education to the men’s golf staff and its players “regarding normal retail costs to entertain PSAs.”
Similar to the instances with the baseball recruits and women’s basketball recruit, Clemson also declared the men’s golf recruit ineligible to compete at the school until he was reinstated through the NCAA’s student-athlete reinstatement (SAR) process.
Rowing
In November 2024, an assistant coach for the rowing team “mistakenly responded” to an email from a Class of 2027 recruit before they were allowed to.
The staff received rules education and cannot contact the recruit for an additional two weeks once it becomes permissible to do so in June 2025, Clemson said.
.jpg "USATSI_24474121 (1).jpg")
Clemson NCAA violations by year
Reported violations since calendar year 2020; all Level III (least severe)
- 2020: 7 violations
- 2021: 14 violations
- 2022: 11 violations
- 2023: 8 violations
- 2024: 7 violations
- TOTAL: 47 violations
