Report: Florida State to be Sanctioned by NCAA Related to Recruitment of Amarius Mims

The NCAA is set to sanction Florida State for Level II recruiting violations, allegedly related to the recruitment of offensive lineman Amarius Mims.

The combination of NIL and the NCAA transfer portal has transformed the entire landscape of college football in recent years and while the NCAA has been hesitant to levy penalties on programs who push the bounds of permissible actions related to NIL, it appears that is about to change as Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports has reported that the NCAA is set to levy Level II sanctions on Florida State, its NIL Collective, a booster connected to the program, and an assistant coach for NIL-related recruiting violations. 

At the heart of the investigation is a spring 2022 recruiting event in which Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins is alleged to have driven a prospect and his family to a meeting with a high-ranking member of Rising Spear, Florida State's NIL collective. According to Dellenger's report, the booster encouraged the prospect to enroll at Florida State and offered him an enticement in the form of an NIL deal worth approximately $15,000 per month during his first year in the program.

The NCAA report does not specifically mention the prospect involved in the investigation, but Brendan Sonnone of Noles247 has subsequently reported that the recruit in question is former Georgia offensive lineman Amarius Mims. Mims, who declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 31, briefly entered the transfer portal on Apr, 10, 2022 before ultimately electing to return to Georgia. While he was in the transfer portal, Mims took an official visit to Florida State on Apr. 14, 2022. It is believed that the recruiting event referenced in the NCAA report occurred while Mims was in Tallahassee on his official visit.

According to Dellenger's report, the NCAA and Florida State negotiated a resolution that includes wide-ranging sanctions including a three-game suspension for Atkins to open the 2024 season along with a 2-year show cause for the Florida State offensive coordinator.

On Thursday, the NCAA confirmed other penalties levied against Florida State as a result of their investigation. Those penalties include:

• two years of probation.

• scholarship reductions of 5% over the next two academic years.

• a reduction by seven in official recruiting visits for 2023-24.

• a prohibition on recruiting communication for six weeks over the next two academic years, including this next week (Jan. 12-18).

• a prohibition on communication with athletes in the transfer portal from April 15-21.

• a reduction by 18 evaluation days this spring.

• a financial penalty of 1% of the athletic department’s budget.