Update, pics: NCAA investigates recruiting violations, Tennessee hostesses

The NCAA is interviewing several University of Tennessee football prospects due to controversial recruiting practices, particularly the use of hostesses described by the New York Times as “folk heroes.”

The investigation spans at least six recruits and three states, and is described as “unusual” in scope and timing. One instance cited involved Tennessee hostesses traveling 200 miles to a game in South Carolina to visit three prospective players at a high school game. A recruit spoke to the Times about the incident:

Marcus Lattimore, a running back who made an unofficial visit to Tennessee but said he would not enroll there, said multiple Tennessee hostesses attended a game at James F. Byrnes High School in Duncan, S.C., in September. He said they brought signs, including one that read, “Come to Tennessee.”

“I haven’t seen no other schools do that,” he said. “It’s crazy.”

…

“You don’t want to go to a college where they ain’t pretty,” Lattimore said.

Several other parents of recruits reported similar behavior from the volunteer hostesses, saying the women exchanged text messages with the young men and interacted with them on Facebook and MySpace. The Times alleges that volunteer hostesses have committed at least six unintentional violations that “provide minimal recruiting or competitive advantage.”

Update: Deadspin posted some Tennessee hostesses related pics.