While several Big Ten schools--including Northwestern--have said that they aren't going to recruit Penn State players, new Illinois head coach Tim Beckman has no qualms with doing so, and said as much on Thursday.
Several fellow Big Ten coaches announced their decisions not to recruit Penn State players out of respect for the program in the wake of NCAA sanctions that will allow players to transfer and maintain their eligibility. Beckman stated he simply was working within NCAA rules.
"I also feel there’s respect for those individuals if they want to transfer," Beckman said after his news conference at Big Ten media day in Chicago. "We wanted to give the student-athlete, if they wanted to change and come to the University of Illinois, that’s what they can do."
Related: Big Ten Media Days 2012: Illinois Positioned For A 'Run First' Offense
Beckman sent eight coaches to State College, which raised some eyebrows on Wednesday. But Beckman said Thursday that it was PSU players who had reached out to Illinois first, and that his coaches did not venture onto Penn State's campus to talk to some of those players.
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