Forget the future of recruiting. This is its present - for now at least.

Football and basketball coaches spent the off season increasing their presence in cyberspace at a furious pace. By the end of May, dozens of head coaches and assistants in both sports had established Twitter pages. A few more had beefed-up their presence on Facebook. And that was before many of them knew the NCAA considered email-based correspondence on social networking sites to fall under the same rules as email, meaning they basically can be unlimited in nature.

Under NCAA rules, coaches in Division I and II can communicate with prospects via one-on-one messaging from social networking sites even if a recruit wants to receive the coach’s message as a text. Phone-to-phone text messages and instant messaging, even through a social networking site, remain off-limits. In 2007, Division III prohibited social networking in recruiting along with text messages.

The exception for direct messaging via social networking sites is a change of pace for coaches, who have seen their ability to contact and evaluate prospects curtailed in recent years. The NCAA banned coach-to-recruit text messaging in 2007. And last year, the NCAA barred head coaches from leaving campus to recruit during the spring evaluation period.

Coaches, though, question how long Facebook and Twitter will be permissible as a recruiting tool. Illinois coach Ron Zook, for one, wondered if social networking could be effectively policed or legislated.

“I’m not sure the NCAA understands exactly what it is,” he says. “I sure don’t.”

The ban on text messaging came after recruits complained the constant messages from coaches became too intrusive and too costly. The NCAA looks favorably on direct messaging on social networking sites since it allows prospects to avoid those two concerns. Setting up accounts on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace is free, and users can control how they want to receive messages through the site, by email or by text message. A user also can elect whether to receive messages from particular users.

Many of the same recruiting rules apply. Coaches may not comment on a prospect or communicate publicly with a recruit (i.e., on a Facebook wall or a Twitter @reply, which would be visible to any visitor to the coach’s or athlete’s page). A coach and recruit are permitted to be Facebook “friends” or Twitter “followers” since that information is viewed as the coach merely confirming recruitment of a prospect, which the NCAA allows.

Still, the use of Twitter and Facebook already has led to some trouble. Tennessee reported a secondary violation when coach Lane Kiffin’s pages on both sites announced the commitment of LaGrange (Ga.) Troup defensive end J.C. Copeland - who will be a high school senior this fall - to the Volunteers.

The post read, “It’s a beautiful day in Knoxville, Tennessee today. I was so exited [sic] to hear that J.C. Copeland committed to play for the Vols today!”

Under NCAA rules, coaches aren’t allowed to comment on prospects until they have signed. Tennessee blamed the gaffe on Kiffin’s new personal assistant.

Some coaches are wary of getting too fond of the new rules. What is legal today might not be legal a year from now, as coaches learned when text messaging was banned.

“I would not be surprised in a year or so if it’s completely banned,” Scott says. “Now it’s time for them to gather information. That’s usually the way this stuff happens: Coaches find out about it before the NCAA is able to research and find out what’s really going on.”

Before the NCAA’s interpretation on social networking sites and recruiting, coaches already had latched onto Twitter as a public-relations tool. Most used their pages to talk about speaking engagements, congratulate graduates and pro draftees or post inspirational quotes, but some are having fun with the new technology.

Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean and Kentucky counterpart John Calipari traded friendly barbs and competed for followers on Twitter; Calipari has a sizable lead, with more than 135,000 to Crean’s 6,800.

Carroll, who has more than 22,000 followers, implored his fans to persuade comedian Will Ferrell to join Twitter, and Carroll has tweeted back and forth with the Lakers during the NBA playoffs. Recently, he polled fans on which USC player’s number should appear on jerseys for sale during the upcoming season.

More than a third of the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches have Twitter pages, which they maintain to varying degrees.

“It’s hard to stay up with technology as fast as things are moving,” Southern Miss Coach Larry Fedora says. “I’m learning as I go. But I do see where the future is. In this business, we’re obviously recruiting 17- and 18-year-old kids and they’re up to date on everything out there. We have to stick with them or fall behind.”