Report: Ohio State stopped pursuing 5-star recruit after committing violation

Ohio State halted its recruitment of five-star defensive end Micah Parsons earlier this season after self-reporting a violation to the NCAA, according to Colin Haas-Hill of The Lantern, citing public records.

Parsons, the seventh-ranked player on the ESPN 300, took an official visit to Ohio State on Sept. 9, the same day the Buckeyes hosted ESPN's pregame show, "College GameDay."

While attending the festivities, Parsons interacted and took photos with a pair of former Buckeyes who are now associated with the media - ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit and the show's guest picker, Eddie George.

"As such, a violation of NCAA Bylaws 13.10.1 and 13.10.2.4 occurred, as members of the media may not be present during an institution's recruiting contact with a prospect and a prospect may not participate in team activities that would make the public or media aware of the prospect's visit to the institution," the self-violation report said.

Parsons, a product of Harrisburg, Pa., can sign with a school as early as Wednesday, when the early signing period commences. He hasn't verbally committed to a school, but is believed to be a top target of Penn State, Georgia, and Oklahoma.

Parsons appeared to deny the report on Twitter, but indicted he'll decide on a program soon.