Juco to Juco

First you must make sure that both JUCO's have oversight by the same group. NJCAA for instance.

You must obtain a release from your existing Coach and AD before you are Technically allowed to speak with another coach in a member program (NJCAA).

If the coach at the second program appears to be recruiting you, he is in violation.

Assuming you are playing, I would wait until after the season to approach your current coach. Remember scholarships are good for 1 year only, so most coaches will have an exit interview at the end of the season to let you know if your scholarship will be renewed. This would be an appropriate time to indicate that you plan to leave.

To add to what Floridafan has said....at the time of the exit interview you can simply let the coach know that you will not be coming back. It's entirely up to you if you want to tell him why. But you don't have to tell him that you are/want to play somewhere else. He will find that out eventually when you and/or the new coach sends him the NJCAA transfer waiver to fill out. It's a customary thing that they see on a regular basis. If your team has JUCO transfers now, your coach knows all about this process.

If you contact another coach about the possibility of coming to play and want to tryout etc, technically that is not him recruiting you. Just be up front with the new coach and tell him that you want to be sure and not violate any rules, and to let you know what and how to handle any areas that might cross the line. Afterall, it's in his best interest to protect you and his program.

It's a tough lesson to learn the hard way about finding the right fit, but it seems you have and are a much better student-athlete now. Good for you!

Good luck

YGD