Applied last year with a similar question... none that I know of personally out of all the MD programs. Its a match violation. Not even the "niche" programs like the two in Puerto Rico match outside the match (however they take 99% from PR with the exception of one student from Tufts last year). The one DO program that matches outside the match pretty consistently is St. John's Episcopal (3 residents per year). I wouldn't be surprised if other programs with 1 resident per year didn't already know who they were going to take prior to the cycle though, effectively providing an "outside the match hunch" to the applicant.

Of note Tulane does offer a research fellowship every 2 years starting after completion of an ACGME recognized TY/internship in Medicine or Surgery. It is reserved for 1 individual under Dr. Boh (the chair of the department). When you sign up it is with the understanding you are guaranteed into their program after two years of grinding papers. It's pretty competetive to land. Their fellow just matched to Tulane Derm this past cycle. https://medicine.tulane.edu/dermatology/fellowship/clinical-research

I remember there was someone at Sinai who was offered an out of match offer in February (this was back in 2022 i believe) and did not take it at insistence of Sinai's home department. I'm not sure if this story is true or not. I would imagine though that if a program did give someone an out of match offer, and the program would then withdraw from the match for that year. That would not make it a match violation, right?

yep!