Early Signing Period for football...
- Thread starter dawgstudent
- Start date
The high profile recruits (the ones that you really want to sign with you) are just going to sit and wait til the last minute to sign. Maybe it would be a relief to some players to get it over with but I dont see it as a big deal.
I can see some things that would have to be adjusted:
1. Official visits would have to be allowed during a players junior season and there would have to be more of them because you basically will be recruiting two classes of students, juniors and seniors.
2. When would the signing date be? The summer before a players senior season would get that much more hectic and with the regular season starting as soon as school does also raises an issue. Basketball is different because of where the season is related to the school year.
3. You see alot more transferring in basketball and it could be based on hasty decisions that were made. You see much smoother transfers in basketball as opposed to football this may be because of the decisions being delayed a few months.
4. Injuries during the senior season and the players you had an opportunity to sign are already signed elsewhere so now you are screwed.
5. Coaches are usually hired and fired in Dec. and Jan. This could put people in a position (Michael Beasly's situation comes to mind) that they are stuck with a school where they committed to a coach and that coach is gone!
These are only a few problems I have with it. I dont see the problem with waiting out the process till February. I understand the early commitment is becoming a big part of college football, but there are still guys who change their mind. A guy having the ability to have a change of heart may make some people upset, but when it comes to where a kid wants to spend the next 4 or 5 years of his life and the people he is going to be spending it with is a huge deal. </p>
1. Official visits would have to be allowed during a players junior season and there would have to be more of them because you basically will be recruiting two classes of students, juniors and seniors.
2. When would the signing date be? The summer before a players senior season would get that much more hectic and with the regular season starting as soon as school does also raises an issue. Basketball is different because of where the season is related to the school year.
3. You see alot more transferring in basketball and it could be based on hasty decisions that were made. You see much smoother transfers in basketball as opposed to football this may be because of the decisions being delayed a few months.
4. Injuries during the senior season and the players you had an opportunity to sign are already signed elsewhere so now you are screwed.
5. Coaches are usually hired and fired in Dec. and Jan. This could put people in a position (Michael Beasly's situation comes to mind) that they are stuck with a school where they committed to a coach and that coach is gone!
These are only a few problems I have with it. I dont see the problem with waiting out the process till February. I understand the early commitment is becoming a big part of college football, but there are still guys who change their mind. A guy having the ability to have a change of heart may make some people upset, but when it comes to where a kid wants to spend the next 4 or 5 years of his life and the people he is going to be spending it with is a huge deal. </p>
You make it sound like they are going to sign in their junior year. Most high profile recruits arent going to sign it unless they are just tired of the process and the coaches and recruiting sites calling all the time. The way recruiting is now there is pressure on these guys from day one so really nothing is going to be really different.
I like it because I'm tired of our football staff finding guys like Kenny Ashley, and then have some big name school come in and steal them from us after we did all the work.
At least this way, the big name schools have to work hard to.
At least this way, the big name schools have to work hard to.
The only reason basketball has the early singing thing is so guys can get signing out of the way before the season. I did not read the article before I made my earlier comments, but I just assumed the signing period would be in like August. Signing in November makes no sense to me unless everyone signed in November. If it were in, say August, you really would be recruiting juniors and seniors. If you look at basketball recruiting in regards to the early signing period those guys start recruiting players very early in their careers because the major players sign early. If they are signing early then you have to get on them early.
Todd4State said:
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If an early signing period does happen, you'll see guys like Ashley simply pull a Scotty Hopson and hold out until the second signing period, especially if a school like USC comes and asks them to give them more time to evaluate, etc.
I don't think it would change a whole lot except that coaches could figure out which early commits were truly committed and which were still truly open. And also, it would help coaches whittle down their list some, leaving them less players to have to chase during the final months before the Feb. signing period.
Honestly, I think football should have a signing period in August. That way it happens before guys play their senior year, and it happens before coaches have to start prepping for game weeks.
What that would do is it would limit the amount of early commitments that were made strictly to hold a spot. Fewer guys would commit unless they were sure. On top of that, coaches wouldn't be sending out nearly as many offers early. They'd probably only offer the guys they are 100% sure about.
I see your point though, if you had it split up then you really wouldnt know what you had available for sure in the early period. You would see a mad scramble and some serious courting for the big time recruits that were not signed! Hell, if I were a high profile recruit I would not sign and have a battle royal for my signature!
if there were to be one. This would allow players who were without a doubt going to sign with a certain school to go ahead and do so. I dont think it would be utilized all that much simply because of the unknown. You would probably see schools be alot more careful about who they blanket offer scholarships to. There has always been alot of wiggle room for schools to "go a different direction". With this someone could sign a scholarship, not play his senior season at all, and still be headed to college.
because they have seen the stress, fatigue, and crap that happens to their past team mates. So why not get it out of the way? Hell, Robert Elliott would be a Rebel right now, and Enrique Davis would be at Auburn, so it does have it's advantages. State has 8-9 commits already, wouldn't it be nice to get 5,6, maybe all of them signed in August? I think it is a good idea not only for the kids that are dead set on their choice early, but from a coaches' perspective to concentrate on other players. I went through that process in '87, and it has got to be 20 times more stressful and bothersome due to upgrades in technology, i.e., cells, e-mail, internet, etc.