Anonymous coaching survey: Is early signing period a good or bad thing?

Graduated from the University of Nebraska.

Though his preference would be to jump on a plane Saturday to Orlando, Fla. with his team and staff bound for the Camping World Bowl on December 28 against Oklahoma State with all 26 commitments accounted for in the early period, Fuente realizes the best he can hope for is to have the vast majority of his class signed. So you have a guy (committed) and another program comes in and steals away his commitment, you need to go to the next guy.

Here is what we do know about what could potentially be going down on Wednesday. “I think we should pass them for the players”, Fuente said, admittedly sitting on the fence about whether he is for or against the new rules.

No. 3 Georgia, for example, will likely have 13 of its 18 verbal commits signed by the end of the week, according to Rivals.com.

The traditional national signing day for football is on the first Wednesday in February, but in April the NCAA approved a new 72-hour signing period that went into effect this year, beginning on Wednesday and ending on Friday.

“If a player is committed to us and doesn’t sign on December 20”, Edsall said, “I’m moving on as he is telling you, ‘Your school isn’t what I want and I’m still looking for something better.’ If they aren’t going to sign on the 20th, then (they shouldn’t) commit”. The June date was roundly criticized.

At 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday through Friday at 11:59 p.m. During that time recruits are free to sign with the school of their choice. They may wait until February, possibly taking additional official visits along the way. That includes two players who are not planning to sign this week: Harris and Kirby.

Doll said that the early signing period has led to more sleepless nights for college coaches who have to prepare for a bowl game and contend with a condensed recruiting window. Ohio State’s Urban Meyer and Alabama’s Nick Saban have questioned the plan, saying it adds December stress for both players and coaches, and truncates an already hectic recruiting calendar.

Any current high school senior.

What happens with players who don’t sign? To sign or not to sign? Highly recruited players such as Missouri’s Drew Lock or Terry Beckner, both of whom had dozens of scholarship offers out of high school, could have called nearly any college on National Signing Day and found a spot on the team because of the exceptional demand for them.

Boston College will be the big winners of the day in North Jersey as they are expected to get the talents of Bergen Catholic quarterback Johnny Langan and DePalma. Of course, as with so much in recruiting, leverage matters. In theory, it should work more smoothly for prospects and coaches. They’re exhausted of the wait.

Signing early scholarships is not totally new to the recruiting process.

While Louisville certainly does not appear to be finished adding members to its 2018 recruiting class – just Tuesday, 4-star wide receiver Jatavious Harris committed to the Cardinals – none of the prospects now being courted by Louisville appear likely to sign this week.

And for players waiting for their dream offer, it should offer some clarity.

How will January be different in this recruiting cycle? In fact, for players who are now committed to a school, that’s the expectation from most coaches.

Many other programs had three such weekends. Others will look outside. Some believed it was a necessity to help alleviate the pressures of the recruiting process. The Early Signing Period allows kids to lock up their spot.

“If you’re verbally committed, and you don’t sign, you’re not committed”, a Power 5 coach told SB Nation’s Bud Elliott. DePaul senior Vin DePalma is expected to sign his letter of intent to Boston College on Wednesday and enroll for the spring semester.

How about junior college signees?

That could make for a somewhat relaxing January, usually the time when coaches are putting the finishing touches on a signing class.

It is a three-day signing window December 20-22 for high school seniors that coincides with the opening of the junior-college midyear signing period.

By comparison Division II coaches can offer the equivalent of 36 full, football-specific scholarships, which can be broken up into partial scholarships for more players.

What’s next in recruiting reform? April 2018 brings the introduction of early official visits.