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It’s Time to Kill the Early Signing Period

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This year it has become abundantly clear just how broken the College Football post-season it. Between the coaching carousel, bowl games, bowl game opt-outs, and the early signing period, the month of December is complete chaos. Not every team experiences this chaos equally because any team with coaching turnover feels the stress of this time period more than others. Not ...

 

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David, this is a GREAT point I had not thought of, and I would suggest it is damaging for teams trying to prepare for a bowl game AND recruit to the early signing date, usually around December 15th.

 

I'll bet the coaches would tell us that the early signing date has made it harder for them, not easier.  Add the major point that you brought up of coaches being fired or moving to another school and now the negatives are piling up over the positives?

 

Great stuff to ponder--thanks.

Mr. FishDuck

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Absolutely agree - they've discussed this on The Dan Patrick Show and have the same opinion.  Coaches most often get let go at the end of the season, and the early signing period is within a couple of weeks.  Imagine the chaos of thinking you're signing with Cristobal at Oregon, then finding out Cristobal will be in Miami and a whole new staff with whom you have no connection will be at Oregon.  Do you follow the coach to Florida?  Stay with Oregon with an unknown staff and scheme?  Or suddenly start reconsidering schools you've not contacted in months because you shut your recruiting down?

 

Not good for coaches, schools, or kids.  

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David, another excellent take, thank you.

 

As you noted this is an easy fix. The NCAA still has the authority, about all it has left when it comes to CFB, to flip the switch and make this happen. 

 

My guess, with the NCAA constitution in the process of being re-written and everything having to do with CFB likely being handed over from the NCAA to the P5/G5, ending the early signing period is not likely to go away under today's NCAA?

 

As to the bigger issues of NIL pay for play and open CFB free agency, after spending millions in legal fees to no avail the NCAA is not going to touch these 2 issues with a 100 foot pole.

 

 

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On 1/18/2022 at 10:18 AM, Jon Joseph said:

As to the bigger issues of NIL pay for play and open CFB free agency, after spending millions in legal fees to no avail the NCAA is not going to touch these 2 issues with a 100 foot pole.

NIL and the transfer portal both interact with this problem as well. I just didn't have the energy to tackle all three components of this recruiting maddess at the same time. 

 

Though out of the three huge problems with December recruiting right now... Eliminating the early signing period is by far the easiest and quickest thing to fix. 

 

The biggest downside to ending the early signing period would be how many transfers portal kids take spots from lower star scholarship kids. 

 

Other problem is that recruits who just want to sign and get it over with have to wait longer... Some coaches keep recruiting and keep contact when a kid is firmly committed and I could see that being annoying potentially but this is pretty minor. 

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The ESD seemed like a bad move from the start. The original SD, first Wednesday in February was a day sports fans could look forward to. The Bowl games were over, it was exciting. But the NCAA decided to put recruiting right in the mix with Bowl games, and coaches coming, leaving. It was ridiculous, do something smart now and get rid of it. 

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On 1/18/2022 at 1:33 PM, David Marsh said:

NIL and the transfer portal both interact with this problem as well. I just didn't have the energy to tackle all three components of this recruiting maddess at the same time. 

 

Though out of the three huge problems with December recruiting right now... Eliminating the early signing period is by far the easiest and quickest thing to fix. 

 

The biggest downside to ending the early signing period would be how many transfers portal kids take spots from lower star scholarship kids. 

 

Other problem is that recruits who just want to sign and get it over with have to wait longer... Some coaches keep recruiting and keep contact when a kid is firmly committed and I could see that being annoying potentially but this is pretty minor. 

 

If you can successful tackle these 2 issues, head for the NFL draft!

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I could be way off base here so anyone please fact check me or correct my comment.

 

One of the reasons for ESD was to get LOI's in so the players could register and enroll in early January. Thus participation in S and C and spring ball. A fair number of players are completing high school early and jumping right in. This is important to these young men and I would hate to see that get skewered Most of the ESD process accomplishes what the NCAA is all about. CHAOS.......

 

David another well thought out and written article. So many parts moving in multiple directions. No leadership,  no rudder, no rules. Just how the SEC likes it.

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I would move back to one signing date in February.  Early enrollment is still possible, but would likely have to be altered a bit.  You wouldn't want a student to enroll early, get hurt and the school not offer the scholarship.

 

In a perfect world, no coach or player could leave during the regular season.  That would include being fired, unless under extreme circumstances.  

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I disagree, the kids have huge pressures on them and they can end it with the early signing period.

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Another factor not mentioned is how many schools will hire a coach because they are feeling pressure to save a recruiting class?  Perhaps the guy they truly want is on a NFL staff headed to the playoffs.  They can't wait, even the regular signing day is before the Super Bowl.  They settle for door #2 then pay $10-20 million in a couple years to fire him.  

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On 1/18/2022 at 12:56 PM, McDuck said:

Another factor not mentioned is how many schools will hire a coach because they are feeling pressure to save a recruiting class? 

This one is huge! Thanks for bringing it up.

 

Cristobal was basically THE hire at Oregon after Taggart left to save the recruiting class.

 

This year Washington State hired Jake Dickert basically to save the recruiting and try to keep the ball rolling for the program. It was an easy hire for multiple reasons for WSU.

 

Other instances... Helton was hired as the guy as USC to maintain continuity at the program and maintain recruiting.. he failed at both in the long run.

 

Washington choose to hire Jimmy Lake for recruiting and maintaining the classes there... we all know how that ended...

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On 1/18/2022 at 1:03 PM, David Marsh said:

Helton was hired as the guy as USC to maintain continuity at the program and maintain recruiting.. he failed at both in the long run.

Not to me!  I think he was a huge success for the Pac 11 + 1

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