The Collegiate Commissioners Assoc. announced that it has voted to enact a 72-hr football early signing period that'll begin Dec. 20 2017
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) May 8, 2017
Texas A&M Football is just one program that will be affected by the adoption of the newly approved early signing period.
The NCAA, seeking to give college football programs a head start on the recruiting madness, instituted an early three-day signing period just before the Christmas holiday. That potential change is causing quite the stir among football fans.
February usually means a few things for sports gurus: the official one month countdown to March Madness, the Super Bowl, and the infamously chaotic college football National Signing Day. However, this initial recruiting chaos for football programs nationwide may come closer to St. Nicholas’s voyage next season. Though not official yet, this potential rule change looms as an opportunity for colleges to get a jump-start on building their squad.
Yay or Nay?
This new opportunity has some perks, yet it definitely has its downsides. The biggest advantage is an early scouting report for each program’s next season. At least a portion of each school’s class would be finalized before February, giving a better handle on how many scholarships might remaining and which players should be priority targets going into the New Year. This new period also limits the media coverage burden that comes with the first week of February.
Consequently, I see this new period impacting Texas recruits in a negative manner. The Texas UIL State Football Championships are within the first two weeks of December. This new period is set for after that. I see that resulting in added stress on athletes to preform well in these games. For some athletes, that state tournament could be seen as the make or break of moment for their Division I dreams. That will only impact Texas, but Texas football is big enough to warrant some unique consideration.
What about Bowl Season?
What does this mean for bowl season? It just got better. I mean, who doesn’t love football on top of football? With the earliest bowl game scheduled, as of today, for this Bowl Season set for December 16 (AutoNation Cure Bowl), this early signing period will hype up the college football airways. That’s right, double football news.
The Timetable for a Decision
Things will definitely be different this year. There is speculation about how this could change the impact of early commitments. Some have argued that it may result in an increase in de-committing and recommitment to different programs as athletes are making decisions two months earlier. We are just going to have to wait and see where the dust settles and how this will impact the future of college football.
The D1 Council previously voted to approve the proposal for the new rule. That decision put it on the docket for review by the Conference Commissioners Association. Now this new rule has become the reality.
What do you think? Will an early signing period be a good thing for college football?