Collegiate Commissioners Association to vote on early signing period this week
An early signing period could be implemented for the 2016 recruiting cycle.
According to ESPN, the Collegiate Commissioners Association will vote this week on a proposal to implement an early signing period in college football for the first time. It would allow prospects to sign their national letters of intent before February’s National Signing Day.
The vote, which will be considered by the 10 FBS conference commissioners, as well as commissioners from the FCS level, takes place at the CCA’s annual conference in Asheville, N.C. If approved, a 72-hour signing period would be installed in December in accordance with the junior college signing date, beginning Dec. 16. This recommendation was formally presented in January.
From ESPN:
The signing period would operate on a two-year trial basis, after which the commissioners would evaluate the effectiveness of the change. Commissioners from the Football Championship Subdivision and the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences will consider the proposal, with one vote assigned to each league.
According to Susan Peal, director of the national letter of intent, the FBS and FCS could choose to adopt an early signing period collectively.
"Or if one subdivision wants an early signing period and another subdivision does not," Peal said, "they can elect to have distinct signing periods."
A simple majority is required to pass the proposal.
Though many commissioners have already publicly voiced support for the early signing period, the MAC’s Jon Steinbrecher told ESPN he expects “a spirited and robust debate.”
“Commissioners would do their leagues a disservice if they didn’t look at the topic from every angle,” Steinbrecher said.
Above all others, the main source of debate appears to be the appropriate date for the signing period. Last year, the ACC recommended an August signing period while the SEC prefers a post-Thanksgiving model. Predictably, coaches across the country have varying stances on the issue. Some oppose it altogether.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops is in favor of the early signing period because of the resources programs would save. Even when some prospects have been verbally committed to a program for months (and sometimes years), coaches still continue to recruit those players to keep them on board until signing day rolls around. If a player could sign months earlier, the pressure of those hectic final months could be alleviated for both parties – recruits and coaches – to an extent.
“If you know you’re going to sign somebody, it just makes sense to get it done,” Stoops told ESPN.
And as in favor as some coaches are for the early signing period, there are some who are completely opposed to the idea.
From ESPN:
For some who oppose an early period, the most significant concern is this: It won't be an early signing period. It will become the signing period.
"What we're proposing is not an early signing date," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. "What we're proposing is moving the signing date forward."
There are other issues, too.
Already, said Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson, the process starts too early. He said he's uncomfortable with offering scholarships to players that he and his staff do not know well. Further acceleration of the process would only deepen the problem, Clawson said.
It stands to reason, if December turns into the preferred signing date -- or even an alternative to February -- recruits who would otherwise visit campus in January might visit in the fall. In the fall, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said, they're supposed to focus on high school football.
And shouldn't college coaches prioritize the players on their rosters above all else during the season?
"We want to do right by our current players and we want to be as well prepared as we possibly can," Georgia coach Mark Richt said.
Interestingly, the FCS and FBS don't have to come to a uniform decision on this. The FCS could approve the early signing period without the FBS, and vice versa.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
