The Collegiate Commissioners Association, the governing body of the National Letter of Intent program, voted on Monday to enact an early signing period for college football prospects.
As expected, the Collegiate Commissioners Association has approved a 72-hour football early signing period beginning Dec. 20. pic.twitter.com/m8AzLf8crN
— George Schroeder (@GeorgeSchroeder) May 8, 2017
The proposal — which was previously endorsed by the American Football Coaches Association and the NCAA Division I Council — will add a second National Signing Day on the third Wednesday in December. That day is currently the first day junior college prospects can sign with a four-year university.
High school student-athletes will now be allowed to sign their National Letter of Intent in December or during the traditional signing day, which falls on the first Wednesday in February. There was also talk about an earlier signing period in June, but that was shot down by the AFCA and Division I Football Oversight Committee earlier this year.
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has been an outspoken opponent of the early signing period, repeatedly saying it's neither beneficial to the school nor the recruit. Too many things can change, he said, be it a coach gets fired or leaves for another job or the program decides to move in a different direction at a player's position. It will also force schools to send out offers even earlier along in the process.
“You make too many mistakes in recruiting [and] someone else is probably standing up here [at the podium],” Meyer said last fall. “Kid makes a mistake, they just transfer. That's why they transfer … Bodies change and the game of football [does, too]. I want as much time [as possible]. I want to watch them play their senior year.”
And while he'd never admit it, the new rule certainly doesn't play in Meyer's favor when it comes to flipping a prospect late in the process, either. If the rule were intact for this year's recruiting class, three-star wide receiver Ellijah Gardiner would likely be at Missouri — he instead flipped his commitment to Ohio State days before signing day.
