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Bipartisan Recruiting: Early Signing Day

With the ultra aggressive nature of SEC recruiting, a proposed early signing day was a hot topic when the majority of the conference's coaches voted for it during their meeting last week.

The interesting thing, however, was who exactly was for it and who appears to be against it.  Normally, when recruiting rules are subject to change, the D1a coaching ranks fall into two very clear camps.  In one corner, with their My Space pages and text friendly phones, you have guys like Zook, Carroll, and Meyer.  Think of them as the free market types, they want as few restrictions in order to exploit the fact that they will recruit without shame from dusk until dawn.  The other corner, rather predictably, are both the old school cats like Paterno and the seemingly lazy ones like Tiller.  They simply aren't going to do what it takes to play Zook's game and therefore typically aren't interested in a 12 month recruiting season.

So what is the deal with an early signing period?  Who does it favor?  Paterno was asked recently to share his stance and offered up the following:

"I don't like it," he said. "I don't like it only because I go back to the fact that when I was working for (former PSU coach) Rip Engle, Rip used to say all the time when we'd get all wrapped up in talking about recruits, he'd say, 'Let's take care of the guys we have here first and then we go out recruiting.'

"Early signing dates bother me because you've got to have your official visits during the season. You're playing a big game. I don't want to be bothered, really. We do a terrible job when kids come up for official visits for a game."

While I'm not surprised by his rational, I can't say that I was certain he would be against it.  The early signing period doesn't have a clear beneficiary except coaches in general: they don't have to work as long.

Meyer, obviously a fan of the Regan Recruiting Plan, had this to say :

Urban Meyer is against it. “Kids are being pressured too early as it is,” Meyer said. “We should be taking more time, not less time, to evaluate these guys.”

Saban is woven from the same cloth, but has a totally different take:

Nick Saban is for it. “I just think we spend too much time and money babysitting guys who have already committed to us who want to sign. Let those guys sign and let’s spend our time and money recruiting the ones who have not made a decision.

So the camps are split on this one.  Those for it are either tired of having recruit stolen from them or would rather lock up the guys they have so that they can focus on stealing other people recruits.  Funny how enemies can agree.  Those against it typically want more time to evaluate a player, understanding that an early signing period would mean you have to decide on who to offer even earlier.

What is lost in all of this, of course, is what is best for the recruits.  Yes, maybe an early signing period would mean they can end the constant harassment, but wouldn't it really be the same harassment just starting a couple of months earlier?  And is making a kid pick a college sooner, which would require more visits during a busy high school season, better in any way?

0 recs  |  Comment 12 comments

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Comments

Display:

I was surprised....

that Urban Meyer was against it considering his agressive recruiting nature. But I can agree with his rationale. Recruiting is sometimes a crapshoot as it is, with the star system (Sean Lee, Deon Butler, etc) so coaches need as much time as possible to evaluate these kids.

I also remember reading one of the coaches (I think it was Paterno but not sure) say that we shouldn’t be moving the signing day up b/c it also puts undue pressure on the kids. This is a huge decision for them and a lot of things happen during the year that might make a kid change his mind…but with an early signing period he’d be locked in a binding contract.

by Screen Name 20 on Jun 10, 2008 7:49 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Saban and Meyer......

cut from the same cloth ? How so ?

Eric Watters Atlanta, Ga.

by ech2os on Jun 10, 2008 9:20 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

one thing that gets overlooked is the potential benefit to non-bcs schools and bcs programs that don’t recruit as well. an earlier date means you have to decide before or during their junior year, so there is the potential for these programs to pick up on quality guys that aren’t noticed until their senior season.

My thoughts were that Saban and Meyer both represent the new school approach. Both run their program very much like a business and are avid recruiters. I would expect that both of them would want very similar rules in place as far as what they can and cannot do on the recruiting trail. I think, on the surface anyway, you would expect their interests to be aligned. I mention it only because I think it’s interesting that they have different opinions on this topic.

by Kevin HD on Jun 10, 2008 9:26 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Saban and Meyer

They are both relentless recruiters, but they have different styles. Saban likes to get out early on kids and lock them up fast. He doesn’t want to have to babysit his verbals all season long.

Meyer on the other hand does his best recruiting in December and January. Remember after they won the NC in 2006 he landed five or six kids in January by getting them to defect from other schools. Of course he’s not going to want an early signing period.

by BSD on Jun 10, 2008 9:52 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Understood.

Eric Watters Atlanta, Ga.

by ech2os on Jun 10, 2008 10:18 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I love how

Joe goes back to a quote from Rip Engle that is awesome….I wonder if he had a stenographer write it on a stone tablet back then…flinstones style hahahahahaha

still a good quote though…Take Care of who you have now then recruit…how can you say it better than that

by Lion Alum on Jun 10, 2008 11:34 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

ya know there is this thing

called EARLY ENROLLMENT…I wonder if these guys ever heard of it, if a player is truly committed to the team he will take care of his HS shit and graduate early so he can get into classes in the spring semester…case in point DWill and JKing

that gets around the early signing question

by Lion Alum on Jun 10, 2008 11:37 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Good point

But enrolling early isn’t always an option for some kids. It’s up to their high school to allow them to graduate early with a diploma. Some schools will not. Others make it very difficult. If you plan on enrolling early you better not wait until the fall of your senior year to decide. You almost have to start planning for it your freshman year by taking summer classes and extra credits.

by BSD on Jun 10, 2008 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Lion Alum - great point...

Nothing more committing than actually taking classes at the school for whose team you will playing. Of course, this only covers those players with the “grey matter” to graduate early.

"60% of the time, it works every time"

by rahpsu92 on Jun 10, 2008 1:02 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

What's funny is

That all of the coaches voted the way they voted to protect the way they recruit. It doesn’t seem like anybody gave five seconds worth of thought to what is the most fair (to the players) way to handle recruiting.

As far as an early signing period goes, perhaps you should be allowed to take one junior at the same time as the normal class, but the one junior is absolutely guaranteed five years of absolutely free college, whether he gets hurt, doesn’t make the team, etc.

One of the problems in the SEC is they take more kids than they have room for, and essentially don’t honor the true intent of the scholarship offer. If you had to waste a scholarship on a guy no matter how he performed, I think the SEC folks would just as soon not sign binding LsOI with 16 year olds.

For the Glory; National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994

by jesse. on Jun 10, 2008 1:51 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

The thing I like

about an early signing period is it would give the recruit security. What if he gets his ACL torn in the second game of the season and gets all his scholarships pulled? I think an early signing period would greatly benefit the recruit and his parents, and ultimately it is their future at stake, so I think the NCAA should strongly consider it. Of course problems would arise from this, but I think it’s a good idea

by WPIALkid22 on Jun 10, 2008 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

The Thing Is

The SEC coaches are proposing the early signing day be in early November only moving it up three months. It prevents kids from letting the season play out and saying “Hey, the school I verballed to went 6-6, but Florida wants me and they went 11-1. I think I’ll switch to them instead.” If there is an early signing period I think it has to be the first week of September. It’s rare to see a kid change his mind over the summer, but a lot of kids change their mind during the season as they watch things unfold.

And any kid should be let out of his LOI if the coach he verballed to gets fired or leaves for another school.

by BSD on Jun 11, 2008 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

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