The first early signing period for FBS and FCS programs opens Wednesday. What do you need to know? Here's an FAQ list:
How did we get here?
Calls for an early signing period began with the acceleration of the recruiting process more than a decade ago. With early commitments from prospects and earlier scholarship offers extended by coaches, the recruiting calendar grew antiquated. But regional and conference preferences prevented agreement on the timing -- and the need -- for an early signing date. Commissioners of the 10 FBS conferences, who run the national letter of intent program and set the signing period, came closer to compromise than ever before in June 2015, eventually tabling the decision to incorporate early signing into a larger package of recruiting reform. The holistic proposal was unveiled in October 2016, calling for early signing periods in June and December. The June date was roundly criticized. In April, the Division I Council passed recruiting reform. And the commissioners followed in May with the passage of this December period.
When can recruits sign?
At 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday through Friday at 11:59 p.m. Some reporting on the early signing period has described it as a 72-hour window. Technically, it's 65 hours -- but three days, nonetheless.
How many prospects will sign?
Estimates range from 50 percent of eligible prospects to 90 percent or higher of those who are committed. No one knows, because this is the first time recruits have had the opportunity to wait for a later signing period. "I think December is the new signing date," a Power 5 head coach told ESPN.com last week. "The NCAA might as well just get rid of February." Other coaches expect recruits to be more cautious. "I think there's going to be fewer signings this year than anticipated," said a former head coach. "And I think there will be even fewer signings next year, because high school coaches are going to figure out the best ways to counsel their kids."
What happens with players who don't sign?
The term "undecided" in recruiting takes on new meaning this week. To sign or not to sign? Committed recruits who wait until February to sign must prepare to face repercussions from the schools to which they are pledged -- including up to the loss of scholarship offers. As Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said last month, "If they choose not to sign in December, then that just tells us maybe there's little a pause in their thinking, and in turn it will cause a pause in our thinking." Other coaches have echoed his words. Of course, as with so much in recruiting, leverage matters. If a top target at a position of need delays his signing until February (or later), recruiters will only pursue him more intently.
What are the advantages of signing?
It's over. Lock up your spot. Stop the calls. Stop the visits. Stop the questions. Many prospects are ready to move on. They're tired of the wait. The early signing period is their perfect remedy.
What are the advantages of waiting?
Better offers could arrive. In the wake of the early signing period, schools will know much better than ever in December and January where they stand with the majority of recruits. And vice versa. The clarity figures to open spots at Power 5 programs for prospects who were considering only Group of 5 offers. But if those prospects sign in December, well, it's too late to get involved with the premier program that suddenly has an opening in its recruiting class.
How will January be different in this recruiting cycle?
To start, every FBS program will add a full-time assistant coaching spot on Jan. 9 as part of the legislation passed this year. Many programs will promote from within, limiting the shakeup. Others will look outside. And expect NFL coach firings after the Dec. 31 end of the league's regular season to influence the college coaching landscape and ultimately alter the decisions of recruits. That all of this will occur after the early signing period magnifies its impact. New signees will feel abandoned, no doubt.
How does this impact midyear enrollees?
They can finally sign before enrolling in January. The growing number of December high school graduates in recent years opened the doors for early enrollees to sign player-friendly financial aid agreements in place of binding letters of intent. The early signing period appears to have stemmed that trend -- for now, at least.
How about junior college signees?
For midyear juco signees, nothing changes. The signing period opens Wednesday, in line with previous years, and runs through Jan. 15. Junior college players on track to graduate in the spring are subject to the same signing periods as high school seniors.
What happens to the traditional signing period?
No logistical change. It runs Feb. 7 through April 1 but figures to feel a bit anticlimactic, what with some top programs likely left to fill only a few spots in February. Many coaches, in fact, will spend the weeks before the February signing period in evaluation mode for the Class of 2019.
What's next in recruiting reform?
Get ready for early official visits. As part of the aforementioned package passed in the spring, high school juniors for the first time can visit college campuses, paid by the school, from April 1 until the Sunday before the last Wednesday of June. Some coaches love it. Others, particularly in the SEC and ACC, want it wiped away. "We're playing around with something that's critical," a Power 5 coach said of this reconfiguration of the recruiting calendar. "What does that lead to?" Concern exists among coaches that early visits will lead to further acceleration of the recruiting process, more early commitments and ultimately the weakening of prep football as committed prospects sit out their senior seasons to train for college. Or, perhaps, it'll just bring more opportunities for recruits to visit schools out of their geographical regions before December of their senior years.