New recruiting calendar makes February less frantic

There’s a strange sense of calm that has replaced the tumult typically associated with college football recruiting this time of year.

The arrival of a December signing period has removed much of the suspense from the traditional national signing day that takes place on the first Wednesday of February. About three-quarters of the top 250 high school football prospects already have signed, according to a composite ranking of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports.

While college coaching staffs around the country have spent the last few days making final sales pitches as they attempt to complete their recruiting classes, the atmosphere isn’t nearly as hectic as before.

“It does feel a little less frantic,” said Barton Simmons, the director of scouting for 247Sports. “I think there’s still plenty of drama surrounding some of the bigger names and more elite prospects in this class, but the general frenetic pace that we’re used to — the chaos of the final weekend — is definitely taken down a notch or two.”

There’s something else different about this recruiting season: For the first time in several years, Alabama might not land the nation’s top class.

Alabama has posted the nation’s No. 1 class, according to the 247Sports Composite, each of the last seven years but currently ranks sixth in the team standings. Simmons said the reigning national champions still have a remote chance at finishing first in the recruiting standings but added it would “be a pretty big upset” if anyone other than Ohio State or Georgia ended up No. 1.

Georgia already has signed seven players rated as five-star prospects by Rivals and remains one of the top contenders for Tyson Campbell, a five-star cornerback from American Heritage in Plantation, Fla. Rivals director of recruiting Mike Farrell said if Georgia signs eight Rivals fivestar prospects, it would match the record set by Southern California’s 2004 class.

Some of the five-star recruits in that 2004 USC class included eventual first-round NFL draft pick Keith Rivers and secondround selections Fred Davis and Deuce Lutui.

Still, Alabama remains one of the main stories heading into the final days of the recruiting season because it remains in play for many of the top uncommitted recruits.

“Alabama’s interesting because they’re involved with all the [uncommitted] five-stars but not the favorite for anybody,” Farrell said. “But you know they could pull one or two of them easy.”