National Signing Day has changed its look over the years
National Signing Day for football has certainly evolved over the years. When getting my start in sports journalism back in the 1980s, the process looked much different than what we have today.
I can remember people coming together at a certain location for Mississippi State signing parties when individuals hung on each name that was written on a white board with a Sharpie marker.
There are no need for such parties now. People can just take a glance on their phone or computer screen to get the latest news on signees.
One of my jobs as a young college student back in those days was to sit near the phone at the office and take calls from interested fans wanting to know the latest list of new Bulldogs. As far as I know, there weren't any phone calls that came to The Starkville Daily News on Wednesday with those questions.
That doesn't mean that people don't care. In these days of internet and social media, it's just that times have changed and there are new ways to get that information.
The addition of an early signing day in December has also dampened the anticipation for the one in February quite a bit. There are many recruits that choose to get their signing out of the way right before Christmas so they don't have to worry about it heading into the holidays.
National Signing Day may have changed its appearance over time, but the impact on the lives of high school and junior college football players looking to play at the next level does not lack for importance. It still means something for the players to sit around a table with their families, sign a piece of paper and live a dream in the sport that they love.
That's why the sports staff of The SDN used a couple of pages in Wednesday's edition and more space today to tell the stories of some of the football players in this area taking the next step in their careers.
It's also a big deal to keep track of what MSU was able to do. The Bulldogs have faced a tremendous amount of adversity over the last few months, but head coach Zach Arnett and his new coaching staff have put together a solid signing class. Being able to catch Jonathan Davis out of Lawrence County was huge for MSU on Wednesday. Davis could be the next great defensive lineman to come from the school and that will happen if defensive line coach David Turner has anything to say about it.
As the case following any signing day, the impact of a class for a program won't be realized until the players get on campus, go through training and perform on the field.
Signing a name on paper is the first step. Now the work begins.
Danny P. Smith is the sports editor of The Starkville Daily News. The opinions in this column are his and not necessarily the views of the SDN or its staff.