Coaches hope to address early signing time crunch
College football somehow managed the impossible concerning time, former Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio figures.
“It’s always been 365, 24/7,” Dantonio said of a college coach’s duties completely filling days, hours and weeks. “But I think now it’s even more so.”
In the old days — the old days being six years ago this winter — national signing day and a brief signing period merely took place in early February, and college coaches ranging from assistants to the top bosses perhaps caught a little breather at the end of the regular season in late November or early December.
No more, after the NCAA added an early signing period just before Christmas, when the majority of Power Five classes are now officially signed, and the traditional period in February is practically an afterthought.
Sonny Dykes, whose TCU squad lost in the national title game to Georgia last week, said he always tries to think in terms of what is best for recruits and current college athletes, and go from there.
“What’s good for the players is good for college football,” Dykes said. “As coaches, we can figure out (the rest).”
Only three days separated the most recent Texas state title games of the largest classifications, for instance, and early signing day, which occurred on Dec. 21. Dykes and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, among others, are still in favor of an early signing period — but much earlier than the current setup.
“In a weird sort of way one of the things I’m in favor of might be a very early signing period, maybe at the end of July or (even the) beginning of July, at the end of official visits in June,” Dykes said. “It makes sense if guys want to go ahead and sign, then let them sign. If there is a coaching change or something (else) happens, then get out of that letter of intent if they want to.
“Then a second signing period in February, like the old signing period. In today’s world that makes a little more sense.”
Fisher, too, has pushed for an earlier signing period, prior to the athletes’ senior seasons that fall.
“If they sign early, then they can opt out (if warranted) and then have the February signing period,” Fisher has said. “… It’s better, and easier on the kids.”
The argument against a summer signing period is the athlete won’t be as educated on his choices because of choosing so early — and then also might have a more prominent range of choices while playing his senior season.
The month of December already has a glut of activity in the sport, from coaching changes to programs preparing for bowls or the four-team College Football Playoff to the now wide-open transfer portal, after the NCAA in 2021 allowed athletes to transfer minus the penalty of sitting out a season.
The holidays rush will only be amplified when the CFP expands to a dozen teams following the 2024 regular season, with the additional playoff games taking place in December.
“It’s a tough balance,” said Georgia coach Kirby Smart, whose Bulldogs are the first program to win consecutive titles since Alabama in 2011-12. “It’s not the profession that I originally got into in terms of relationships and coaching — it’s changed so much. … It’s become a much tougher profession to navigate in terms of your family and your time constraints on that, especially if you want to try and stay at the highest level and what (that) requires.
“… With the (12-team) playoff system coming up, it’s going to be really interesting to see what happens. Are you going to be playing games while you’re trying to sign guys in the early signing period in December? It’s gotten more competitive than ever. … It doesn’t stop for the coaches at the highest level, and I’m not sure any of us have the exact right answer. But I do think being smart and legislating time for coaches to be with their team and their families is important.”
That last part is why Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey is calling for the removal of the early signing period — or at least not holding it in its current slot.
“We’re crushing coaches in December,” Sankey told The Athletic before the national title game. “We’re going to add playoff games (in December) — we have to change early signing.”
Tulane coach Willie Fritz is a new member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) board, and he said the early signing period was a prevalent topic during recent meetings.
“Something needs to happen with the portal and the early signing with high school kids, (those) need to be in sync with each other,” Fritz said. “We talked about it a bunch, and I think something is on the horizon. I’m not sure exactly what that’s going to be, but those dates (shouldn’t) be in the same time period.”
In the meantime Dantonio, honored at last week’s Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards in Houston as the organization’s “Heart of a Champion” recipient, said his timing was unintentionally good in retiring from Michigan State just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit three years ago.
Then came the wideopen portal along with coaches trying to figure out how to recruit and maintain a roster in the new age of players benefiting financially from their names, images and likenesses (NIL).
“You get on that merrygo-round and there’s only way off,” said Dantonio, 66, of coaches opting to exit the ever-evolving game, no matter their age or experience. “And that’s jumping off. It’s not going to stop for you.”
Dykes added with a slight smile that shifting the early signing period could help matters like … wedded bliss, for instance.
“It always needs to be about taking care of players, recruits and third and lastly, the coaches,” Dykes said. “We are notorious for needing somebody to protect us from ourselves. (So) we have to do a good job of legislating some time off, where we have to get away from the game a little bit, recharge the battery and get to know our kids and our wives again, so that we can stay married and try to be good fathers.
“It’s a challenge, but I appreciate the willingness to have these conversations, and I’m hoping that some things change.”