2018 Class Early Signing Period

[Rizman]

wow, thanks gentleman.  Looks like we are going to get 7 or more. 

[Mama_Bull]

Bulls expected to sign at least 6 (and possibly more) this week

USF coach Charlie Strong is expected to sign no fewer than a half-dozen recruits this week during the NCAA's early signing period. (OCTAVIO JONES | Times)

 

 

By Joey Knight

Published: December 18, 2017

At least a half-dozen high school seniors — and possibly more — are expected to sign with USF when the NCAA's new 72-hour early signing period for football commences Wednesday.

Homestead South Dade TE Chris Carter Jr., a three-star prospect who reaffirmed his commitment to USF on Dec. 7, said Monday morning he'll sign with the Bulls on Wednesday.

He joins Plant QB Jordan McCloud, Admiral Farragut WR Zion Roland, Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna OG Sebastian Sainterling, Okeechobee ATH Jajuan Cherry and Chiefland RB Brian Norris as Bulls commitments expected to sign by Friday.

Those who have confirmed they'll wait until the conventional early signing day in February: Admiral Farragut DT John Waller, Lakeland Jenkins DE Jordan Domineck, Tallahassee Leon DE Trey Laing, Pensacola Catholic OT Ethan Watson and West Florida Tech S Keyon Helton.

USF currently has 23 non-binding verbal commitments, and appears in solid contention for a handful of prominent local recruits who remain undecided.

Among them are Tampa Bay Tech QB Michael Penix, a three-star prospect who recently de-committed from Tennessee. Penix, who will sign Wednesday afternoon at his school, visited FSU over the weekend and appears to have narrowed his choices to the 'Noles, Bulls and Indiana.

Jesuit CB Kendrick Torain, a former UCLA commit, also appears to be warming up to USF and has a mid-January visit planned. Torain also will visit Maryland and Louisville in January, according to 247Sports.

http://www.tbo.com/blogs/bulls/2017/12/18/bulls-expected-to-sign-at-least-6-and-possibly-more-this-week/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[Mama_Bull]

There are a number of other current USF verbals who visited this past weekend who JK did not mention. So, I expect some of them to sign early. Then there were some other official visitors as well, who may sign.

I wouldn't be surprised if 10 players sign early. 

[Mama_Bull]

This article makes some interesting points:

How do coaches like it?

We’ll see after it ends, but not everyone is happy so far. "I don’t see how it benefits anybody…" Alabama coach Nick Saban told reporters recently. "I have not talked to a coach that’s happy with it." One of Saban’s complaints: It’s very difficult to prepare for bowl games (or the College Football Playoff) while also balancing recruiting. It can be tough on players, too. Texas’ high school football state championships are this week. In Tampa Bay, players have exams. Not everyone, however, shares Saban’s sentiments. Some believe the early signing period will create a degree of parity, preventing blue-blood programs that whiff on a five-star prospect from swiping a prized recruit at a lower-profile school at the 11th hour (because that prized recruit already will have signed).

Is the early signing period here to stay?

That’s a tough one. We expect a lot of push-back from coaches, many of whom are logging 20-hour days while juggling a variety of duties (coaching bowl practices, making home visits, hosting recruiting weekends, attending obligatory bowl functions, etc.). You’re also bound to see a ton of assistants — who have remained at their current gigs just to secure player signatures — bolt for other jobs once the signing period ends. Clearly, that’s not a good look. We wouldn’t mind seeing the early signing period moved up a few months to, say, early August — before the college and high school seasons begin.

Read more at:

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/What-to-expect-from-the-first-early-signing-period-for-football_163743606

Clearly CCS has a good eye for recruiting, since many of our commits performed very well this season. As a result some of them won't sign early, because they have now received more P5 offers.

So, I'm in favor of moving the signing day up to August.

[BrassBulls12]

2 minutes ago, Mama_Bull said:

We wouldn’t mind seeing the early signing period moved up a few months to, say, early August — before the college and high school seasons begin.

Read more at:

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/What-to-expect-from-the-first-early-signing-period-for-football_163743606

Clearly CCS has a good eye for recruiting, since many of our commits performed very well this season. As a result some of them won't sign early, because they have now received more P5 offers.

So, I'm in favor of moving the signing day up to August.

If this were to happen, I think they would have to consider an Opt-out period. August is a very long time to hold to a binding commitment. Maybe they if they signed in august, then other teams would be locked out from communicating with them until now (Dec 20-22). Then they would have three days to switch the commit. 

[Mama_Bull]

3 minutes ago, BrassBulls12 said:

If this were to happen, I think they would have to consider an Opt-out period. August is a very long time to hold to a binding commitment. Maybe they if they signed in august, then other teams would be locked out from communicating with them until now (Dec 20-22). Then they would have three days to switch the commit. 

Well, it's a two way street.

Once a player signs, both he and that school are committed to each other.

So, I don't like your idea, because it defeats the purpose.

However, I might consider allowing players who sign early to be released from their LOI without penalty, if the head coach leaves from their signing school prior to the regular signing period.  

 

[BrassBulls12]

15 minutes ago, Mama_Bull said:

Well, it's a two way street.

Once a player signs, both he and that school are committed to each other.

So, I don't like your idea, because it defeats the purpose.

However, I might consider allowing players who sign early to be released from their LOI without penalty, if the head coach leaves from their signing school prior to the regular signing period.  

 

I don't see it as a two way street in August. To me, it is much more advantageous to the school. Lets say a kid gets an offer and signs in august. If that kid gets hurt, they can use a red shirt and still get the four years they wanted. considering most recruits are not going top be asked to come in and play right away, the school doesn't actually lose anything. Now, lets say the player signs in August, has a great year and  his world changes in those 6 months from August to December, (some of these athletes are still growing) and he receives offers that he had never considered . The athlete has no option, they are at the mercy of the school (to tell him where he/she can go) and will still lose a year due to transfer rules. 

Just as someone who spends a tremendous amount of time with high school athletes, its just too early to locked in. Coaching staffs are grown men who can fully weight a decision 12 months in advance, and they usually do it together. You can't hold a teenager to the same standard and you can't mandate that they have quality mentors to help. 

To me, it would just lead to a lot of transfers and unhappy athletes. 

[Mama_Bull]

20 minutes ago, BrassBulls12 said:

I don't see it as a two way street in August. To me, it is much more advantageous to the school. Lets say a kid gets an offer and signs in august. If that kid gets hurt, they can use a red shirt and still get the four years they wanted. considering most recruits are not going top be asked to come in and play right away, the school doesn't actually lose anything. Now, lets say the player signs in August, has a great year and  his world changes in those 6 months from August to December, (some of these athletes are still growing) and he receives offers that he had never considered . The athlete has no option, they are at the mercy of the school (to tell him where he/she can go) and will still lose a year due to transfer rules. 

Just as someone who spends a tremendous amount of time with high school athletes, its just too early to locked in. Coaching staffs are grown men who can fully weight a decision 12 months in advance, and they usually do it together. You can't hold a teenager to the same standard and you can't mandate that they have quality mentors to help. 

To me, it would just lead to a lot of transfers and unhappy athletes. 

Well, they have early signing periods in basketball and the other sports, before their senior seasons and that seems to work out OK. It allows coaches to know what they have banked and can then concentrate on what they still need.

So, the idea of having an early signing period for football to prevent so many late defections in February makes sense.

It's really more a matter about when it should take place.

Nobody is forcing players to sign early. They can wait and take their chances in February.

 

[BrassBulls12]

5 minutes ago, Mama_Bull said:

Well, they have early signing periods in basketball and the other sports, before their senior seasons and that seems to work out OK. It allows coaches to know what they have banked and can then concentrate on what they still need.

So, the idea of having an early signing period for football to prevent so many late defections in February makes sense.

It's really more a matter about when it should take place.

Nobody is forcing players to sign early. They can wait and take their chances in February.

 

November wouldn't be too bad.

I think there are a lot of factors that separate football and basketball. For instance, those athletes in the elite class, are only making a one year decision.  Also the fact that the championship gets decided by  64 team tourney in which everybody has a chance, if they win. Its also a much more individualist sport, I understand that there is a team, but one player on a basketball team can make a much bigger impact than one on a football team. So making the early decision to go to a smaller school doesn't automatically disqualify you from winning a NC,  I think that goes  along way in whether or not an athlete would regret his decision.

I will also revert back to the point about adults vs children.  You can say that no one is making them sign early, but you don;t what is being said to that athlete. A grown adult could very easily manipulate an athlete to make a decision that is not in their best interest. Especially when there's uncertainty about that senior season. 

I don't think the early signing period changes anything about pressure on athletes, it just changes when it happens and makes them make decisions before they have all the information. The preventing of late defections only helps the school and does nothing for the athlete. I can't see anything wrong with a kid changing his mind in the last hour because they believe its what's best for them, good or bad as it may be for a school like USF. 

I'm going to side with the athlete, they need more time, a change in the transfer rules. 

[Mama_Bull]