As Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Alabama prepare for the College Football Playoff they will also be tasked with navigating a new three-day signing period next week.
Don't take this the wrong way, but if your favorite college team is playing in a bowl game, the new early signing period shouldn't be a tremendous distraction.
It's a change for sure, but bowl games are supposed to be a reward for a successful season. Winning and losing those contests is a big deal, but in the midst of a playoff run Dabo Swinney, Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and Lincoln Riley have one eye on the gridiron and the other one on the recruiting board.
The College Football Playoff participants are preparing for their biggest game of the season as the semifinals get underway on January 1st. All the while, a new signing period now allows recruits to sign their National Letter of Intent between December 20th to 22nd.
This is the first time playoff teams have ever had to prepare for an elimination game with a three day signing period squeezed in the middle.
Friday afternoon after Clemson's practice that Dabo Swinney deemed "average," he went on to say, "Everything is pushed back a week later, so we've been having to balance finals, and in recruiting there has been a lot going on this week."
So here the Tigers sit, getting ready for the monolith known as Alabama but also keeping an eye on the upcoming signing period.
Travel schedules have been increased as well as coaches are trying to secure in-home visits with the top players in the country. In between the stops, coaches have to watch film and gameplan while in flight.
It's certainly different.
Alabama's head coach Nick Saban isn't excited about it either saying, "I don't think it's in the players' best interest. I don't see how it benefits anybody. I think it's really stressful for everyone. We're all trying to get ready for bowl games and playoff games, and we have a signing day right in the middle."
To take it one step further, imagine being Alabama's defensive coordinator for the Sugar Bowl Jeremy Pruitt.
Pruitt was recently named Tennessee's new head coach. He's currently in Knoxville trying to pull together a recruiting class for Alabama's second largest rival: the Volunteers. In addition to that, he will miss two practices before the non-contact period begins Sunday. After that Pruitt will be back in Tuscaloosa preparing for Clemson.
Awkward.
To be honest, I know it's more difficult on the coaches, but they are paid handsomely to be inconvenienced from time to time.
Coaches get police escorts, comped meals, and enjoy all the perks you could ever want. A little additional pressure is fine with me.
I disagree with Coach Saban on one thing. I think the early signing period is beneficial for one particular group. The recruits and their families.
Remember the Matt Colburn story?
The former Dutch Fork High star and current Wake Forest running back had his scholarship offer pulled by Bobby Petrino and Lousiville less than 48 hours before National Signing Day in 2015.
If an early signing period had existed back then, Colburn might have been able to force Louisville's hand in December. If the Cardinals denied him, Colburn would have had ample time to weigh all of his options and find a new school.
This new signing period seems to give some power to the athletes, and I'm okay with that.
It might take a few years for us to digest what the new signing period's impacts are on recruiting and bowl prep. Perhaps it remains a distraction for coaches preparing for the postseason and eventually goes away.
For now though, after signing next week, recruits can sit back, relax, and enjoy the holidays.
This seems like a fair trade to me.
