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NCAA Rule Changes Will Hurt Ohio State And Only Help A Few?

By Charlie Lockhart

Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer looks on against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half of the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer looks on against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half of the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Just how will the new NCAA recruiting rules help the average team, and will it hurt Ohio State?

On the surface, changes in recruiting rules recently instituted by the NCAA would appear to negatively impact the Ohio State football program but benefit many other schools. But will the new legislation do either in the long run?

The centerpiece of the legislation approved by the Division 1 Council is the early signing period in December to go along with the one on the first Wednesday in February. There are other rule changes including when a high school player can take official visits. You can check out of the rule changes at NCAA.com, but for now I want to concentrate on the early signing period and what it’s impact may be.

First let’s take a look at the perceived benefits of the early signing period.

At first glance, the rule changes would appear to help schools with limited recruiting budgets. It is time-consuming, and can be expensive, to ensure that a player already committed to a class will actually sign on the dotted line.

If a player signs in December, that’s two months a head coach doesn’t have to worry about a key recruit decommitting. That would keep a coach like Urban Meyer from swooping in late in the recruiting cycle and convincing him to play for Ohio State.

As for as recruits are concerned, there are two situations I could see that may benefit them. Their scholarship would be locked in so they couldn’t be bumped from the class by a hot prospect who came onto the coach’s radar late in the recruiting cycle. And those players who are tired of the recruiting process can put it to rest by signing in December.

Now let’s look at what may be some of the realities.

Every football program is among a group of schools who vie for many of the same recruits, due to geography, success of the football program, academics etc. Often a recruit will put importance in when a college began recruiting him, and the relationships with the coaching staff he has developed over that time.

Because of the new rules, football programs in a particular group will begin to recruit those players even earlier than usual, and others will follow suit. This very well could wipe out any of their savings from not having to keep commits in tow until February.

Also, some recruits may not be happy they signed in December. Often a player will choose a school because of their fondness for a head coach, or a position coach. If he is fired, or leaves to take a bigger and better job after the recruit signs in December, what are the player’s options then?

You know that situation is bound to happen. That will influence the thinking of many highly ranked recruits as they have plenty of schools to choose from and are simply going to wait February to sign.

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With the NCAA instituting an early signing period, it just comes across as a governing body attempting to level the playing field without really thinking things through. When that happens, there are almost always unintended consequences.

There probably are common sense rules that could be implemented to improve the recruiting process in college football. But by instituting an early signing period, I think the powers-that-be in the NCAA are trying to fix something that isn’t broken.

In the end, Urban Meyer and Nick Saban will have plenty of 4 and 5 star recruits to flip from other schools. Going through the recruiting process is a once in a lifetime opportunity for them and most want to enjoy it to the fullest. They will still be fair game until February, and can you blame them?

Those 17-year-old boys get free trips to see places they have only heard of on their official visits, and get treated like royalty while they are there. Who wouldn’t milk that? I for one would take official visits to southern California and Florida after the snow starts to fly.

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When the new NCAA regulations kick in, don’t expect too many changes in the results as far as recruiting or on-field performance, especially at the top. Urban Meyer and Nick Saban are the two top recruiters in the country and the best coaches as well. No new rules will change that, and Ohio State and Alabama will still be at the top in the recruiting rankings, and in contention for national championships as well.

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