National Signing Day Should Be a Holiday, Not Irrelevant

 For college football fans, National Signing Day is extremely exciting and should never be irrelevant.

There is a movement in college football to change the recruiting process and especially the time(s) recruits can sign on the dotted line. As a recruiting fanatic, and an Ohio State fan, I believe there should be tweaks in the process but National Signing Day should stay like it is.

In an article at cbssports.com, the writer examined alternatives to National Signing Day being held in February.  There were thoughts from coaches and players concerning issues in the recruiting process and an early signing period and signing windows were discussed. To read the article at cbssports.com Click Here.

It was a well written article and valid concerns were raised. I just respectfully disagree that the alternatives mentioned would improve the situation. In fact, I think if National Signing Day were less relevent it could have a negative effect in some instances.

It could hurt some players and possibly some of the schools as well. And you can be sure it would take a lot of fun out of the recruiting process for fans.

I will make my case that National Signing Day should stay as it is. You can decide which side of the fence you fall on.

NSD better for the players:

You don’t have to look far to see how the process has helped players Urban Meyer recruited this year, and in different ways. First, Ohio State’s latest recruit Elijah Gardiner wasn’t on the radar of any Power Five Conference team before last season began let alone Ohio State’s.

He may have signed with a small FBS school while he had the chance and missed out on a golden opportunity to play for the Buckeyes. I’ll bet he didn’t mind the pressure of the recruiting process everyone is complaining about.

Also, let’s take a look at Danny Clark’s situation. Clark loves Ohio State and still sports a tattoo that says as much. He would have signed on the dotted line to play for the Buckeyes the first chance he had.

Clark understood there was a loaded quarterback room at Ohio State already and that he would have to bide his time until he got his opportunity to play. After Tate Martell came on the scene and committed to this year’s class, Clark knew there was a chance he would never start for the Buckeyes. Now he has a much better opportunity to earn playing time for the University of Kentucky at some point.

While alternative signing days may help some recruits, it could negatively affect others as well.

Coaches and Universities: Alternatives could be a mixed bag.

Coaches like Urban Meyer and Nick Saban will probably succeed with whatever recruiting process the NCAA comes up with. Universities like Iowa, Wisconsin and successful mid major programs could be aided by the changes or could possibly be hurt.

These teams are successful recruiting 2 and 3 star players and developing them, along with finding diamonds in the rough. It may seem like signing a lower 3 star recruit who shoots up the rankings would be a big benefit to the program but possibly not.

Initially the player may help the team, but possibly not in the long-term. 4 star recruits are more likely to transfer if they think there is a better opportunity somewhere else.

No doubt that some of the players who commit during the early signing period, before their recruiting stock soars, will use their one season as an audition. There will be prominent schools who liked what they saw of the player his senior season and will welcome them in with three years of eligibility remaining.

The programs who don’t regular bring in 4 star athletes rely on player development with guys stepping in by their third or fourth seasons. They need a continuously flow of those kinds of players, because unlike Urban Meyer and Nick Saban they just can’t plug in another 4 star player when one moves on. They have to develop depth, they aren’t able to just recruit it on a regular basis.

Fans: National Signing Day should be a holiday.

I wonder if those who are proposing rule changes that would make the late signing day less relevant are college football fans. It’s one of the most exciting days of the year for every fan base. It doesn’t really matter if you root for a good team or a bad one.

For example, these are what some fans may be wondering at the moment:

Ohio State Fan: Which star players will be included, and will the Buckeyes have the top recruiting class in the nation?

Rutgers Fan: Will coach Ash recruit players who can get us to a bowl game in two or three years?

Michigan fan: Will these recruits defeat Ohio State at least once during their playing days at Michigan?

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National Signing Day is a day that many college football fans look forward to. It’s a time that gives hope to some that their team will get back on the right track, or take things to the next level. If you are a Buckeye fan, or root for any top program, you hope your team reloaded. In any event it’s just plain fun.

College football fans have a special relationship with their favorite team and the players. The recruiting process leading up to National Signing Day is exciting. Then on that special day, the fans know for sure which players they will be following for the next 3-5 years.

Must Read: Urban To Fill Out 2017 Class in a Big Way

If there are flaws in the current system, the powers that be should ask coaches who have recruited at different programs how they would fix them. But they shouldn’t make the late signing day irrelevant whatever they do. Instead, they should try to get it declared a national holiday.