I’m puzzled by a couple of things in this Ed Aschoff piece defending SEC coaches’ misgivings about the new signing period and related earlier visit dates.
First, if not having enough time to get to know recruits is now a legitimate concern, why haven’t we heard about this before in the context of junior college kids who have signed at the same in December for years now? Other than the latter living away from momma for a year or two, what’s the difference?
Second, is Orgeron serious about this?
LSU’s Ed Orgeron went beyond just the recruit-coach relationship and mentioned the fact that a signing period in December is going to interrupt bowl preparation for the actual team fans watch and coaches coach. You think Alabama fans would be pleased with Saban and his staff hovering around a fax machine while simultaneously trying to run a practice leading up to the College Football Playoff semifinal?
Bowl prep conflicts, eh? Substitute hovering over a fax machine for constantly working a cell phone texting recruits you have to stay on top of until February… from a time constraint standpoint, it’s hard to see any difference. Christ, Kirby Smart was recruiting for Georgia while he was preparing for his last national title game at Alabama. Somehow he managed both. Are we really supposed to believe that these guys, with their substantial support staffs, can’t walk and chew gum at the same time?
I’m not being snarky here. I honestly don’t get what the big deal is. Anybody have an idea?
Get The Picture 
Good grief. These guys have made 95% of their offers for February before these guys play a single down their senior year. If a guy wants to sign and you want to give him the ability to sign during the early period, just do it. The kid who wants to draw it out to February can still do that. The only reason I can see for opposing this is to use your verbal commitments to recruit others during any visits to other campuses in January. This group of coaches becomes less likable every year.
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It’s a very small point for them: the ability to fill up on kids committed to lesser programs when they swing for the fences on a 5-star and whiff.
If a 5 star has 5 schools to pick from on or near signing day there are 4 schools who are going to have a slot to fill. Multiply that by the dozen or so kids who wait until the last minute. With early signing those replacement kids are gone and unavailable. That’s the unstated complaint with early signing. It helps the middling programs and hurts the programs fighting over the elite prospects.
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Bingo.
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+25 – Well stated, Derek
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For real!
Who are you and what have you done with our Derek?
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If you’d like to broaden the discussion to the “news of the day,” you won’t be wondering for long. Personally, I would simply love to read some of the idiots around here’s defense “Il Douche” today. That would be whole lot of fun. Of course, it could have been worse I suppose. He could have misled us about about getting a hummer necessitating a full constitutional crisis. Thank God it hasn’t gotten that serious yet, amirite?
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Not today Big D. I am a political agnostic, and for me perusing the news is checking out the local constabulary blotter to see who is going to show up for work.
Have no idea what POTUS has done to upset you today. 🙂
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Sure you don’t. No one does. It’s all fake news.
Btw: there’s an extra “TU” in there.
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I will admit, If what I saw posted on social media as to his comments on exercise are true, he may be an idiot.
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To add to others, Derek nailed it. Too much loss of control.
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If the same blackout periods and restrictions on off-campus recruiting remain in effect where coaches can’t hit the road while others are getting ready for their bowls, then I don’t see where this has a huge impact on the focus of teams on bowl preparation. After all, coaches recruit during the regular season and even host recruits on official visits to games and I have to think that they spend a great deal of time focused on game preparation … during bowl season they’ve got even more time to get ready.
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The ability to do both, and the desire to do both are two different things. Speaking from a personal standpoint, if I were an assistant coach having to do all that comes at a cost.. the limited time I get at home with my family. Yeah, it’s what they signed up for.. yeah, they get paid a lot… but that doesn’t take away my desire to have some quality time away from my job. Support staffs are great, but I’m struck by John Lily’s comments about trying to read a bedtime story and having to stop to take a call from a recruit. Maybe I don’t know all the ins and outs of what that does to their schedules, but the frenzy around an early signing period wouldn’t be something I’d be excited about just for personal reasons.
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“I’m not being snarky here. I honestly don’t get what the big deal is. Anybody have an idea?”
Senator,
It’s a shame it’s gotten to the point that you have to include a statement like this one so that people know you really aren’t attacking anyone when you ask a legitimate question.
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“Senator,
It’s a shame it’s gotten to the point that you have to include a statement like this one so that people know you really aren’t attacking anyone when you ask a legitimate question.”
So, what you’re saying, is, the Senator uses snark so often that it’s shameful…
I keed, I keed 😆
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If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you know the Senator used to be able to post legitimate questions like this one and readers would know it wasn’t snark. Lately, as you know, he is sometimes attacked for taking a position when all he has done is ask a question. What I’m saying is that it’s a shame he feels the need to point out to some readers that it’s just a question but I certainly understand.
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Why even have a signing date? School wants to offer, let’em…sign it now and be committed….
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I like that, sign now and be done with it.
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These poor coaches…making millions and being forced to do….two things at once?
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