Early signing period brings entirely new dynamics, decisions to recruiting
More: Purdue commitment list
Nationwide, college coaches are acclimating to their new reality in recruiting: The debuting early signing period.
The first-year tweak to the recruiting calendar and process introduces a three-day signing period beginning Dec. 20, roughly a month-and-a-half prior to the long-standing singular first-Wednesday-in-February signing date, which remains in place, only with an earlier option now.
The result: Scores of players from coast to coast — probably the vast majority — will put pen to paper prior to the holidays.
In the meantime, coaches seek a balance between certainty and uncertainty, who to push and how hard, leverage considerations and any number of new dynamics and decisions that have come with the new arrangement.
At Purdue, where the Boilermakers are among the nearly 80 programs preparing for a postseason game, too, it's made for a chaotic December.
Head coach Jeff Brohm, who's carried approximately 20 verbal commitments through nearly the entire season, is believed to have visited the majority of them, if not all of them, in December in addition to many uncommitted prospects he's recruiting to round out his first full class as Purdue's coach.
It will make for less of a pressure-packed January, with efforts turning more toward fewer immediate-priority recruits. January will inevitably become more about recruiting future classes than covering short-term bases.
"It just speeds up the process," Brohm said. "Most teams are going to want to get most of the guys signed on the Dec. 20 signing day. We’re the same way. Guys who are committed, you’d like to get signed on the 20th. Some teams will probably leave a few openings. Some teams may leave zero openings, depending on how it goes. I think it may make the January period a little different because we’re not going to be chasing as many guys around."
It does raise questions for coaches to ask themselves, though.
How many scholarships should be held back 'til January as opposed to being filled with known commodities earlier?
How aggressive is too aggressive when trying to convince a player to sign early who may not plan to do so?
How should players with injuries be handled? Early signing is a two-way street and recruiting will always be, on some level, about risk-minimization.
How should a long-time commitment who opts not to sign early be handled, considering the obvious undercurrent that would come with such a decision?
Should a prospect who'll sign early be secured at the expense of the continued chase of a player who might be slightly more highly valued?
All difficult questions.
"You’ve got to look at every situation different," Brohm said. "A lot of times people have their recruiting done by now, and if they’re not ready to sign, it means they may be waiting for something else. You have to gauge each circumstance individually and make sure you’re trying to be fair. That’s what we’re trying to do. You get a feel for it, you get a chance to know them. You get a chance to evaluate them and make the call. Every situation is a little bit different."
More ($): Why the new early signing period should be revisited this off-season
For Purdue, it's maybe been even stickier because of dwindling scholarship space.
A run of summer commitments unprecedented in program history consumed the majority of Purdue's scholarship resources. The list has changed over the past few months, but the numbers have remained stifling, which can be a good problem to have, of course, but a problem nonetheless.
"Our recruiting has kind of gone faster than we wanted, even in the summer periods, so we’ve had to slow it down," Brohm said. "But at the same time, I don’t want to turn away guys we feel like can help us win. So we’re going to be pretty aggressive. I think most of our spots, if not all, may be filled in December. We’ll see how it plays out."
Coaches typically value scholarship openings post-signing date in the event of opportunities presenting themselves when they might not generally be expected.
Last year, Purdue put together a class of graduate transfers and various late signees that did matter this season as the Boilermakers enjoyed a successful season that surprised most.
Brohm said he'd like to have the luxury, but may not have the flexibility.
Stacy Clardie contributed to this report
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