CCA Begins Study of Football Early Signing Period
Jeremy Crabtree of ESPN:
The Collegiate Commissioners Association has formed a committee chaired by Mid-America Conference commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher to research whether an early signing period would be a good thing for college football.
This is basically what the NCAA hinted at during the Regional Rules Seminar sessions on football issues. The major difference is that the CCA will be taking on the work of studying the issue rather than punting it to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). That also increases the chances that this initiative is not limited to football but will include all sports which do not have an early signing period (also soccer, track and field/cross country, field hockey, and men’s water polo).
The mention by Dr. Steinbrecher that this issue has come up twice in the last five years also reinforces another claim offered at Regional Rules, that is is now or never (or at least a long time) for a football early signing period. If the committee finds that an early signing period is not a good idea or unnecessary or exact signing dates cannot be agreed on, it sounds unlikely that the CCA will revisit the issue in the near future.
A final positive development is the breadth of both the committee’s composition and its charge. Dr. Steinbrecher said prospects and high school coaches would be involved in the study of the issue. And it will go beyond just whether an early signing period is a good idea to include possible changes to the recruiting calendar.