March 6 Update: According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, conference commissioners decided to push back any potential vote on a Summer Signing Day to their in-person meeting in June. Commissioners did, however, approve the motion to move the Winter Signing Day. That Signing Day will officially occur on the first Wednesday after the conclusion of the regular season.
College football coaches have complained for years about the struggles of the December schedule. Between prep for bowl games, a wild Transfer Portal window, and the Early Signing Period that opens from the third Wednesday of the month to Friday, December is overwhelming for many college programs.
According to multiple reports, NCAA officials are discussing a potential change to the high school recruiting calendar — including the signing day schedule — to alleviate some of the issues caused by a condensed December schedule. Officials are reportedly discussing adding a third signing period in the middle of summer.
NCAA Proposing Changes to Signing Day Schedule
According to multiple reports, NCAA officials are meeting this week to discuss three signing periods.
While the first Wednesday in February will remain the late signing period, officials are considering moving the December Signing Period up to the Wednesday after the regular season. In addition to those two more traditional signing periods, a third signing period, one beginning on the last Wednesday of June.
Traditionally, there is an NCAA-mandated dead period that begins in the last week of June and extends through the majority of July.
That dead period would presumably begin the Monday before the June Signing Period to align with how the NCAA has traditionally handled the other two signing periods.
A dead period usually begins two days before a signing period to give high school players space immediately before signing.
UPDATE: NCAA football officials meeting in Indianapolis this week to discuss calendar change for Signing Day. Here’s what they are proposing — three signing periods: Last Wednesday in June, the Wednesday following the regular season and first Wednesday in February. pic.twitter.com/ckPHuh5bs1
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 28, 2024
These changes, outlined above by Pete Thamel, align with what The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach reported last week about the NCAA looking to move the December signing period to a slightly less congested part of the recruiting calendar.
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The changes are not finalized and could be tweaked. They seem to be welcomed by the college coaches I’ve spoken with as they differentiate between high school and portal recruiting and take some of the stress out of the December schedule.
However, some high school coaches are more skeptical. As one coach who has coached multiple high-level recruits told me, “You sign in June and then coach leaves. It’ll change everything. I’m sure they’ll let you out of (your) NLI, but it’ll be a mess.”
There will be kinks to work out, but at the very least, the recruiting calendar will spread out a bit more.
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