The Illusion of National Signing Day

[DFW HOYA]

Three phrases to ignore at National Signing Day:

1. "Best class ever." (Hint: it's not.)
2. "He's a game changer." (In this subdivision, chances are good he's not.)
3. "A great day for [fill in the blank university] football."


I'm sure these kids will have a great time where they land, but unless it's North Dakota State, chances are good they wanted to go somewhere else. It doesn't come down to Alabama or Samford, and never will.

The balance of power isn't shifting either. Presbyterian won't be in the playoffs and Montana won't be 1-10 in a few years years, period. It's an opportunity for incremental change and if teams can take advantage, good for them. But don't kid yourselves.

Recruiting is especially irritating for me because Georgetown takes the brunt of it worse than almost every other school. Its mascot is a bulldog but sometimes looks more like Sisyphus, the Greek mythological character condemned to rolling a ball up a hill and watching it roll back down every year. It doesn't offer wide open scholarships, taking 80% of the recruiting base away right there. Those that still want to go there and pay full freight or get financial aid must then run through the gauntlet of the Patriot League's arcane SAT ranges, leading to coaches telling recruits, "sorry, we already have three kids at a 1300 SAT and we can't take a fourth." And if they're still interested, you hope Holy Cross and Lehigh doesn't pick them off a week ago with a full ride to play the same competitive level of football.

For the first time in 20 years the Georgetown staff can actually promise that a football field will be completed for these recruits, never mind that the school only built one half of it. Small steps, I suppose. But the days when a legitimate transformative player will come to the fading world of Patriot League football are over, which makes signing day a reiteration of the same ball rolling up the hill for the Hoyas.

[nodak651]

Three phrases to ignore at National Signing Day:

1. "Best class ever." (Hint: it's not.)
2. "He's a game changer." (In this subdivision, chances are good he's not.)
3. "A great day for [fill in the blank university] football."


I'm sure these kids will have a great time where they land, but unless it's North Dakota State, chances are good they wanted to go somewhere else. It doesn't come down to Alabama or Samford, and never will.

The balance of power isn't shifting either. Presbyterian won't be in the playoffs and Montana won't be 1-10 in a few years years, period. It's an opportunity for incremental change and if teams can take advantage, good for them. But don't kid yourselves.

Recruiting is especially irritating for me because Georgetown takes the brunt of it worse than almost every other school. Its mascot is a bulldog but sometimes looks more like Sisyphus, the Greek mythological character condemned to rolling a ball up a hill and watching it roll back down every year. It doesn't offer wide open scholarships, taking 80% of the recruiting base away right there. Those that still want to go there and pay full freight or get financial aid must then run through the gauntlet of the Patriot League's arcane SAT ranges, leading to coaches telling recruits, "sorry, we already have three kids at a 1300 SAT and we can't take a fourth." And if they're still interested, you hope Holy Cross and Lehigh doesn't pick them off a week ago with a full ride to play the same competitive level of football.

For the first time in 20 years the Georgetown staff can actually promise that a football field will be completed for these recruits, never mind that the school only built one half of it. Small steps, I suppose. But the days when a legitimate transformative player will come to the fading world of Patriot League football are over, which makes signing day a reiteration of the same ball rolling up the hill for the Hoyas.

Oooof. Must suck to have your attitude. You make some good points, but many of the guys are happy to get FCS offers vs D2 offers, many choose to go to FCS schools over G5 schools so they can play more, and many would be going to the school they commit to even if they weren't playing football. There are the same number of game changers pretty much at any level.... FCS recruits play against other FCS recruits for the most part, so I don't really agree with your second point at all. Point 1 and 3 def have merit, but every school is going to have multiple "best recruiting classes", but of course it's mostly just a talking point whether that actually is the case or not.

[DFW HOYA]

Oooof. Must suck to have your attitude. You make some good points, but many of the guys are happy to get FCS offers vs D2 offers, many choose to go to FCS schools over G5 schools so they can play more, and many would be going to the school they commit to even if they weren't playing football. There are the same number of game changers pretty much at any level.... FCS recruits play against other FCS recruits for the most part, so I don't really agree with your second point at all. Point 1 and 3 def have merit, but every school is going to have multiple "best recruiting classes", but of course it's mostly just a talking point whether that actually is the case or not.

It's not attitude per se because I've been at, listened to, or caught a pirate feed of literally every Georgetown game over the last 20+ years. The program could be so much better than taking recruits with D2 offers or recruits those that get an offer largely because of their AI score. Nineteen losing seasons in 20 has taken its toll, but for a university that routinely gets remarkable and transformative students that add to the athletic and social fabric of the place, football should be able to to likewise, but my animus with the Patriot League's phony admissions approach is only a part of it. First, you've got to get them, and then they have to produce. Georgetown's record in the low-major Patriot League is a combined 23-92 since 2001.

But to the larger topic, NLI is more of a show now than a recruiting tool. It's locked in the haves and the have-nots, and in the end does not change the calculus of college football.

[Panther88]

Three phrases to ignore at National Signing Day:

1. "Best class ever." (Hint: it's not.)
2. "He's a game changer." (In this subdivision, chances are good he's not.)
3. "A great day for [fill in the blank university] football."


I'm sure these kids will have a great time where they land, but unless it's North Dakota State, chances are good they wanted to go somewhere else. It doesn't come down to Alabama or Samford, and never will.

The balance of power isn't shifting either. Presbyterian won't be in the playoffs and Montana won't be 1-10 in a few years years, period. It's an opportunity for incremental change and if teams can take advantage, good for them. But don't kid yourselves.

Recruiting is especially irritating for me because Georgetown takes the brunt of it worse than almost every other school. Its mascot is a bulldog but sometimes looks more like Sisyphus, the Greek mythological character condemned to rolling a ball up a hill and watching it roll back down every year. It doesn't offer wide open scholarships, taking 80% of the recruiting base away right there. Those that still want to go there and pay full freight or get financial aid must then run through the gauntlet of the Patriot League's arcane SAT ranges, leading to coaches telling recruits, "sorry, we already have three kids at a 1300 SAT and we can't take a fourth." And if they're still interested, you hope Holy Cross and Lehigh doesn't pick them off a week ago with a full ride to play the same competitive level of football.

For the first time in 20 years the Georgetown staff can actually promise that a football field will be completed for these recruits, never mind that the school only built one half of it. Small steps, I suppose. But the days when a legitimate transformative player will come to the fading world of Patriot League football are over, which makes signing day a reiteration of the same ball rolling up the hill for the Hoyas.

Not so sure about that, HOYA. Coach Prime @ JSU seems to be landing stars/game-changers left and right over P5ers/G5ers. Anytime a 4* QB recruit signs @ your school, I think that's worthy of praise, considering his decision. Not to mention his older brother @ CB, also an sec contributor as a true freshman last fall and former espn300, transfers to join him.

There are some residuals that occurred this past spring/summer that I cannot speak on until an official release occurs shortly. Amazing when 2 former sec/1 former big xii starters leave their previous schools, not due to criminal/academic troubles, and all 3 transfer to your school due to a desire to make a historical statement.

[walliver]

What else is a coach supposed to say?
"Hey guys who signed, we've had better in the past" or "I wish we signed good players instead of y'all" or "I hope our team doesn't suck too badly"?

[Mocs123]

Only if you're the only team in a conference that doesn't offer football scholarships - that makes it pretty hard to compete.

[FUBeAR]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO53r-lMjxE

[bonarae]

Meanwhile, we often wait until May to see who goes and who ends up in Division III or as walkons...


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[Bisonoline]

I never get excited about any recruits. Some dont show up, some cant make the grades, some cant make the commitment when they find out what its going to take,
Some just cant play at the next level, some realize they arent going to get any playing time.

Those that stick around I start taking an interest in.