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College football’s early contract period already has at least one opponent. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey took time out this weekend before his national college football playoffs his championship to explain the early signing period and its impact on the sport in the short term. In short, Sankey believes the December contract period, coupled with the transfer portal, has made life more difficult for coaches and players.
“We’re overwhelming coaches in December,” Sankey told The Athletic.
Sankey elaborated on the matter at a press conference in Los Angeles on Sunday, saying coaches had expressed concerns about the overload of activity in December and that the meeting “has a responsibility to revisit it.” It pointed out.
“From a bailout standpoint, I don’t think we can go back to just the first Wednesday in February,” Sankey said. “But look at the alternative. The fact that there are national championships that didn’t have the extended dead period that we’re used to. Or they’re even on vacation because of the transfer portal. That’s another weight for coaches. The coach is saying, “What are we doing?” We received a lot of feedback from our coaches. “
If Sankey is saying this publicly, he’s not just shooting from the hip. It is difficult to dispute that assessment.
A lot has changed since the early signature period went into effect five years ago. There was no transfer portal and transferred players had to sit out for a year. Now with a transfer window and no penalties for moving players, schools are laying off coaches earlier than ever and scrambling to find replacements before the early contract period to keep classes alive. doing. Instead, there’s more pressure on players to sign early to secure a spot, and players aren’t entirely sure who their coach will be or where they are on the depth chart, depending on the transfer. I do this without knowing it.
“It’s not as convenient as saying, ‘I have to look at the whole calendar.’ said Sankey on Sunday.
Slowing everything down is good for the health of coaches, players and the sport as a whole. I was relieved because I didn’t. But now, coaches must continue recruiting throughout the year to keep players already on the roster happy and out of the portal. As for players, early contract terms showed relief to end constant texts from other coaches to see if there were any cracks in their commitments. I continue to receive these texts even after I am already on campus and in the classroom.
Finally, and least importantly, a consideration is that putting things back in will keep the sport in the news cycle longer. Signing Day in February was a big TV and news event. There are still reports about the December period, but it gets lost in coach changes, transfers, and the amount of games he bowls. College football could benefit from following the example set by the NFL and other professional leagues and rolling things out in late winter and early spring.
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