Getting every football coach in a conference to agree on one thing has to be difficult to accomplish, especially in a conference with 14 head coaches. LSU head coach Les Miles says there is one thing all SEC football coaches agree on; an early signing period.
“I think we were unanimous as a group that we’re really looking at the first Monday after Thanksgiving,” Miles told reporters Tuesday at the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida, according to multiple reports. “It would be an opportunity for those guys to sign without changing the calendar.”
The comment by Miles is somewhat surprising for a number of reasons. First, of course, is the concept that suggests 14 coaches in the SEC managed to agree on any one thing. Second, the statement by Miles would suggest a shift in philosophy by some other coaches in the conference. Georgia head coach Mark Richt previously expressed concern about adjusting the recruiting calendar, and his opinions have not appeared to change a whole lot on the subject in spite of the statement by Miles.
“By moving it up any further than where it is right now it would probably cause a huge shift in our recruiting calendar,” Richt said, according to the Opelika-Auburn News. “I think we have to be careful what we’re asking for. I know there’s some good reason for it, but I’d be concern about being able to coach our team in season and about being able to have some sanity in the offseason.”
An early signing period would have to be approved by the Conference Commissioners Association, but the topic is expected to be discussed at the next meeting coming up in the middle of June.