Maryland head coach Randy Edsall is the latest to speak out in favor of the concept of an early signing period in college football, but he did so with some trepidation.
“If we continue to go the way we’re going right now with the recruiting process, there definitely has to be an early signing period,” Edsall said this week, according to The Washington Post. “Definitely. If they continue to go the way they’re going right now with recruiting, there needs to be an early signing period.”
According to the report from The Washington Post, Edsall supported the idea but is cautious about why the idea may be gaining some momentum and why it would be added. Sitting on the fence, Edsall seems to be torn between the sentiments shared previously by Georgia head coach Mark Richt and Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson. Richt says there is a concern about throwing a key recruiting period in the middle of the season because it could become an extra distraction for coaches and recruiters. Johnson says it would be beneficial to add an early signing period because it could save time and money during the recruiting process while giving high school players a chance to relax and put the recruiting process behind them early on.
The Conference Commissioners Association will meet in June to discuss the possibility of adding an early signing period to the recruiting calendar. Right now it is in the early stages of development with discussing the pros and cons and the feasibility of making it work.