A number of coaches have had their opinions on an early signing period put on record in recent weeks, many of which have come from the land of the SEC. Penn State head coach James Franklin has been keeping tabs on what his former SEC coaching rivals have been saying, and he is now on record of being in favor of the idea if set up properly.
“There’s been a lot of discussion in the last league I was in and a lot of discussions in this league as well,” Franklin said this week, according to The Patriot News. “I’d be for it, but I’d be for it under the right circumstances.”
Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson previously noted an early signing period would be a good idea for student athletes who have long made up their mind what school that will attend. Franklin is on board with that part of the argument, suggesting it helps lock up the players who dream of playing for a particular school.
“What I mean by that is I think you only want an early signing period for the kids that are going to a school no matter what, and have always wanted to go to that school,” Franklin explained. “So it’s the kid that’s always grown up wanting to go to Penn State, is not going anywhere else. You might as well get that kid locked up.”
The Conference Commissioners Association will review the topic of an early signing period during a June meeting. Georgia head coach Mark Richt is a bit more cautious about the idea of the early signing period, as is Maryland head coach Randy Edsall. Stanford’s David Shaw is opposed to it.