Recruits like Early Signing Period, even with coaching changes
SAN ANTONIO - In the two weeks following the conclusion of the Early Signing Period, four Football Bowl Subdivision programs changed their head coaches, affecting 61 prospects who had already signed their letters of intent. In spite of the fallout from those situations, those prospects surveyed at this year’s All-American Bowl were still largely in favor of the Early Signing Period.
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No one in San Antonio was as dramatically affected by the recent coaching changes as four-star cornerback Keontra Smith, who was one of those 61 prospects that had signed a letter of intent to play for a coach that is no longer leading the team. Even Smith, though, said the situation has not dramatically affected him individually.
“Honestly, I didn’t even care about the coach leaving because Miami is in my heart,” Smith said. “That was my dream school and I always wanted to play there. No matter the coach, I still want to play there.
“(The Early Signing Period) is good, in a way, for recruits that know where they want to go, but it’s bad because of the situation with Miami. If someone signs, they lose a coach and want to try to get out of that situation, they have already signed.”
Check out what other All-American Bowl players had to say about whether the Early Signing Period is good or bad for prospective student-athletes:
“I think it’s a good thing because it shows how much you are committed to that team and it shows the coaches how much you care about the team.”
*****
“It depends on who you ask. I don’t go to a school because of the coaches; I go because I like the school and I feel like it fit me. For me, it doesn’t scare me too much. You should know that going in, and you should be fine.”
*****
“It can be bittersweet. It depends on the school you sign to. If you sign to a pretty stable program, then you should be solid, because you know your coach is going to remain there. If you sign to a school that isn’t winning games, like all those kids who signed to Miami, the head coach is gone now.”
*****
“I like it a lot, especially since I have been committed for a long time to Purdue and am enrolling early. If you can sign whenever you want, I think that would be a good idea also. If you are committed to the coach, just hold off until the late signing period. But, if you are committed to the school – like, I am committed to Purdue, I don’t care who is there – then I think (signing early) is a good thing.”
*****
“I think it’s a good thing. Obviously it had to be a thing for me because I was enrolling early, but I think it’s a pretty good thing overall. Like I’ve always been told, don’t go to a school because of the coach. You go to a school because when you got on campus it felt like home. Obviously the coach plays a little bit of a factor, but not the biggest factor.”
*****
“It’s good because I can get it out of the way. I don’t like recruiting and you have fake stuff, fake coaches, so it’s more stress on you. Ever since Sept. 1 when coaches have been able to call me, it has been more stressful. They were just blowing up my phone for no reason. I try to maintain a 3.8 GPA and I can’t do that when I have coaches calling me every hour.
“You are not supposed to go to a school for a coach. You are supposed to go to a school because you love that school and that’s where you see yourself. Coaches leave every year. Mel Tucker left before the signing period and I still signed with Georgia.”
*****
“It’s a good thing because once you sign and get everything out of the way, you get a lot of stress off your shoulders. You don’t sign to coaches; you sign to a university. So, if you really want to go to that university regardless of coaches, you’ll be straight with your decision.”