Bo Pelini wants to eliminate Nat'l Signing Day; allow recruits to sign when offered

[BleedGopher]

per ESPN:

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has a solution to slow down the recruiting process: eliminate national signing day altogether and put greater accountability behind scholarship offers.

Pelini thinks high school players should be able to sign with teams as soon as they receive scholarship offers. If coaches choose to offer scholarships to freshmen and sophomores -- an increasingly common tactic -- they have to be prepared for those players to sign on for the distant future.

"If somebody has offered a kid, let him sign, it's over," Pelini told ESPN.com on Wednesday. "That will stop some of the things that are happening -- people just throwing out offers, some of them with really no intention of taking a kid."

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/r...nhuskers-suggests-ending-national-signing-day

Go Gophers!!

 

[MNVCGUY]

My initial reaction was it was a stupid idea but I can see some reasoning behind it in making teams actually think a little before just tossing an offer out there. It would certainly make the offer mean something.

I like Edsall's idea about making it against the rules to offer a kid before the start of their senior year. Would keep teams from offering a 12 year old QB just to try and be the first to get to a kid.

 

[t-docious]

I like a combo of the two, elim nat signing day and also only offer a kid when they are a senior. problem solved

 

[GopherinPhilly]

I like national signing day...gives the kids, parents, high schools, colleges and fans something to look forward too. I also like an early signing day (Around Aug 15th before senior year) and then kids can sign anytime after that.

That way schools don't have to recruit kids that say yes in July all the way through the season. Greatly reduce costs.

But I also think scholarships should be gauranteed for 2 years and renew for 2 more. After the second year, a kid can transfer without having to sit out a year. 5th years aren't guaranteed and kids who graduate can transfer.

 

[LBJ]

PeLLLLini would want to be able to sign players before the team has a chance to under-achieve.

It was out on a tee for me. I had to take the cheap shot.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I like national signing day...gives the kids, parents, high schools, colleges and fans something to look forward too. I also like an early signing day (Around Aug 15th before senior year) and then kids can sign anytime after that.

That way schools don't have to recruit kids that say yes in July all the way through the season. Greatly reduce costs.

But I also think scholarships should be gauranteed for 2 years and renew for 2 more. After the second year, a kid can transfer without having to sit out a year. 5th years aren't guaranteed and kids who graduate can transfer.

That's the key to me. If a kid can sign at any time, I could see some teams taking a big chance of signing a 9th grader and then dumping the kid after one year if they don't progress like they thought he would. It wouldn't happen often but I think it would happen from time to time. If a team has to keep the kid for two years, they may wait awhile longer.

I'm also intrigued by your idea of transferring after the second year without having to sit out. I don't like the idea of allowing players to transfer at any time without sitting out, but that could be a good middle ground.

 

[50PoundHead]

I like national signing day...gives the kids, parents, high schools, colleges and fans something to look forward too. I also like an early signing day (Around Aug 15th before senior year) and then kids can sign anytime after that.

That way schools don't have to recruit kids that say yes in July all the way through the season. Greatly reduce costs.

But I also think scholarships should be gauranteed for 2 years and renew for 2 more. After the second year, a kid can transfer without having to sit out a year. 5th years aren't guaranteed and kids who graduate can transfer.

And get rid of the stupid graduate school rule as well.

I had the same thought as MNVCGUY. When I saw the name Pelini, my initial reaction was "this oughta be good," but I don't think this is that bad an idea.

 

[Deleted_User]

Then, they need to allow the athlete to transfer at will.