Early signing period: What you need to know about college football's December signing window

For decades, one of the biggest dates on the college football calendar was national signing day – the first Wednesday in February. That’s the day when high school seniors formalized their college decisions by signing a national letter of intent.

But the recruiting calendar underwent a change this year with the launch of an early signing period.

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Here are some things to know about the change.

When is the early signing period?

The early signing period for high school seniors is Dec. 20-22.

Does it replace the traditional signing period?

Not exactly. It still exists. The traditional signing period will begin the first Wednesday in February – Feb. 7 – and run through April 1. However, many prospects will sign during the early signing period.

“I think schools are all sort of trying to figure out how this early signing period is going to affect everyone,” said Ryan Callahan, recruiting editor for GoVols247, which covers Tennessee recruiting. “I think the expectation at a lot of places is that probably more than half of everyone’s commitments will end up signing during this early period. But no one really knows for sure yet.”

Is the early signing period available for everyone?

No. It’s only an option for those signing with Division I schools.

When did this change happen?

The Collegiate Commissioners Association finalized the approval for an early signing period on May 8. That came after the NCAA Division I Council approved the change in April.

How will the early signing period affect the traditional February signing day?

With many prospects signing in December, it probably will dial down the hoopla of the traditional signing period.

“It’s going to take away a lot of the traditional excitement for signing day, for sure,” Callahan said. “I think you’re going to see enough of a percentage of the players sign in December that it will only leave a select number of the elite players still out there to sign in February.”

Who will sign in the early signing period?

These are uncharted waters, so it’s hard to say for sure. But those likely to sign in the early signing period are long-committed prospects or those who are not wavering in their decision; those who plan to enroll in college for the spring semester; and prospects worried about losing their spot if they wait.

Holdouts will include athletes still unsure about their college choice, including uncommitted prospects, and those hoping for late offers from better schools.

Just like a prospect’s verbal commitment is nonbinding, a verbal scholarship offer from a school is nonbinding. By signing an NLI, the prospect locks in his college decision and also locks in the school’s scholarship offer.

For athletes, the early signing period is a chance to see which schools are serious about them. Is the school willing to give you an NLI to sign during the early window, or do they just want to keep you on the back burner in case some of their higher choices go elsewhere?

On the flip side, some schools probably will put heat on prospects to sign with them during the early signing window. If a player has an offer from a school but doesn’t sign during the early period, the scholarship offer might not be waiting for the prospect when the traditional signing period rolls around.

Of course, if you’re a highly touted prospect, there’s a better chance that offer will be waiting for you.

“The highly ranked players always have the leverage, to where if they want to wait until that February period, obviously schools are just going to have to go along for the ride,” Callahan said.