Dabo Swinney has an idea on how to improve the college football offseason.
In an interview with 247Sports’ Carl Reed, the Clemson coach outlined how he thought the NCAA should approach the signing process.
“Personally, I wish it had been earlier. I wish it was August 1st or 15th and then they would have one in February. I actually suggested this to our ACC coaches and tried it and just couldn’t get any traction. That was several years before the December signing deadline finally materialized,” Swinney said. “I’ve always valued our offer and I want it to mean something. I want to make a commitment if we make an offer. That’s how we’ve always done it here. I think a lot of schools make a lot of offers, but when a kid tries to commit, they say it’s not a binding offer. I never understood that. So I always felt like moving to August would protect the kids.”
In 2017, the NCAA added a second signing day to accompany the normal signing day in February. This year, the earlier signing period was between December 15th and 17th, and the later signing period came on February 2nd. Swinney’s proposal would keep the February date but bring forward the early signing date.
Swinney thinks it would be better for new recruits if they could commit to a program before the start of the season. However, he also believes coaches would be given a longer leash rather than being fired mid-season if the first signing period was preseason.
“I think it’s good for the coaches too,” Swinney said. “Maybe instead of firing that coach in the middle of the season, that AD might say, ‘You know what, he signed a good class in August. If we fire this guy, these guys can go anywhere. Maybe we’ll give him another year.’”
More college football coverage:
–
