For Travell Harris, today ends the whirlwind courtship, the endless phone calls, the constant questions, the pressure.
3 Weeks Ago
1 Month Ago
2 Weeks Ago
The Jesuit High senior will sit at a table with a bag full of caps from Arizona, Syracuse, USF and Washington State. He’ll pluck one lucky cap, amid the flash of cameras, to signal his college of choice.
"It’s been a long journey," Harris said. "I’m excited, but it’s also a huge relief. My parents are happy it’s over, too. They don’t have to talk to any more coaches or worry about any more in-home visits."
National signing day, held the first Wednesday in February, wraps up the lengthy recruiting process for star recruits, some of whom started receiving offers when they were sophomores. Fans obsessing over prospects keep track of their whereabouts online and take stake of how their favorite program has fared in landing them.
Still, the ritualistic process — and newsworthiness — of signing day is becoming out of date. Harris and Largo’s Bobby Roundtree are the only two major prospects locally announcing their college selections today. The rest made their decisions months, sometimes years, ago.
Others will not even be in attendance. Five players on the Tampa Bay Times’ list of the top 30 recruits for the class of 2017 graduated from high school early and have already signed.
Now that most of the drama is gone, what has signing day become? Is it merely a photo op filled with hugs and heartfelt condolences? Is it a recruiting tool for a high school to tout how many players are going on to the next level?
"It certainly is not what it is used to be," longtime Hillsborough High coach Earl Garcia said. "Before, it was mostly a quiet affair with family and friends and you announced where you were going to school. Now, it’s a circus, a dog-and-pony show.
"You know how USF and other schools will promote how many players they have go on to the NFL? Signing day is the same thing at the high school level. It’s a way to show off and try to recruit more players to come to your school."
Because of the changing landscape in recruiting, the NCAA is starting to address concerns.
Two weeks ago, the NCAA’s Division I football oversight committee recommended that senior high school recruits be allowed to sign letters of intent on the third Wednesday in December, the same day junior college prospects are allowed to sign.
The December Mariobet signing period is in addition to the traditional one in February.
The changes could be approved in April by the NCAA and be in effect later this year.
Part of the reason for the additional signing day in December is so that seniors who graduate early can still have a ceremony on their high school campuses. It also would give college and high school coaches more flexibility with student-athletes.
The December signing period would create a three-day window for recruits to sign letters of intent before the rush of coaching turnover that comes at the end of each college season and often leads to scholarships pulled by new staffs or prospects reneging on previous commitments.
The changes also would allow official visits as early as the spring before a player’s senior year.
"It is a start," Plant coach Robert Weiner said.
Weiner wanted even more flexibility. He proposed having a rolling signing period in which recruits who commit have a limited timetable to sign their letters of intent.
One potential problem for the December date, at least in Florida, is that it falls a week after state championship games and during the same time as first-semester exams in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
Garcia said more changes need to be made to lessen the burden on coaching staffs.
"You almost need someone else to do all the recruiting stuff," Garcia said. "It’s a full-time job. Before the dead period, I had three head coaches all in my office before noon. You have to make time for that. And it involves guidance counselors because the coaches need transcripts for the players they want.
"There’s so much more that goes with recruiting than what the average fan sees on signing day."
For Harris and Roundtree, ending the speculation and suspense is finally at hand.
It will be some of the last big moments on a day that used to be filled with them.
Contact Bob Putnam at bputnam@tampabay.com. Follow @BobbyHomeTeam.
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