While Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema and a couple of his assistants are all for an early signing period in college football, Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze is not down with it.
It's become a hot button topic since the NCAA Oversight Committee approved last week early signing periods for three days in late June and mid-December to move the option closer to a reality.
Freeze, whose No. 12 Rebels (3-2, 1-1) visit the No. 22 Razorbacks (4-2, 0-2) today, thinks June is too early.
"I would be fine with things staying as they are, but if a change is going to be made, I would be supportive of the December period of 72 hours, but I don't understand the June one," Freeze said. "Maybe I don't have all of the facts and maybe there is more that would change my mind. We really haven't had a lot of discussion on it yet.
"But I really don't understand how you are suppose to make an accurate decision in June on a kid who has only had six semesters of high school academically and you haven't had a chance to have him and visit with him off campus at all because it is a non-contact period in the spring."
Freeze argues that summer camps are big for both coaches and prospects.
"You can try your best to get them on camp for summer camps and hopefully the signing period would be after that and at least you would have a chance to have a conversation with them," Freeze said. "It just seems like that is so rushed for you to have the chance to get to know kids and their families because you have such limited time to even speak with them at that point in the recruiting calendar.
"I'd be fine with the December one, but I just don't quite understand that June one and I think a lot of mistakes are going to be made. It can't be great for the academic side because you really don't know at that point because seventh-semester transcripts are critical so you know that this kid has a legitimate chance to be a qualifier."
Arkansas wide receivers coach Michael Smith -- who has been very successful recruiting Louisiana for the Razorbacks, wants the June signing period.
"I would like to see it because now you get guys that commit and they are yours," Smith said. "It's something that I have always kind of been an advocate of because you kind of get them and they are yours.
"As a coach then you can kind of relax and I don't want to stay stop recruiting, but I think it shows a lot of integrity to a kid. It will also stop all the committing and de-committing and stop all the programs from dropping kids."
Arkansas tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. can see both sides, but says if his boss is for it, then so is he.
"I have seen bits and pieces of it, but I know that Coach (Bielema) is in support of it, so I am, too," Lunney said. "If my Commander in Chief is in favor of it, then I can promise you that his recruiting secretary for the state of Arkansas is on board with it.
"I think there are obviously some nice benefits for it. I think one of the challenges is you get a guy that is committed -- truly committed -- and just knows this is where he wants to go to school of whatever college he is just deadest on, it would certainly alleviate some of the red tape that you have to go through."
Sports on 10/15/2016