FAYETTEVILLE — I listened to Arkansas football coach Chad Morris talk about the early signing period on Bo Mattingly's radio show on Monday. I read about his thoughts again after an interview with Tom Murphy in Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
In both instances, Morris said his position has changed on the early signing period. I am not surprised.
I never understood why coaches would like it in the first place. I thought they would hate it. I heard coaches talk it up in advance, but wondered aloud if it would be anything other than a headache for coaches.
It's coming at a time when there are issues stacked up against it. It comes at a time when many teams are in bowl prep. It comes at a time when some high school players are taking finals. It comes at a time when school is out so that players cannot have signing parties at their schools. It comes at a time when teams are without assistant coaches.
Those who have recruited for Arkansas the past two weeks haven't even signed their longterm contracts. Morris has hired no one to coach on defense yet.
I would think you are going to hear many other coaches talk against the early period in the coming days. It sure created a lot more work for administrators during a time when they are used to not working. It's Christmas.
I wonder if it's been more of a hindrance than a help for coaches.
I do see that some players might benefit. For instance, Dallas-area linebacker Bumper Pool was going to sign with Arkansas as soon as someone could put a letter in front of him. He's known he was going to be a Razorback for sometime. His sister goes to school at Arkansas and there was no doubt he would sign early.
So there is some good. Pool is a fine player and Arkansas won't have to worry about any late suitors.
That was the genesis of the rule change: Too many teams were losing longtime commitments just before National Signing Day in February.
The early period won't change 17- and 18-year-old kids from changing their minds, it will just cause them to do it earlier than in the past. Arkansas' situation is unique with a new coaching staff, but Charleston's Sean Michael Flanagan flipped to Oklahoma State on Monday, two days before he will sign his letter of intent with the Razorbacks.
I didn't see a need to change what was going on. Those who wanted to enroll early arrived in January. That took care of a lot of the drama for those who were ready to sign early.
They could be in school at many colleges beginning in the second week of the new year. Some, like Ty Storey, even attended bowl practices at Arkansas the last two seasons.
The new rule is for the likes of Greenwood quarterback Connor Noland, who will sign early but stay in high school for the spring semester.
We will see if this early signing period continues and if there are modifications. Perhaps it can continue.
But I worry that it's just doubled the work for all these coaches. It might help them focus attention on the last remaining players (maybe a pool as big as 50 percent or as small as 35 percent). We won't know that until after the next three days. When the ink dries, we can count up how many signed and how many are left.
I never saw it being a wonderful thing that needed to be done. I was told by some of the recruiting writers that it was great. I'm still not buying into that.
It appears some of the coaches who bought into the idea aren't buying anymore.