Monday’s Morass: What If There Were No Official Signing Days?

July is truly the dog days of summer for college football. The Official Visit season for recruits is on hiatus, and coaches are taking well-deserved vacations ahead of the fall camp’s July start date. However, there is still enough out there to ask “what if…” before things start heating back up.

What if a recruit was permitted to sign their Letter of Intent when they make a commitment?

I’m just spitballing here to see what sticks to the wall and ceiling. Back when I was in school a straw, tiny pieces of paper, and moisture killed my boredom, and until fall camp opens, I’m pretty bored!

Back in the day, there was a holiday set aside in February where people would take the day off from work so they could watch their favorite high school football players pick up a hat on TV. Today, the early signing period gets most of the attention while that day in February has the TV in the background with the sound muted so no one gets interrupted.

Today there are two signing periods in college football with the December early signing period replacing the February celebrations. For all intents and purposes, most programs have their classes filled by the time signing day arrives.

With college football going through so many transitions, why not add one more? And this spitball might kill two birds at the same time.

Hear me out.

Instead of making the recruit wait to sign their name making it official in December or February, why not allow the recruit to make it official when they publicly commit? The decision has been made, so there is no need to think about it any longer. And if there is buyer’s remorse on behalf of a recruit, the transfer portal can still save the day.

The other bird that could potentially be killed is the recruits making early public commitments because they know there is an actual contract in place. Instead of two signing days, there could be hundreds of them throughout the year.

I mean what’s wrong with receiving LOIs in June, July, August, September, and December?

What if USC gets a commitment from Taylor Tatum this week?

It would mean Lincoln Riley and Kiel McDonald pulled off the upset and are two super recruiters. Because here’s the thing, if Taylor Tatum were making his decision today, most prognosticators believe Oklahoma will be the nation’s No. 1 running back’s 1st choice.

USC Recruiting Updates with Scott & Dylan

Riley and McDonald have their minds set on one running back for the 2024 cycle. USC did the same thing with the linebacker spot and chose Tackett Curtis for its 2023 class, and that worked out well. Can it work again this time around?

July has been slow for the Trojans as far as recruit commitments are concerned, however, Tatum’s announcement could jump-start another run of players who want to play for the Trojans when they join the B1G Conference starting in 2024.

Two days later the Trojans are going to find out what Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa’s choice will be when he picks between the Trojans, Notre Dame, and Ohio St.

What if USC put Reggie Bush’s Heisman Award back inside Heritage Hall?

What can the NCAA do for retribution, fine the university?

Wouldn’t that be double-jeopardy, penalizing someone twice for the same “crime?”

Last week the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions doled out the penalties for the Tennessee Volunteers who committed 18 Major Level-1 violations. The violations included the head coach, his wife, multiple coaching staff members, and boosters. And I’m sure if they looked close enough, the mascot broke a rule or two as well. Just some of the rules broken included an allegation of $60,000 in cash or gifts given to football recruits or players by Pruitt, his wife, numerous coaches, staff, and boosters.

USC’s mantra is, “Fight On!”

In my very strong opinion, it’s time for USC to stand up and let the NCAA know they are tired of their[NCAAs] blatant hypocrisy. And if the NCAA wants to fight over the issue, then they can speak to USC’s legal team.

What if Lincoln Riley is asked for his opinion about the NCAA and the Tennessee Volunteers sanctions?

Pac-12 Media Day is on Friday. It’s when coaches and players come together to explain the previous season, and what to look forward to this season. The same questions will be asked and answered 100 times.

So how would Lincoln Riley answer the question regarding Tennessee’s penalties, and what USC was punished for over the Reggie Bush scandal?

More than likely Lincoln Riley would take the high road and say, “It is what it is, and it’s time to move forward.” However, I could also see Coach Riley taking a different approach saying, “yeah, put it back!”

Let me be perfectly blunt. Riley needs to say the following, “The NCAA overplayed its hand and treated the Trojans unfairly, and I think the NCAA would agree considering the way they handled the USC situation compared to what Tennessee was caught doing.” Full stop, period!

If that were to happen, I want someone to start a GoFundMe campaign with all of the proceeds going to a Lincoln Riley statue to be erected in front of USC’s new High-Performance Training Facility.

And then whatever funds are left can be put into the House of Victory Collective to pay for recruits to attend USC because it’s legal now.

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