College Football Recruiting Early Signing Period: What you should know

College football recruiting will never be the same. Starting this year, the NCAA will allow high school players to sign with their teams during a new early signing period that will open this Wednesday, December 20th. The period will be open through Friday, December 22nd.

Instead of waiting until February to make things official, prospects can now get the process over with before Christmas. This period is expected to take some of the luster off signing day, with coaches expecting 80 percent of their class to sign now in December. This is truly a game changer.

Here’s a video to explain everything.

In Tennessee’s case, you likely won’t see the full ramifications this year. With Jeremy Pruitt and his new staff playing catchup, you obviously won’t see too big of a haul during the early signing period. At least not as big of a haul that you’ll see from other schools.

This staff is getting in on big talent like Jacob Copeland, Isaac Taylor-Stuart and Olaijah Griffin, looking to make impressions by the true signing day in February. Recruits that wait will have a little over a month to make more visits and lock in their final decisions.

Expect to see guys like Alontae Taylor, Greg Emerson, Brant Lawless and Jacob Warren to sign with Tennessee this week, among others. The Vols have a host of targets signing this week that this staff has gotten in late with. That group includes Jeremy Banks, Jerome Carvin, Dominik Wood-Anderson and Badara Traore.

Considering the amount of work Pruitt and company have put in over the last 10-12 days, we might even see a surprise or two along the way.

We will have full coverage here, complete with a running tracker of signees. Welcome to your new Christmas tradition!