OT: The Demise of CFB National Signing Day and favorite NSD Memories
While taking a quick snack break in between meetings, it came to my attention that today is/has been the traditional CFB National Signing Day for high school recruits across the country.
Granted the early signing period in late December and the prominence of the transfer portal has all but made the traditional National Signing Day experience irrelevant. This especially since the only possible commit with ties to Michigan, Gatlin Bair (https://247sports.com/Player/gatlin-bair-46118503/), signing with the Oregon Ducks just recently.
I guess you could say I’m feeling sentimental and a bit sad that a yearly event many fans considered the “Christmas Day” of recruiting has been reduced to a peripheral Boxing Day, which I’m still not really sure what the hell that holiday is all about. But I digress…
So, in the spirit of some of the greatest moments in NSD history, consider the following:
- How much are you invested in high school recruiting or NSD vs say… 5-10 years ago?
- Have NIL incentives/motivations and the transfer portal killed the vibe or do you still follow along?
- What are your favorite NSD moments or last-second recruits who ultimately signed on to play at Michigan?
- Lastly, who/what is the one NSD recruiting battle that Michigan lost that stung the most?
Farewell, NSD. You were the cause for a lot of F5 keyboard buttons losing their spring!
February 7th, 2024 at 12:46 PM ^
We could still hold an event to make us all feel better. Foregone Conclusion of the Stars. Are the Sklars up to anything tonight?
February 7th, 2024 at 1:24 PM ^
I'm with Blau here, I'm apathetic myself about the whole thing. I used to set my DVR and watch religiously.
NIL, portal and making 2 signing days are definitely the culprit.
The duplicitous, spineless NCAA is a terrible organization, they need to make 1 signing day for the 1st Wednesday in February, move the portal till after the season ends, set NIL regulations and coaches will then want to stay in college and have somewhat of a life, what a concept.
Rashan Gary was an exciting albeit nervous one for me. I really hated losing RoJo.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:11 PM ^
+1 Mick.
RoJo was a heartbreaker for me as well and it was around the time of his recruitment I became aware of MGoBlog through the recruiting tea leaves. Nick Perry was another Michigan kid who chose USC that stung. Jabrill Peppers commitment was one of the happiest non-W/L events I can remember.
I won’t go down the doom and gloom trail that some are expressing but I will say it will be harder to not think of college players as semi-professional athletes moving forward. Simple fact is that although I still hope my favorite NFL players do well, I have little to no emotional attachment to them or follow their entire careers as I do for college players. Once they walk the line of paid athlete (some very well-paid), what’s to stop anyone from saying “Can’t they pay someone else to do this better” the moment the drop a pass or give up a sack? Just stinks.
February 7th, 2024 at 12:54 PM ^
The demise of college football over the past 5 to 10 years has been sickening. This use to be a national holiday for most fans. Now I don't even care.
February 7th, 2024 at 1:03 PM ^
college football is so over...no one has paid attention for the last 10-15 years
February 7th, 2024 at 1:16 PM ^
I wouldn't yet call it "the demise", but it might be heading there soon unless it breaks away from the corruption and incompetence of the NCAA.
February 7th, 2024 at 1:04 PM ^
Nothing wrong with NSD, it just moved to December.
February 7th, 2024 at 1:19 PM ^
Which begs the question; why are there essentially two of these things?
The great thing about just having one is it came across as very final and often nerve-wracking for fans the entire day. You win some, you lose some but you always found a way to appreciate the kids that committed and worry less about the ones that got away.
To answer my own OP prompts above, Harbaugh’s first Signing of the Stars event was awesome. The understanding that young players love that type of acknowledgment and opening it up to fans and students matched the level of excitement to ramp up for the satélite camp shenanigans.
Now… it’s whatever. Maybe Moore can create a similar level of engagement but that is one era where you knew Harbaugh was on the leading edge of some cool stuff.
February 7th, 2024 at 3:04 PM ^
How quickly ppl forget…the reason they made an early signing period is because coaches and fans alike were complaining about their commits getting poached by other schools & their “bagmen”. The thought was that the kids that wanted to sign on the dotted line had the option to do it early if need be. For the players that wanted to wait, they had this signing period in February. It just so happened that majority of the recruits decide to sign in December now. So that has become the “bigger” Signing day.
February 7th, 2024 at 1:07 PM ^
Demar Dorsey - Michigan Legend.
February 7th, 2024 at 1:20 PM ^
That's the first one that came to mind
February 7th, 2024 at 1:57 PM ^
O let's doooooo it !
No fly zone !
What was supposed to be
February 7th, 2024 at 1:12 PM ^
The early signing day has grabbed all of the drama, but the amount of drama and intrigue that used to be a big part of NSD in February is gone. The HS all star games have a lot less interest than they used to, as 99% of the participants have not just committed by then, but have also signed in December and are likely starting early enrollees as well.
For the fans, especially those whose team still has a meaningful game or games to play, the early signing day is lost in the shuffle as those fans are contemplating about their team winning a cfp game and maybe the NC.
February 7th, 2024 at 1:13 PM ^
This isn’t the college football I came to love back in 1973 … still love Meechigan and will watch them and attend games if I can … the last three years have been magical … it is a business now driven by astronomical obscene profits for the networks and games played in between commercial after commercial … yes the players are finally getting money which they have deserved for putting their bodies through punishment… however even that has become signing for the highest bidder then moving on if they feel slighted by a new signing … there may may have been arguments and back room deals for the final polls but I’d take the 70s and 80s back in a minute … give me THE GAME and then give me New Year’s Day and the big four bowl games !!!
February 7th, 2024 at 1:16 PM ^
TomVH, is that you!?
February 7th, 2024 at 1:24 PM ^
10 or so years ago, this was a day my students would be watching a movie and I would be on the internet... last four or five years I hardly knew it was happening... which is probably a good thing.
jdon
February 7th, 2024 at 1:28 PM ^
"Recruiting" is dead, its business now. How much will you pay me to come to your school? Location is probably the second criteria that is easily overridden by more cash. Look, no kid wants to hang out in Columbus Ohio but yet here we are, buying them all up.
February 7th, 2024 at 1:31 PM ^
Used to concoct excuses why I had to work from home on this day every year. Now it has next to zero significance at all.
I don't think it happened on NSD proper, but the RoJo saga was my unofficial introduction to the madness of college football recruiting.
I also recall a great deal of hand wringing over (McGuffie??) not sending his LOI until after dinner time the night of National Signing Day. Seems very quaint by current standards.
February 7th, 2024 at 1:38 PM ^
Big Will scaring us half to death that he wasn't coming.
Good times.
February 7th, 2024 at 1:55 PM ^
I legitimately forgot entirely, I used to be sneaking my phone in high school trying to see if Gary was going to sign or not…