"Springtime gridiron traditions have ground to a halt and the regular hum of the recruiting cycle has fallen silent. These disruptions could drastically change where and when prospective athletes choose to sign, potentially remaking the balance of power in the sport for years to come.
On Wednesday, the NCAA extended the [recruiting] restrictions to May 31 and left open the possibility of further extensions. Recruiting for the Class of 2021—whose signing period is supposed to begin in about eight months—is on indefinite hiatus.Now there is talk among coaches of eliminating the early signing period for 2020 altogether.
That may be staying closer to home for some recruits, according to Brenton Sullivan, chief executive at online recruiting platform FieldLevel.
“There’s going to be a shift toward local,” he said. “What that’s going to do is, the schools that were pulling athletes from all over the country are maybe going to lose out on some of those recruits, because they’re going to stay home.”
This trend could be damaging for top tier programs on the Eastern Seaboard—the Clemsons and Alabamas of the world—who have made inroads with talent pipelines on the West Coast in recent years."
https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-football-is-still-months-away-but-the-sport-is-already-reeling-11585834733?mod=hp_listc_pos3 paywall
On Wednesday, the NCAA extended the [recruiting] restrictions to May 31 and left open the possibility of further extensions. Recruiting for the Class of 2021—whose signing period is supposed to begin in about eight months—is on indefinite hiatus.Now there is talk among coaches of eliminating the early signing period for 2020 altogether.
That may be staying closer to home for some recruits, according to Brenton Sullivan, chief executive at online recruiting platform FieldLevel.
“There’s going to be a shift toward local,” he said. “What that’s going to do is, the schools that were pulling athletes from all over the country are maybe going to lose out on some of those recruits, because they’re going to stay home.”
This trend could be damaging for top tier programs on the Eastern Seaboard—the Clemsons and Alabamas of the world—who have made inroads with talent pipelines on the West Coast in recent years."
https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-football-is-still-months-away-but-the-sport-is-already-reeling-11585834733?mod=hp_listc_pos3 paywall