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HOUSTON — SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Sunday that he thinks college football should do away with its early national signing period in December.
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian doesn’t agree.
“I don’t want to be fined by the SEC before I join the conference,” Sarkisian said at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention and coaching school. “I don’t know if that’s the best avenue. The student-athletes in high school are way too equipped to graduate high school early and to be in college in January. When you start to think about the majority of your class enrolling in January but not even having the signing period, that is concerning to me. That is why we went to the early signing period. I do think there is probably a happy medium.”
Texas puts a premium on recruiting high school athletes, despite the presence of the transfer portal.
“We are going to continue to build our roster from the ground up, from the high school ranks,” Sarkisian said. “I think this year we took five transfers and 25 high school kids. “I know this whole era of NIL and transfer portal and all of the things that come with it, but the reality is, if I can, I’m going to recruit high school kids.”
This year’s early signing period for football ran from Dec. 21-23, with the regular signing period beginning Feb. 1. Many of the nation’s top recruits sign during the early period.
But with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams beginning in 2024, Sankey thinks that will make December even more difficult for coaches than it already is.
“When we go to an expanded playoff, I don’t think for a moment there should be an early signing period while our best college football teams are engaging in playoff games,” Sankey said. “[In December] you have coaching decisions — head coach and assistant coaches — you have signing day, you have the transfer portal, bowl games, you have the playoff, which will have more December activity, not to mention the regular season concluding an conference championship games.”
Time for change? Texas has new Name, Image and Likeness legislation that went into effect July 1. It prohibits a conference and the NCAA from penalizing a college for participating in any NIL-related activity that is permissible under state law.
Sankey thinks it is time for politicians to get involved.
“There are multiple states across the country that have done things like this,” he said. “But I’m not aware of any states that have had policies that are acting to enforce those policies. Now we have states that are saying not only are we not enforcing the policies, but nobody can enforce policies. I think it speaks to the need for congressional action.”
Talking NIL: Martin said that, as of Saturday, there are now 30 states that allow NIL deals for high school athletes. He and the Texas High School Coaches Association don’t want to see Texas join that list — at least not yet.
“We have felt that it would be a detriment,” Martin said.
In January, Texas Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, a Southlake Republican, filed a bill that would allow high school athletes 18 years and older to receive compensation for NIL. It would also allow eligible UIL athletes to obtain professional representation for NIL matters.
Martin said the THSCA has fought against that bill. He also said that most states that allow high school NIL deals have already had to alter their rules.
“From a high school perspective, we asked, let us evaluate this and see where we are across the country,” Martin said. “Let everybody make their own mistakes, and let’s learn from that. Let us wait two more years and see what happens.”
On Twitter: @DMNGregRiddle
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
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