Here is ESPN's ideas on how to improve the process. Agree? Disagree? What changes would you suggest?
(Follow the link. Lot more suggestions than just the ones I copied here
1. Early signing period a must
It's mind-boggling in today's recruiting culture that an early signing period doesn't exist. There are early signing periods in basketball and other major sports, but the football community hasn't been able to get its act together to change things. Florida State recruiting coordinator Tim Brewster estimates most schools have more than 50 percent of their classes completed by the start of the season. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin estimates millions of dollars could be saved because coaches wouldn't have to fly all over the country baby-sitting prospects who have been committed for quite some time. If so many prospects are set on their schools, why not allow them to sign a letter of intent after Sept. 1 of their senior year, or during the same window the mid-term junior college prospects can sign in December? The logistics of when to have the signing period could be debated, but creating one shouldn't be. Coaches at all levels and in all parts of the country agree that a lot of what ails college football recruiting -- especially the epidemic of decommitments -- would be cured by the ability to sign early.
2. Let the visits start early, tooIf you're going to allow prospects to sign earlier, then you have to start the official visit process sooner. So many recruits are on college campuses for junior days and unofficial visits in the spring already, so let's allow them to take paid official visits during the spring evaluation period from April 15 to May 31. And while we're at it, coaches and program representatives should be able to show recruits around town whether the prospects are on official or unofficial visits. Right now, that's restricted to official trips. But if a recruit is paying money to visit, he should be able to see what he wants to see. 3. Read the fine print
Two MAC coaches suggested this one to me: Send out written offers to prospects that include an expiration date. It makes sense. If you're an elite player a school is willing to wait on, then you'll have the expiration date set for signing day or even after it. But it also helps eliminate situations when a recruit thinks he still has an offer and tries to commit to a school but is turned down. It would spell out exactly how long a prospect has to accept the offer and would help clear up the murky is-my-offer-still-good situations.
4. Let kids be kids
One of the biggest black eyes on recruiting has been the emergence of schools offering middle-school prospects. Make it against the rules to do that. A lot of schools aren't standing by their offers years down the road anyway, and it puts high school coaches in horrible situations to have to deal with bigheaded 15-year-olds who have never played a down of varsity football.
5. Follow basketball's lead
To borrow a rule from college basketball, allow electronic transmissions beginning June 15 following a prospect's sophomore season. Football coaches don't want to go all in with unlimited text messages like in basketball, but many would like the ability to direct message, email or send other forms of electronic messages to prospects earlier in the process. That's a must if you're going to have an early signing period and early official visits. Here's another one to adopt: Currently, during the spring evaluation period, schools are allowed two on-campus evaluations of a prospect but coaches can't talk to prospects unless they "bump" into them. Let's remove the bump rule and allow coaches to have actual conversations with prospects while on the high school campus, like they do in basketball.
6. Let's go camping
In the past, recruiters were allowed to attend events such as combines, camps and 7-on-7 tournaments during the spring evaluation period and count that as one of their evaluations of a prospect. Then the NCAA reversed course and outlawed it. It's time to again allow recruiters to scout prospects at certified events. This, too, is done in basketball.
7. On the road again
The NCAA doesn't allow head coaches to go on the road in the spring evaluation period to recruit, and many of them would like that changed -- with some limitations. Go ahead and allow head coaches to designate 14 days when they can go on the road and recruit during the evaluation period. This allows the coaches to still be around for team meetings, player finals and spring booster club and fundraising tours, but also get the much-needed face time with recruits and high school coaches.
8. Give me a break
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables can't remember the last time he had a vacation. As much as he would love to spend some quality time with his wife and four kids before the start of practices in August, he can't because recruiting never stops. So create a dead period from the third Wednesday in July through the first Wednesday in August, where no on-campus communication is allowed. Coaches can get some time off, and prospects can get a break from recruiting.
9. Let coaches work it out
More and more coaches want the ability to work with prospects on the field when recruits come for official visits. Coaches pore through hours of film before bringing a recruit in for an official visit, but the best evaluation they would get would come from putting him through a one-hour workout and physical while on campus.
10. Close the camp loophole
Seven years ago, the NCAA limited where football programs can run high school camps -- basically any out-of-state location that sits more than 50 miles from campus. However, a loophole allows coaching staffs to work at -- but not hold -- other camps outside the 50-mile radius. Schools from every conference except the SEC have been using that loophole to their advantage. It's time for that to change. Pull the plug on the out-of-state camps because it gives schools an unfair advantage.
Link: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/id/11025298/10-ways-ncaa-improve-college-football-recruiting
(Follow the link. Lot more suggestions than just the ones I copied here
1. Early signing period a must
It's mind-boggling in today's recruiting culture that an early signing period doesn't exist. There are early signing periods in basketball and other major sports, but the football community hasn't been able to get its act together to change things. Florida State recruiting coordinator Tim Brewster estimates most schools have more than 50 percent of their classes completed by the start of the season. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin estimates millions of dollars could be saved because coaches wouldn't have to fly all over the country baby-sitting prospects who have been committed for quite some time. If so many prospects are set on their schools, why not allow them to sign a letter of intent after Sept. 1 of their senior year, or during the same window the mid-term junior college prospects can sign in December? The logistics of when to have the signing period could be debated, but creating one shouldn't be. Coaches at all levels and in all parts of the country agree that a lot of what ails college football recruiting -- especially the epidemic of decommitments -- would be cured by the ability to sign early.
2. Let the visits start early, tooIf you're going to allow prospects to sign earlier, then you have to start the official visit process sooner. So many recruits are on college campuses for junior days and unofficial visits in the spring already, so let's allow them to take paid official visits during the spring evaluation period from April 15 to May 31. And while we're at it, coaches and program representatives should be able to show recruits around town whether the prospects are on official or unofficial visits. Right now, that's restricted to official trips. But if a recruit is paying money to visit, he should be able to see what he wants to see. 3. Read the fine print
Two MAC coaches suggested this one to me: Send out written offers to prospects that include an expiration date. It makes sense. If you're an elite player a school is willing to wait on, then you'll have the expiration date set for signing day or even after it. But it also helps eliminate situations when a recruit thinks he still has an offer and tries to commit to a school but is turned down. It would spell out exactly how long a prospect has to accept the offer and would help clear up the murky is-my-offer-still-good situations.
4. Let kids be kids
One of the biggest black eyes on recruiting has been the emergence of schools offering middle-school prospects. Make it against the rules to do that. A lot of schools aren't standing by their offers years down the road anyway, and it puts high school coaches in horrible situations to have to deal with bigheaded 15-year-olds who have never played a down of varsity football.
5. Follow basketball's lead
To borrow a rule from college basketball, allow electronic transmissions beginning June 15 following a prospect's sophomore season. Football coaches don't want to go all in with unlimited text messages like in basketball, but many would like the ability to direct message, email or send other forms of electronic messages to prospects earlier in the process. That's a must if you're going to have an early signing period and early official visits. Here's another one to adopt: Currently, during the spring evaluation period, schools are allowed two on-campus evaluations of a prospect but coaches can't talk to prospects unless they "bump" into them. Let's remove the bump rule and allow coaches to have actual conversations with prospects while on the high school campus, like they do in basketball.
6. Let's go camping
In the past, recruiters were allowed to attend events such as combines, camps and 7-on-7 tournaments during the spring evaluation period and count that as one of their evaluations of a prospect. Then the NCAA reversed course and outlawed it. It's time to again allow recruiters to scout prospects at certified events. This, too, is done in basketball.
7. On the road again
The NCAA doesn't allow head coaches to go on the road in the spring evaluation period to recruit, and many of them would like that changed -- with some limitations. Go ahead and allow head coaches to designate 14 days when they can go on the road and recruit during the evaluation period. This allows the coaches to still be around for team meetings, player finals and spring booster club and fundraising tours, but also get the much-needed face time with recruits and high school coaches.
8. Give me a break
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables can't remember the last time he had a vacation. As much as he would love to spend some quality time with his wife and four kids before the start of practices in August, he can't because recruiting never stops. So create a dead period from the third Wednesday in July through the first Wednesday in August, where no on-campus communication is allowed. Coaches can get some time off, and prospects can get a break from recruiting.
9. Let coaches work it out
More and more coaches want the ability to work with prospects on the field when recruits come for official visits. Coaches pore through hours of film before bringing a recruit in for an official visit, but the best evaluation they would get would come from putting him through a one-hour workout and physical while on campus.
10. Close the camp loophole
Seven years ago, the NCAA limited where football programs can run high school camps -- basically any out-of-state location that sits more than 50 miles from campus. However, a loophole allows coaching staffs to work at -- but not hold -- other camps outside the 50-mile radius. Schools from every conference except the SEC have been using that loophole to their advantage. It's time for that to change. Pull the plug on the out-of-state camps because it gives schools an unfair advantage.
Link: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/id/11025298/10-ways-ncaa-improve-college-football-recruiting