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Today is like Christmas for college football coaches (and for fans who tie their mood to the whim of high school athletes).
It’s National Signing Day, the first chance for football players who will graduate high school this year to officially commit to their college of choice.
In case you are not among those who breathlessly follow recruiting rankings on the Internet, here is a primer on what might happen today (And no, Talking Points did not spend more than five minutes researching this):
The Huskies might wind up with a recruiting class ranked in the top 15 nationally.
The Ducks’ class might be rated among the nation’s 10 best.
No one in the Pac-12 can match USC when it comes to raking in talent — even with a suspect coach in Lane Kiffin and NCAA sanctions.
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A few more signing day observations:
• Head coaches will rave about their recruits. A lot of them will use the phrase “We filled our needs.” This usually translates as “We didn’t get the guys we were drooling over, but we are confident that our brilliant coaching staff will turn these guys into five-star performers.”
• Many of the players coaches rave about today will never make an impact for your school. Some won’t qualify to attend college. Some will suffer injuries. Some won’t have the drive to make it in college.
• Rankings don’t mean much. Oregon has never had a recruiting class ranked in the top 10 nationally, and has often been ranked in the middle of the Pac-10. Yet, somehow, the Ducks are two-time defending Pac-10 champs and played for the national title.
