The NCAA is supposedly thinking about an early signing period for football. Would this help Missouri?

What's On

Anderson on Anderson on Anderson.

PowerMizzou: Summer Sessions: Terrence Phillips
PowerMizzou: Summer Sessions: Frankie Hughes
PowerMizzou: Summer Sessions: Jordan Geist

Another year-in-review session

These things don't seem to be getting any happier for some reason...

The Trib: A year to forget for MU, if only that were possible

BUT ... here's a best-of...

The Trib: The best of Missouri athletics 2015-16

After a run-thru in 2016...

...it appears the NCAA is going to start figuring out how to legislate satellite camps in 2017 and beyond. This is going to get stupid.

PilotOnline.com: NCAA may partner with NFL to sponsor satellite football camps

The NCAA is considering banning satellite football camps and replacing them next spring with camps it would sponsor at NFL training centers and high schools. ... The NCAA Council banned satellite camps earlier this spring. But just weeks later, the ban was overturned by the NCAA Board, composed largely of college presidents. The short-lived ban drew the attention of the Justice Department, which was preparing to investigate because it was concerned the ban might discriminate against players from low-income families who could not afford to travel to camps on campus sites far from their homes.

Senator Blutarsky: The satellite camp mess, getting messier

The NFL on one side and Uncle Sam on the other.  Nice can of worms you opened there, Jim Harbaugh.

That said, there's an interesting tidbit in the Pilot article that got drowned out by the other stuff:

High school football players who are rising seniors might be able to sign binding letters of intent after July 31. This would eliminate the early February signing day. If this rule takes effect, there is a proposed provision allowing players who have signed with a school to be released without penalty if the head coach leaves.

Now THAT would change a lot. I'm pretty sure there would be plenty of unforeseen consequences to this, but I think I'm still in favor of it.

In terms of recruiting strategy, there are a few factors here that I think would be fascinating to follow:

• Would bluebloods like Alabama actually accept signed letters of intent from everyone it has a commitment from on August 1? Those schools tend to like to keep their options open a bit, later asking some committed prospects to take a grayshirt (delay enrollment and perhaps get a scholarship a year later). That's supposedly what happened with Brendan Scales, who would later sign with Missouri for an immediate scholarship. Do they take no-sign commitments from these kids? And what happens on August 1 if they find out they can't sign?
• Oh, the mid-December feeding frenzy when the coaching carousel begins. You have to put in a provision about coaching changes, but it would also be fascinating to watch how teams balance their scholarships to make sure they have room to take on previously signed kids who are suddenly available after the season.

On average, I'm guessing a rule change like this would help the schools like Missouri, which a) benefit from the Scales-type of situations and b) have resources but don't have Alabama-level resources. If you get a certain number of signings out of the way before the season, that would better allow you to balance the resources you have during the home stretch in December and January, when, in the current circumstances, you have to keep recruiting your commitments hard so they don't get poached.

On the other hand, if you're coming off of a bad season, and you're hoping that a turnaround season can help you salvage what might be a bad recruiting class, that could be trickier if a lot of potentially interested prospects have already signed. You'll have to be doubly effective in the mid-December feeding frenzy.

MIZ-CHINA

The Trib: MU volleyball team gains experience, sees the sights during Chinese tour