Explaining How College Football's Early National Signing Day Works

Within the last decade, college football's national signing day has gained immense popularity. But in 2017, the NCAA instituted an early signing period and shook up the exciting event.

And this significant change might seem complicated.

Why can players sign in December? Now that it's allowed, why doesn't everyone send in their national letter of intent and render February's signing day mostly obsolete? Do people really still use fax machines for this?

You have questions. We have answers.

When and Why Does It Happen?

In 2018, the early signing period runs from Dec. 19 to Dec. 21.

During this time, players who intend to join a Division I program can sign a national letter of intent—properly abbreviated as NLI but occasionally seen as LOI (letter of intent).

The NLI is a binding agreement between the athlete and school. Athletes are not permitted to renege on an NLI unless given permission from the school, and in turn, the program officially confirms it will provide an athletic scholarship for the upcoming year.

They Use a Fax Machine?

Scanning and email works, right? You bet! Nevertheless, some schools still have a fax machine. Must be something about the excitement that the sound of an impending message brings.

It's kinda weird. Nostalgia is cool, though.

OK, But How Is This Different?

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Previously, players who weren't enrolling early (i.e. heading to college for the second semester) waited until the first Wednesday of February to sign their NLI. That date is still relevant, and the "late" signing day falls on Feb. 6 for the 2019 recruiting cycle.

The new December signing period largely benefits players who have no doubts about their college destination—and who are considered Plan A recruits.

To put it simply: If a player has committed to the school before the early signing day, the coaching staff expects him to submit an NLI in December. This is one immense benefit to coaches, since there are another seven weeks until that day in February.

Rather than continuing to recruit those talents, staffs can devote their time and resources to undecided prospects. Last year, for example, 219 members of the ESPN 300 signed early, per Tom Van Haaren. The rest made their final decisions in February.

The early signing day can be a relief for coaches and players who are ready to end the recruiting process.

What About Plan B Prospects?

In the above section, we noted Plan A options. There's an ugly side of recruiting that the early signing day didn't change, though.

Sometimes, coaches are hoping for a commitment from a certain, more highly sought player. Though a school might have a standing pledge, the staff may ask the lower-regarded commit to hold off on signing an NLI.

But there's a trickle-down effect. Mid-tier programs will pressure their commits to sign in December because the best prospects could get poached. That seven-week gap until February is an awful lot of time for a brand-name school to steal a recruit, and senior-year performance can boost a player's profile.

Additionally, not everyone is certain to qualify academically. Coaches may request the prospect waits until that situation is handled.

Any Other Downsides?

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Coaching changes.

This is a no-win scenario for players who sign in December. Remember, the NLI is a binding agreement where the athlete has no leverage. Only the school can back out of it.

For example, about two weeks after the 2017 early signing period, Arizona fired Rich Rodriguez. Any player who signed early wouldn't be allowed to leave without permission.

So, you might wonder why anyone would even sign an NLI. It's a good question.

The simple truth is only a select group of prospects would have a guaranteed scholarship if not for the letters. For top programs, we're talking 5-star prospects and the highest-rated 4-stars. Otherwise, coaching staffs may believe someone isn't truly committed and is thereby expendable. They've been known to yank scholarship offers for less.

Signing an NLI ensures a spot with the team. Doing it early has become necessary for anyone without a slew of suitors.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.