Adam RittenbergMitch Sherman 9y

Q&A: Why the recruiting calendar changes are a B1G deal

Earlier today we took an extensive look at the potential changes to the college football recruiting calendar and their impact on the Big Ten. The league's football coaches spent a portion of their annual business meetings Feb. 8-9 on the likelihood of the signing date moving to December, and whether official visits also could or should be moved to late spring or early summer.

You might be wondering: Does this really matter? The answer is yes, especially for a certain group of Big Ten schools. We answer that question and others relating to these topics below.

Why is this so important for the Big Ten?

Several Big Ten teams face a major disadvantage in recruiting because their campuses are located far from the concentrations of top prospects. The challenge is amplified by a recruiting environment where players are making their college choices earlier and most likely will soon having a chance to sign earlier. If the official visits calendar doesn't change, certain Big Ten programs won't be able to pay for prospects from recruiting concentrations to visit their campuses, forcing the prospects to make long trips on their own dime. Bottom line: an already tenuous situation could become much worse.

Which programs are affected most by the proposed recruiting calendar?

The West Division teams located farther from recruit concentrations. Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin seem particularly vulnerable. Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez told ESPN.com that the school doesn't have trouble getting prospects to visit unofficially, even those from far-flung locations. But some of these programs could fall further behind in the recruiting race if early official visits don't accompany an early signing date.

What must happen for early official visits to gain traction?

The Big Ten schools who need the change must push for them, and Nebraska is best positioned take the lead. Although leagues such as the SEC, Big 12 and ACC likely won't support early official visits, the Big Ten could drum up some support with the Pac-12, which has several members located far from recruit concentrations. Every FBS conference votes on the recruiting calendar, so the Big Ten also could find allies with Group of 5 leagues such as the Mid-American. A proposal for early official visits wouldn't go to a vote until spring 2016 at the earliest, so it wouldn't be in effect until the 2017 recruiting cycle.

Why isn't there more support for early visits nationally?

It's pretty simple. Schools and conferences look out for their own interests. Even within the Big Ten, good luck convincing Rutgers and Maryland that it's a good idea to provide a new edge in recruiting for league rivals. In the SEC -- and parts of the Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC -- many of the top recruiting targets can simply drive to campus in the spring or summer for unofficial visits. Official visits, at some schools, have become an afterthought. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith raises some interesting points about the importance of vacation time for coaches in the summer. But that's not a major obstacle. With June set aside for camps and official visits, coaches could still take plenty of vacation time in July -- not that many of them would take it.

Realistically, what would happen if the early signing period passes without early visits?

In the short term, probably not much. Coaches at the most impacted Big Ten West schools would work harder during the season to secure official visits. They'd load up on visitors in the short time in December before the signing date and make the best of a bad situation. Over the long haul, though, damage would be noticeable in the workload placed on coaches and the quality of recruiting classes. It's hard to imagine a scenario in which the December period, if passed, would not grow in popularity among recruits. Some administrators point to basketball, which offers an early signing period in November and still makes use of an April period. Football recruiting is a different animal, though; the hype around signing day ensures it.

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