If you’re reading this, it’s already started. It’s going to end around 2 p.m. It’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be wild. It’s national signing day, you guys.
Odds are, some have already signed their letter of intent to play for or against your school the next three or four years.
National signing day is important. It’s vital. Do not let anyone tell you that “you didn’t win anything today.” That’s not true. The program you support is definitely winning, or losing, something today.
Sure, some of the kids that sign on the dotted line today won’t make an immediate impact. Sure, some of the kids that sign with your school today won’t live up to the hype. That, however, doesn’t mark today as important.
One of the many reasons signing day is important is that there are more and more examples of highly recruited players getting on the field immediately.
Take Ole Miss’ 2013 recruiting class, for example.
Laquon Treadwell, Robert Nkemdiche and Laremy Tunsil, all five-star prospects, were all starters by the third game of their freshman years. The Rebels signed Rod Taylor and Markell Pack in 2014 and both made an immediate impact once arriving on campus. In 2015 the Rebels signed highly-rated guard Javon Patterson, and Patterson started in his first career game.
The main reason, however, that national signing day is important is that there is a direct correlation between winning championships and highly-recruited classes.
Alabama’s previous four recruiting classes finished first, first, first and second (according to rivals.com); they won the 2015 national championship, . Ohio State, which won the 2014 national championship, finished eleventh, fourth, second and third the previous four years in recruiting.
The empirical evidence definitely shows us that recruiting well is important in trying to win at a high level. While there are instances when teams that don’t recruit well make noise throughout the country, those are few and far between.
So, no, your team isn’t winning the national championship, today is one of the biggest days of the year. How many times have you heard the phrase, “it’s not about the x’s and o’s, but the Jimmies and Joes”? Coaches can only do so much with scheme and coach speak; it takes players to win football games, especially in the SEC.
Enjoy today. Your school won’t sign everyone, but they likely won’t miss out on everyone, either.
Get to know your 2016 recruiting class by clicking on the map below:
