• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Partnerships
  • Internships
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
Subscribe Now!
FloridaHSFootball.com
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Scoreboards
    • Statewide Scoreboard
    • Classification Scoreboards
      • Class 7A
      • Class 6A
      • Class 5A
      • Class 4A
      • Class 3A
      • Class 2A
      • Class 1A
      • Class Rural
      • SSAA 11-Man + Atlantic League
      • SSAA 8-Man
      • Independents
    • Regional Scoreboards
      • Panhandle
      • North Central Florida
      • Northeast Florida
      • Central Florida
      • Tampa Bay
      • Southwest Florida
      • Space & Treasure Coast
      • South Florida
  • Football
    • Playoffs
    • Recruiting
  • Flag Football
    • District Standings
      • Class 4A
      • Class 3A
      • Class 2A
      • Class 1A
    • Box Score Report Submission
  • Regions
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Panhandle</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/panhandle.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">North Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/northcentral.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Northeast Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/northeast.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/central.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Tampa Bay</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/tampabay.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Southwest Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/southwest.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Space & Treasure Coast</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/spacetreasurecoast.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">South Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/southflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
  • Shows
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Panhandle</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-panhandle.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – North Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-northcentral.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Northeast Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-northeastflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-centralflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Tampa Bay</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-tampabay.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Southwest Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-southwestflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Space & Treasure Coast</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-spacetreasurecoast.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – South Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-southflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
  • Florida PRI
  • Rankings
  • Forums
  • More
    • Events
      • Media Days
        • North Central Florida HSFB Media Day
        • Tampa Bay Buccaneers HSFB Media Day
      • All-Star Games
        • North Central Florida All-Star Classic
    • FHSAA
    • Opinion
  • Log In
  • Home
  • Scoreboards
    • Statewide Scoreboard
    • Classification Scoreboards
      • Class 7A
      • Class 6A
      • Class 5A
      • Class 4A
      • Class 3A
      • Class 2A
      • Class 1A
      • Class Rural
      • SSAA 11-Man + Atlantic League
      • SSAA 8-Man
      • Independents
    • Regional Scoreboards
      • Panhandle
      • North Central Florida
      • Northeast Florida
      • Central Florida
      • Tampa Bay
      • Southwest Florida
      • Space & Treasure Coast
      • South Florida
  • Football
    • Playoffs
    • Recruiting
  • Flag Football
    • District Standings
      • Class 4A
      • Class 3A
      • Class 2A
      • Class 1A
    • Box Score Report Submission
  • Regions
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Panhandle</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/panhandle.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">North Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/northcentral.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Northeast Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/northeast.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/central.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Tampa Bay</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/tampabay.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Southwest Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/southwest.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Space & Treasure Coast</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/spacetreasurecoast.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">South Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/southflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
  • Shows
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Panhandle</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-panhandle.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – North Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-northcentral.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Northeast Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-northeastflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-centralflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Tampa Bay</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-tampabay.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Southwest Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-southwestflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Space & Treasure Coast</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-spacetreasurecoast.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – South Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-southflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" />
  • Florida PRI
  • Rankings
  • Forums
  • More
    • Events
      • Media Days
        • North Central Florida HSFB Media Day
        • Tampa Bay Buccaneers HSFB Media Day
      • All-Star Games
        • North Central Florida All-Star Classic
    • FHSAA
    • Opinion
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
FloridaHSFootball.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Around The State

Under Armour All-America players not keen on early signing period for football

byJim Halley
December 29, 2016 - Updated on April 22, 2018
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

FloridaHSFootball.com is a partner of USA TODAY High School Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. — Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) running back Todd Sibley knew all along he intended to be an Ohio State football player.

He committed to the Buckeyes in the spring of his sophomore year, but when he was asked to possibly grayshirt his freshman year, delaying his entry at Ohio State, he had second thoughts. Last June, he switched his commitment to Pitt.

Proposed NCAA rule changes put forth by the Division I Council in October would allow players to sign in June following their junior year or in December of their senior year, in addition to the February signing period that already exists for seniors. The two early periods would each be three days.

The proposals are expected to be voted on in April by the NCAA Board of Directors. Knowing what he knows now, Sibley would never recommend an early decision.

“I would have waited,” Sibley said. “I think signing early can change a lot of things for a kid. You never know what can happen between signing periods with all the coaching changes and program changes. I really don’t like the idea of signing early.”

The biggest sticking point of the proposal for many players at the Under Armour All-America Game is the havoc a coaching change can have on a player’s career. New college coaches may not be as sold on an early signee and could bring in an offense or defense that doesn’t fit as well with a player. This year, 18 new coaches have been hired at FBS schools and more changes are likely following the bowl season.

RELATED: For more high school sports news and scores, visit USA TODAY High School Sports

IMG Academy (Bradenton) center Cesar Ruiz didn’t want to be one of those players who changed his mind, so even though he’s going to enroll early at Michigan, he didn’t make his commitment official until Dec. 19.

“In June, I was really undecided,” Ruiz said. “As a recruit, if you want to sign in June, sign in June. As for whether I would recommend it, no. I just feel like if you’re somebody with a lot of offers, you should enjoy the process. Take all of your visits and make your mind up from there.”

Central Catholic (Pittsburgh) offensive lineman C.J. Thorpe, who committed to Penn State last April, said the only way a June signing makes sense is if a player would have enough time to make their official visits before signing their National Letter of Intent.

“Even if I could have signed in June, I probably would have waited to go on my visits, to solidify everything,” said Thorpe, who has visits planned to Penn State and UCLA before signing day. “If they had allowed the time for earlier visits, I might have gone early.”

IMG Academy linebacker Dylan Moses, a first-team ALL-USA linebacker, said the early signing period might be a better decision for a three-star recruit rather than a five-star.

“If they were to do that before the season, it’s good if you’re sticking with a commitment and you’re all about the school,” Moses said. “It’s a good thing, but at the same time, a lot of stuff could happen in a whole season. For a three-star, (an early signing period) is a good thing because you don’t have to worry about a coach taking a scholarship away or coaches moving you out of the way. But for a five-star, they should take their time and look at every school, every chance they get and watch closely.”

High school coaches see more positives than negatives to the early period.

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) coach Kenny Sanchez, whose older brother Tony is the head coach at UNLV, said the early signing period might mean fewer distractions for his senior players.

“I think there are pros and cons to it,” Sanchez said. “The good thing is if the kid signs early, there are less distractions for them during the high school season. Now, they commit and they feel like it’s out of the way and sometimes with social media, they stop getting all these hits during recruiting and they miss it, so they start looking around and decommit. On the other side, if you (sign) in June and your coach gets fired in September, then you’re stuck, especially if you committed because of that coaching staff. If you (sign) in June and the coach gets fired, they should open it back up.”

IMG coach Kevin Wright, who is one of the assistant coaches in the Under Armour Game and a former offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky, said the early signing period gives some players an option they don’t have now and it could reduce the practice of over-offering by schools.

“I’m a big proponent of having an early signing period,” Wright said. “There are a lot more positives than negatives. It locks colleges in as well. An offer would be an offer. Right now, a lot of offers are so-called ‘soft offers.’ It would end a lot of distractions, plus the players don’t have to sign early. It simplifies things and other sports have done it with success. There’s no reason football can’t do it.”

Follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Twitter at @USATODAYhss

Related Posts

No. 1 Miami Northwestern will host Orange Lutheran (CA) at adidas Field at Traz Powell Stadium on Saturday night to open the 2025 season. [Joshua Wilson/FloridaHSFootball.com]

FOOTBALL: Where does the Florida Power 25 play at this week? Find out here along with links to watch some of them LIVE

Wiregrass Ranch opens the 2025 season at Plant where they are projected to be a favorite in the game [X/@WGRanchFootball}

FLORIDA POWER RANKINGS INDEX: Game forecast for Week 1 of the 2025 season

Columbus will open the season against Miami Southridge to start the 2025 season [X/@ColumbusFtball]

FLORIDA POWER RANKINGS INDEX: Week 1 projected scores and win probabilities for 2025 season

Both Lake Mary and Venice are among the Class 7A teams with the toughest schedules for 2025. [Joshua Wilson/FloridaHSFootball.com]

FLORIDA POWER RANKINGS INDEX: Who’s Got the Gauntlet? FPRI ranks the toughest schedules in Class 7A for the 2025 season

Buchholz will have the toughest schedule for the 2025 season among Class 6A teams. [Joshua Wilson/FloridaHSFootball.com]

FLORIDA POWER RANKINGS INDEX: Who’s Got the Gauntlet? FPRI ranks the toughest schedules in Class 6A for the 2025 season

Manatee will have one of the toughest schedules among Class 5A teams in 2025. [Joshua Wilson/FloridaHSFootball.com]

FLORIDA POWER RANKINGS INDEX: Who’s Got the Gauntlet? FPRI ranks the toughest schedules in Class 5A for the 2025 season

Next Post

Jason Beede's top photos of 2016

Three Florida coaches among 33 nominated for Don Shula NFL High School COY Award

Advertisement

.
.

Advertisement

.
.

Advertisement

.
.
FloridaHSFootball.com

© 2025 Florida HS Football, LLC. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Partnerships
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

OR

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Subscribe Now
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Scoreboards
    • Statewide Scoreboard
    • Classification Scoreboards
      • Class 7A
      • Class 6A
      • Class 5A
      • Class 4A
      • Class 3A
      • Class 2A
      • Class 1A
      • Class Rural
      • SSAA 11-Man + Atlantic League
      • SSAA 8-Man
      • Independents
    • Regional Scoreboards
      • Panhandle
      • North Central Florida
      • Northeast Florida
      • Central Florida
      • Tampa Bay
      • Southwest Florida
      • Space & Treasure Coast
      • South Florida
  • Football
    • Playoffs
    • Recruiting
  • Flag Football
    • District Standings
      • Class 4A
      • Class 3A
      • Class 2A
      • Class 1A
    • Box Score Report Submission
  • Regions
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Panhandle</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/panhandle.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">North Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/northcentral.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Northeast Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/northeast.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/central.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Tampa Bay</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/tampabay.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Southwest Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/southwest.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">Space & Treasure Coast</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/spacetreasurecoast.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">South Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/southflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
  • Shows
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Panhandle</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-panhandle.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – North Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-northcentral.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Northeast Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-northeastflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Central Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-centralflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Tampa Bay</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-tampabay.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Southwest Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-southwestflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – Space & Treasure Coast</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-spacetreasurecoast.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
    • <span class="menu-image-title-hide menu-image-title">The Blitz – South Florida</span><img width="1000" height="310" src="https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/theblitz-southflorida.png" class="menu-image menu-image-title-hide" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />
  • Florida PRI
  • Rankings
  • Forums
  • More
    • Events
      • Media Days
      • All-Star Games
    • FHSAA
    • Opinion
  • Log In

© 2025 Florida HS Football, LLC. All rights reserved.