As Penn State was readying to kick off its regular season finale and dominate Maryland to clinch a berth in the Big Ten title game, Top247 linebacker Bradley Gompers was 45 minutes away, celebrating a huge win as Pittsburgh Central Catholic clinched its spot in the PIAA 6A title game.
While Gompers’ game was being played, Duke was hosting Wake Forest in its regular season finale. Michigan, meanwhile, was pulling off one of the great upsets of the season, defeating Ohio State.
Why is this all relevant?
National Signing Day is Wednesday, Dec. 4. A change in the NCAA’s Division I recruiting calendar moved it up two weeks, to the earliest in its history, and it can put a crunch on kids like Gompers.
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The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Gompers committed to Duke in mid-June but Penn State and Michigan offered during his stellar senior season, and he is entertaining both of schools. His schedule, and the schedules of the three schools, kept him from making visits as signing day approached.
“I think it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on him because there is so much more that comes into play now,” Central Catholic coach Ryan Lehmeier said. “I think the kids coming out of high school, they are familiar with the landscape of college football, too. They know the turnover is crazy high with players and coaches. It does put a lot of pressure on them.”
National Signing Day moved up, transfer portal logistics undergo changes
There are changes in the recruiting calendar. Drastic changes.
It starts with high school prospects being able to sign this week. The three-day window opens Wednesday. Prospects cannot make visits this week but coaches can call, text and direct message. No face-to-face meetings can take place.
Come Dec. 9, the college football transfer portal opens for the nation. While players with head coaching changes can go in immediately during a 30-day window, the craziness of the transfer portal hits high volume when it opens next Monday and closes Dec. 28.
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However, players whose teams are involved in bowl games (after Dec. 23) and those involved in the college football playoff have five days after their final game to enter the portal.
Unlike previous winters with the transfer portal, prospects will be able to sign an agreement that binds both sides when it opens.
Schools used to have to wait for a prospect to attend a class in January before he was bound to the school. That changes during this upcoming window. A prospect can now sign whenever he wants, and it binds the sides to one another.
While this is going on, programs can host class of 2025 prospects on unofficial or official visits, and underclassmen can make unofficial visits. That window used to be open during championship weekend, which is Dec. 7-8, but it is now closed until Dec. 9. It then opens until Dec. 22.
There are other parts of it as well. Transfer prospects who will enroll in January can visit schools Jan. 1-5.
Much of January is open for coaches to get on the road and visit schools (that no longer is part of the December recruiting calendar), and prospects can visit campuses. The exception is Jan. 13-15, which is a dead period where no face-to-face contact can take place. Unsigned prospects in the 2025 class can then sign with schools on Feb. 5.
Changes to the spring and summer recruiting calendar
The spring and summer calendars also have alterations.
Prospects can visit campuses from March 3-April 14, and coaches can go on the road April 14-May 24. Schools can be on the road for 140 days (each day a coach is on the road counts as one day). It is also when official visits can begin for 2026 prospects.
During this time the spring transfer portal opens. It runs April 16-25.
Another change comes with a dead period May 25-28. Tennessee used Memorial Day weekend to host prospects in past years, but that can no longer take place.
The usual late spring/early summer visits, which includes official visits, unofficial visits and camps, runs May 29-June 22, which is when the next major change to the recruiting calendar takes place.
Late July camps and recruiting events were a staple for programs. The final week of the month leading up to training camps were key in setting the tone for the upcoming recruiting season, but that is now a dead period where no in-person contact is allowed again until the start of the 2025 season
