Crestview High School’s Marquis McClain and Marcus Flavors have secured their college football futures, but that doesn’t mean other local players won't be signing somewhere.
National Signing Day has become a holiday of sorts for college football fans. And while most players do sign the first Wednesday in February, signing day marks the beginning of an approximately eight-week period in which football players can sign national letters of intent.
This year’s signing period ends April 1, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association website, www.ncaa.org. Junior colleges and schools associated with other governing bodies might have longer or shorter signing periods, but they most follow the NCAA’s lead.
I don’t know what kind of player lower-level college coaches want, but I was surprised that Baker School linebacker/fullback Montae Barto and Gator quarterback Jon Beck haven’t signed yet. Granted, sometimes it is harder to project a Class 1A player at the next level than it is a player from Crestview, Niceville or a big school in Orlando, but I believe both of those young men have the skill sets to help some team at some level.
The ink hasn’t dried on this year’s letters of intent, and already the 2017 signing class is taking shape for many elite college football programs. In an effort to stay ahead of the game, most schools have already offered who they feel are the best of the best players for the Class of 2017 and beyond.
Recruiting is every college program's lifeblood. The ability to sign top recruits keeps schools like Alabama and Florida State in the running for national championships.
While many of us would like to believe that a young man chooses a school because he loves Tennessee, Georgia or Mississippi State, the truth is most players go to play for Butch Jones, Kirby Smart or Dan Mullen.
Don’t kid yourself — the opportunity to play for Alabama and compete for a national championship has swayed many young men away from the school they pulled for while growing up.
When McClain signed with Auburn, he became the second Bulldog in three years to sign with a Southeastern Conference team. Former CHS defensive end Denzel Ware just finished his redshirt freshman season at Kentucky and is poised to have a strong showing for the Wildcats the next few years.
Will CHS produce any Division I talent next year? It seems that Andrew Adkins has the best chance to play at a top program.
Time will tell how things play out for Adkins and the Class of 2017's other players. In the meantime, there’s spring football and the 2017 season to think about.
Football season never really ends.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: DICKSON: Football season never really ends