So I've seen a couple things mentioned here and elsewhere that I think people are a little bit confused on right now and I wanted to clear up any of that confusion.
First, the dead period is still going on so any recruiting that can be done right now can only be done over the phone because of NCAA rules. Recruits are not allowed to visit any schools and coaches cannot leave campus to visit any recruits so that means no in-home visits or school visits. I know I've seen it mentioned that it feels like the coaches are sitting on their hands, but they are handcuffed right now by the dead period which is why I said there was never any real rush to get coaches named. There wasn't much of a benefit it was going to give the program from a recruiting sense since Rhoads wasn't even hired until after the early signing period.
The dead period ends this Thursday so the upcoming weekend will be the first that the coaching staff can actually leave campus or have prospects out for visits. That will only last for two weeks with another dead period beginning Feb. 1. So there are some recruiting challenges right now for programs looking to add a dozen prospects before the regular signing period.
That's not to say the staff has a bunch of recruits lined up ready to sign, but since the work is being done over the phone or through social media it is less visible.
The second thing that I've seen, not here but elsewhere, is that Arizona still has an opportunity to make a run at Jason Harris now that it has the full staff in place. That is simply not correct and his decision to announce his commitment in between the signing periods seems to be the source of the confusion. Colorado has already publicly announced that Harris signed with the program. Doing so without an official NLI in hand would be an NCAA violation. The issue is people are not realizing he signed during the early period and it was merely kept silent until he decided to announce. So, the only way Arizona would be able to get him to UA is if he decides that he wants to be let out of his NLI, which right now is not the case. It would then have to be granted by the Buffaloes. There's a reason the Wildcats have offered a number of defensive ends in the last week.
So just wanted to clear those things up for anybody who is a little confused.
First, the dead period is still going on so any recruiting that can be done right now can only be done over the phone because of NCAA rules. Recruits are not allowed to visit any schools and coaches cannot leave campus to visit any recruits so that means no in-home visits or school visits. I know I've seen it mentioned that it feels like the coaches are sitting on their hands, but they are handcuffed right now by the dead period which is why I said there was never any real rush to get coaches named. There wasn't much of a benefit it was going to give the program from a recruiting sense since Rhoads wasn't even hired until after the early signing period.
The dead period ends this Thursday so the upcoming weekend will be the first that the coaching staff can actually leave campus or have prospects out for visits. That will only last for two weeks with another dead period beginning Feb. 1. So there are some recruiting challenges right now for programs looking to add a dozen prospects before the regular signing period.
That's not to say the staff has a bunch of recruits lined up ready to sign, but since the work is being done over the phone or through social media it is less visible.
The second thing that I've seen, not here but elsewhere, is that Arizona still has an opportunity to make a run at Jason Harris now that it has the full staff in place. That is simply not correct and his decision to announce his commitment in between the signing periods seems to be the source of the confusion. Colorado has already publicly announced that Harris signed with the program. Doing so without an official NLI in hand would be an NCAA violation. The issue is people are not realizing he signed during the early period and it was merely kept silent until he decided to announce. So, the only way Arizona would be able to get him to UA is if he decides that he wants to be let out of his NLI, which right now is not the case. It would then have to be granted by the Buffaloes. There's a reason the Wildcats have offered a number of defensive ends in the last week.
So just wanted to clear those things up for anybody who is a little confused.
