Signed and Sealed, but Delivered Early : Recruiting: The drama of Signing Day is missing as colleges apply pressure on prospects to commit quickly.

Back in 1987, a group of reporters gathered at Escambia High School in Pensacola, Fla., to find out where phenom running back Emmitt Smith was going to play college football.

Would he stay in state and go to Florida, or would he play for his other final choice, Nebraska?

Before signing day, Smith told friends and family he would wear to the press conference a sweater bearing the colors of the college he would attend.

He walked to the podium that day wearing a red-and-white sweater--Nebraska’s colors.

“Just kidding,” he said. “I’m going to Florida.”

Signing Day just isn’t what it used to be.

The drama is missing today, the first day of the signing period. Most high school football players have already committed, some more than a month ago.

Signing ceremonies are few and far between. Players mail and FAX letters of intent.

With more emphasis on oral commitments in recent years, college recruiters are increasing pressure early on prospects, sometimes as much as three months before signing day.

“It’s more cut-throat now,” said Bob Johnson, former El Toro High coach. “Kids will take a trip, and the school will put a lot of pressure on them to commit right then and not let them take the rest of their trips.”

Signing day itself has become a formality.

An NCAA rule implemented last season prohibits coaches from collecting signatures in person, so players must return letters of intent by overnight mail or FAX.

“Six or eight years ago, no one knew where players were going until signing day,” Johnson said. “Now, everyone is committed, and they’re sending in their letters.

“Colleges have changed their attitude about recruiting in the past few years, and there are some good and bad sides to it.”

Reactions about the rule requiring players to mail their letters of intent have been mixed.

Instead of going to a player’s home or school for signatures, recruiters mail letters of intent a few days before signing day, send letters home with players after recruiting trips or drop them off during home visits.

Some coaches and recruiters complained last year that players were told to sign letters early, then post-date and mail them.

But others say the rule prevents coaches from pressuring players into last-minute decisions.

“Schools used to come in, get a kid and hide him out the day before signing day,” said a recruiter from a Southwest Conference school. “It was crazy.

“Let’s say a school comes in a day early to talk to (Esperanza defensive lineman) Travis Kirschke. They would take him out, take him to Knott’s Berry Farm, wherever, and not let any other schools get near him.

“The way it was, they used to practically kidnap guys. It’s not that way anymore because they can’t go to the player’s home.”

Although the rule helps prevent last-minute games, much of the pressure on players comes months before signing day.

College football programs are granted 92 scholarships but can issue no more than 25 per recruiting class. With the limits, colleges want to land the best players as early as possible. Many times, they’re jockeying for position.

This has led to the early commitments, particularly from top recruits.

Los Alamitos quarterback Tim Carey committed to Stanford on Nov. 17, 78 days ago. Kirschke committed to UCLA in mid-December.

By today, 26 county players will have committed, with only a few still deciding.

Johnson said he thinks it’s better to be patient. He encouraged his sons, Rob and Bret, to do so when they were being recruited out of El Toro.

“Players used to be able to take their time,” Johnson said. “They would take all their trips, look at each school, and then decide before signing day.”

Oral commitments do not legally bind players; only letters of intent do.

But the commitments have proved to be rock-solid, especially in the last three or four years.

In three years, only one county athlete--Tustin volleyball player Christine Garner--has broken an oral commitment and signed with a different school. Garner signed with Arizona State last spring after originally committing to Washington State. She offered no explanation for her decision, only that “things didn’t work out with Washington State.”

“Verbal commitments are ‘the thing’ now,” Johnson said. “It really holds no weight, but it has become so solid, it goes in the paper, everyone follows the commitments.”

Players are allowed as many as five recruiting visits, but few have taken all their trips in the past few years. Kirschke and Carey each scheduled four trips; Kirschke committed after his second, and Carey committed before taking an official visit to Stanford.

In fact, none of the 26 county recruits so far have taken more than four trips.

Johnson said players need to be given plenty of time to select a college.

“I think three or four trips are good for kids,” Johnson said.

“If they commit after the second trip, they don’t get a chance to see two other schools. One of those schools might be the one they’re looking for. But they’ll never get a chance to see it because someone is twisting their arm and telling them where they should go.”

Orange County’s Football Commitments

Player Pos. School Ht. Wt. Commitment Brian Barajas DB Mater Dei 5-11 170 Villanova Pat Barnes QB Trabuco Hills 6-4 207 California Marshall Brown QB-WR Rancho Alamitos 6-0 175 Fresno State Tim Carey QB Los Alamitos 6-4 175 Stanford Chris Conrad OL Brea-Olinda 6-7 270 Fresno State Brian Davies OT Irvine 6-3 235 Utah State Sean Dumas OL Servite 6-2 240 Navy A.J. Gass DB Servite 6-3 185 Fresno State Parker Gregg LB Mater Dei 6-1 228 Pennsylvania Sean Gully OT Irvine 6-5 245 UCLA Ryan Holmes LB El Modena 6-3 235 Fresno State Ray Jackson DB Mater Dei 6-2 202 Washington State Matt Johner QB Estancia 6-1 180 Kansas Travis Kirschke OG-DT Esperanza 6-5 255 UCLA Micah Knorr P-PK Orange 6-1 160 Utah State Jeff Malone OT Servite 6-3 235 Fresno State Kyle Murphy DT Edison 6-4 255 Arizona State Sean O’Brien QB-DB Santa Margarita 6-4 214 Arizona Tony Parrish DB-RB Marina 5-11 181 Washington Beau Ralphs DT Newport Harbor 6-2 247 Villanova George Roberts DT Edison 6-4 245 California Blake Spence TE Capistrano Valley 6-4 230 Oregon Nicky Sualua RB-DT Mater Dei 5-11 225 Ohio State Leon Vickers LB Rancho Alamitos 6-1 200 Stanford Bryan Werner LB Esperanza 6-5 246 Stanford Brian Willmer TE-LB Sunny Hills 6-3 225 UCLA

Note: Signing period for football and girls’ volleyball is today through-April 1.