The December signing period, explained for seniors who don't have an offer yet

The early signing period is the first week of December. For seniors with a committable offer, it's a deadline. For seniors without one, it's mostly a headline — and the difference matters for what you do in November.

What December actually decides

The early period is where FBS classes largely close. Staffs sign the recruits they've been recruiting since spring, and most of those decisions were made in October. If you don't have a Power Four or Group of Five offer by Thanksgiving, December is unlikely to change that — and that's fine, because December is not where most college football players get recruited.

Who is still recruiting

FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA programs fill boards through February. Many of them recruit late on purpose: they wait to see who the bigger schools left behind, and they recruit off senior film, not spring camps. The February signing period is a real signing period, with real scholarships, at levels where four-year starters produce more film than most FBS backups.

The November plan

1. Cut the full-season reel the week the regular season ends — or the week the playoffs end. Best game first, full plays, a special-teams clip.
2. Send it to every school that hasn't said no. Not just the ones you've heard of. Every FCS, D2, and NAIA program within five hours, plus the regional recruiting coordinator at each.
3. Email the schools that said no in the spring. Boards changed. Senior film is a different argument than junior film.
4. Take the ACT one more time if the score can move. Transcripts are finished; test scores aren't.

The portal changed the timing

Coaches at every level now wait to see who transfers before they finalize freshman classes. That means more late offers, not fewer — but only for recruits whose film is current in January. Keep sending.

Get your profile in front of the coaches still recruiting →