HOUSTON – National Signing Day across the country is where college football programs are built. Results may not occur for two or three years but the programs out there that are elite know how the process works, and that’s why they annually compete for conference championships and a shot at the four-team playoff.
You know who I’m talking about: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and LSU just to name a few.
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Now, with the new system, there is a signing day in the middle of December and another one on the first Wednesday of February. This used to be the one and only day to sign letters of intent, but now it is evenly balanced as many top tier athletes sign in December just prior to graduating. That allows them to then enroll in college in January which gets them going in the spring.
Wednesday was indeed a busy one across the Houston area as schools hosted signing day events for their student-athletes, families and faculty that wanted to witness history.
Locally, the big news was at Fort Bend Marshall, where dual-threat quarterback Malik Hornsby announced live on ESPN that he was taking his talents to Arkansas. He chose the Razorbacks over Baylor, Texas A&M and two other schools.
“It was a fit and they have recruited me for the last four years,” Hornsby told KPRC 2 Sports after his announcement. Hornsby will now be a part of an offense run by new coordinator Kendal Briles, who recruited Hornsby when he was at UH.
Signing day is also the one day a year where fax machines are still a thing. The machines are outdated overall, but they are still used on National Signing Day to officially get the document into the hands of each college’s football office.
At Fort Bend ISD’s annual signing day event, a total of 60 football players from throughout the district signed letters of intent to take their skills to the next level. Hightower led the way with 10 people signing off of the Hurricanes 2019 team while Marshall had nine students sign. It was a great turnout at Wheeler Fieldhouse at 8 a.m. as families and friends of players were on hand to witness the magical moment.
Houston ISD also had big numbers as they gathered at historic Delmar Fieldhouse.
Meanwhile, in Pearland, the gym was pack at Shadow Creek as the defending Class 5A State Champions had a dozen students make it official. Sharks Head Coach Brad Butler’s program is 31-1 over the past two seasons and recruiters are taking notice. It was an active morning on the Shadow Creek campus. Linebacker T.J. Marshall signed with Dana Holgorsen and the UH Cougars, while wide receiver Seth Jones broke out the green and gold for the Baylor Bears.
So now it is on to the Class of 2021 and college coaches are already on the trail looking to secure commitments. The process never stops. If you win the recruiting wars, then you are one step closer to a championship.