What to know about February national signing period for high school football players

Posted by author January 22, 2025 Football

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Feb. 5 is National Signing Day, when many high school football players will sign to play for college programs at various levels.

Traditionally, the first Wednesday in February was the most anticipated day on the calendar for recruits to formally commit to their preferred college. That changed in 2017, when the NCAA instituted a December signing period.

Still, February remains an option for players who might not be ready to sign in December, needing extra time to make their decisions or draw additional college attention after their senior seasons.

Here are things to know about the upcoming signing period:

Is Feb. 5 the only day on which football players can sign?

No.

The winter signing period merely begins that day. Seniors bound for Football Bowl Subdivision or Football Championship Subdivision schools can sign until April 1, and those headed for Division II or Division III schools have all the way up until Aug. 1.

Even if players submit the proper legal documents Feb. 5, high schools sometimes hold commemorative ceremonies much later. Papers signed during those events often are purely ceremonial.

Don’t athletes sign a National Letter of Intent?

Since the 1960s, yes. Until this year.

A National Letter of Intent is – or was – a binding document committing a player to their school of choice for at least one academic year, which is broken either into two semesters or three quarters.

Having existed since 1964, the NLI was replaced beginning in 2024 by a financial aid agreement. Like an NLI, once an athlete signs the agreement, other schools cannot communicate with them – unless they eventually enter the transfer portal.

How is this different from the December signing period?

Except for the date, it isn’t.

Athletes increasingly have utilized the “early signing period,” which in 2024 was from Dec. 4-6 – the Wednesday through Friday before the college conference championships – to finalize their decision or even graduate early and enroll in their school of choice to get a head start with the program.

Several area players, such as Gahanna Lincoln quarterback Brennen Ward (Kentucky) and Westerville North offensive lineman Jake Cook (Ohio State), did exactly that in December.

The December signing period was moved up two weeks starting this school year to declutter the calendar amid recruiting, postseason games and decisions regarding the transfer portal. The Collegiate Commissioners Association finalized that change in March 2024.

When do athletes from other sports sign?

All non-football athletes can sign at any time from mid-November until Aug. 1. This school year, the earliest signing day fell on Nov. 13.

Are football players who sign Feb. 5 eligible for NIL deals?

Not if they play a high school sport in the winter or spring, because name, image and likeness for high school athletes has not been approved by Ohio High School Athletic Association member schools.

Athletes who sign NIL deals forfeit their eligibility, pursuant to OHSAA bylaws.

Ohio college athletes can sign NIL deals.

An NIL proposal for high school athletes failed 68-32% in 2022 and has not been brought up for a vote since.