Signing day becoming big event for college programs

UA football

Dick Tomey announced his 1997 recruiting class by handing out alist of players on Arizona letterhead during a small news conferencein McKale Center.

There were no receptions or Webcasts - heck, the Internet wasstill finding its way into our living rooms - and very little hypesurrounding a group that included future NFL draft picks BrandonManumaleuna and Edwin Mulitalo.

A decade later, Mike Stoops will unveil the Wildcats' recruitingclass as part of Wednesday's national letter-of-intent celebration.

Stoops, who last year said a list of recruits could become "likea Monet to me," knows that selling signing day is an art. Arizonawill hold a reception for more than 100 people in the Jim Click Hallof Champions, starting with a 4 p.m. meet-and-greet with Stoops andthe Extra Point Club.

National signing day has turned into a major event for manyschools as football programs especially cater to a die-hard fan baseduring an otherwise slow season.

The nation's biggest programs are taking notice. Rival ArizonaState will hold a donors-only dinner for 450 at the Fiesta Inn inTempe. Powerhouse USC will host 600 of its biggest boosters for aparty at the new Galen Center.

And for the 12th straight year, LSU will put on the BayouRecruiting Bash, an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink celebrationthat starts at 7:30 a.m. and goes well into the evening.

More than 5,000 fans are expected to pile into a downtown hall towatch coach Les Miles unveil a top-10 recruiting class.

"The event," said LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette, "is anunofficial state holiday."

Ordinary day

Arizona football recruit Rob Gronkowski won't even get the dayoff from school.

Gronkowski, the UA's top recruit for this year's class, will signhis letter of intent during an early-morning breakfast with histeammates at a Pittsburgh country club. Gronkowski will then meetwith the local media before heading to Woodland Hills (Pa.) HighSchool for his morning classes.

That's the irony of signing day: While it serves as a Super Bowlfor scouting services like Rivals.com and Scout.com and their legionof message-board minions, it can often be anticlimactic for theathletes.

"Maybe we'll take some pictures at school or something, butthat's about it," Gronkowski said.

Salpointe Catholic High School will hold a small news conferencefor USC-bound Kris O'Dowd and Army-bound Max Fritz. Devin Veal, aSierra Vista Buena wide receiver bound for the UA, will sign hisletter during an after-school ceremony.

Their days are fairly typical for new signees who verbally committo schools in the months leading up to signing day. The act ofaccepting a scholarship offer is usually just a formality.

Gronkowski announced his choice during a Jan. 10 press conferenceon ESPNU.

"Before that, I was getting phone calls like crazy every singleday. It was so overwhelming - and so annoying," he said. "Everythinghas been a lot quieter since then. Things have calmed down."

That doesn't mean everything always goes according to plan.Jeremy Crabtree, a recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, said he canalways count on a handful of signing-day shocks.

"Sometimes a recruit's letter of intent won't show up, a carbreaks down, a fax machine doesn't work or God tells him to go to adifferent school," Crabtree said. "There's always a good handful ofsurprises."

'Nobody's wrong'

In the end, Wednesday's festivities provide die-hard fans withone thing: Hope.

Whether they're attending a 5,000-person soiree in Baton Rouge,La., or a 100-person reception on the UA mall, fans are intrigued bythe future. And anxious to talk about the unknown.

"If you've had some lean years, you feel good about the directionyour program is going," said Scott Kennedy, the director ofprogramming for Scout.com. "If your school has a top-10, top-20 ortop-25 class, you can be a proud fan."

Bobby Burton, the editor-in-chief of the Rivals.com recruitingnetwork, said signing day is college football's answer to the NFLand NBA drafts.

"And, as we all know, college fans are more passionate than anyother group of fans out there," he said. "They're closer in kinshipwith English soccer fans."

Arizona fans can enjoy a few small victories. Gronkowski isexpected to contribute immediately after arriving on campus. LosAngeles cousins Apai and Vuna Tuihalamaka should compete forplaying time on the Wildcats' vaunted defense. Even a virtualunknown like UA recruit William "Bug" Wright, an undersized widereceiver from tiny Pauls Valley, Okla., will be given the benefit ofthe doubt.

For a day.

"That's the best part," Kennedy said. "On signing day, nobody'swrong."

Big deal

National letter-of-intent day has become a major event at theUniversity of Arizona and other schools nationwide. For the thirdstraight year, UA coach Mike Stoops will discuss his recruitingclass during an on-campus reception before heading to Phoenix tomeet with the out-of-town boosters the next day. Here are thedetails:

* What: Tucson Signing Day reception

* When: 5 p.m. Wednesday in Jim Click Hall Of Champions;exclusive reception for the Extra Point Club begins at 4 p.m.

* Schedule: Food and drinks served at 5 p.m.; coaches willdiscuss recruits beginning at 5:45.

* Tickets: $5 in advance, $10 at the door; call 621-2287 forreservations

* What: Stoops stop in Phoenix

* When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Fox Sports Grill in Scottsdale

* Schedule: No-host reception begins at 6:30 p.m.; Stoops willaddress fans at 7. The Arizona-Oregon State basketball game will beshown on television at 8:30.

* Tickets: Admission is free

Rules

The NCAA regulates signing day events. On the big day, coachescan:

* Hold one news conference to introduce "the names of allprospective student-athletes who have signed a National Letter ofIntent or accepted written offers of admission and/or financial aidfrom that institution" to the assembled press, according to NCAArules.

* Meet with the program's booster club to discuss the recruitingclass, provided a press conference has already been held. The eventis closed to the working media but open to supporters and thepublic.

* Show one highlight reel featuring the new recruits.

* Issue a news release that includes information on each recruit.Quotes from the University's coach can be included.

Coaches cannot:

* Hold separate news conferences for each recruit.

* Show different highlight reels for each recruit.

* Invite recruits, their families or friends to any newsconference. Players are discouraged, but not forbidden, fromattending any booster meeting for fear of any inappropriate contact.

Source: NCAA rulebook

Signing Day 2007

* Athletes can sign letters of intent to play football, soccer,field hockey and men's water polo starting Wednesday.