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Many college coaches would tell you they didn’t know what to expect going into last year’s inaugural December signing period.

There had long been a rallying cry for an early signing period, only for much earlier in the cycle. So last year was a feeling-out process.

Afterward, Clemson's coaches basically gave it a collective thumbs up. Having an early deadline forced prospects to pick or get off the pot, so to speak; if your commitment was invested in you, he’d sign in December. If he didn’t sign, you knew to move on to alternatives.

Furthermore, the risk was greatly reduced of being left hanging to dry if you missed on targets who used to wait till the February signing date to decide.

A greater-than-anticipated percentage of prospects signed in December, and Clemson's staff appreciates having the hay in the barn as early as possible.