Dandy Don clearing up the new signing rules

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Dandy Don: LSU signed 21 players in the early signing period, including graduate transfer kicker Cole Tracy. How many more players can LSU sign in this 2018 class?

Napolitano: Four. LSU used all of its allotted 25 slots for the 2017 signing class.

 
Dandy Don: What are the rules pertaining to signing more than 25 and have they changed? In the past, teams could sign more than 25 initial counters per year by back-counting early enrollees to the previous class if that class had not signed its full 25. Can this still be done, or is back-counting in this way no longer allowed since the rule changes in April?

Napolitano: A school can sign more than 25 recruits provided it did not use all 25 signing slots in the previous signing class. In order to be counted in the previous signing class, the signee has to enroll at mid-term and replace a current student-athlete that graduated in December or the previous academic year. There is a change in the rules. Athletes who sign in a particular class are locked into that signing class whether or not they enroll in that fall. Schools can no longer count gray shirts or players placed in junior colleges in future signing classes once they sign the letter of intent with a particular group. 

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According to ESPN, LSU only signed 23 last year. So why couldn't we sign 27 this year if they can still back count?

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Dandy Don clearing up the new signing rules by lsufanva

I know this guy is supposed to be one that knows but I still believe hes incorrect about the transfers. I've poured over many articles and explanations, while also reading the rule numerous times and the way he explains the transfers as initial counters is not how the rule reads. A kid can't be an initial counter at multiple schools. If he is correct then the word initial needs to be removed from the term. The kicker was an initial counter because he had never been on scholarship. Therefore he is being "counted" for the first time or initially.

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Posted by Indiana Tiger on 1/23/18 at 7:31 am to cfmalloy

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Correct, I agree. Absolutely. Plus, Seth Stewart withdrew before the season started, he gets to be replaced, and Jefferson signed late - as in outside the 2017 counting period window, albeit after the new annual count/year-long counting window kicked in ... starting with the 2018 class (Not the 2017 class that he was a part of). There were 5 EEs last year)2017) and 3 EEs in 2016 (when not all the 25 were used either, adding to the cumulative back counter credit carryforward. And transfers not previously on scholarship count but transfers previously on scholarship are NOT "initial counters" and do not count against the annual cap limit of 25 initial counters. They do count against the overall cap limit of 85 counters which is cumulative with initial/first time counters and prior counters, but that's a different cap limit.


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They did not totally change the rule, they modified parts of it. They changed the counting window from a 5 month limited window to the entire year. They did not change the definition of "initial counter" - get your head wrapped around that. 


Your mistake is that you think initial counters actually matter in this discussion. In this regard the compliance guy is guilty of using sloppy language too. As you point out initial counter is defined with specific meaning in the manual. The manual also states all the limits you mentioned. But there is one little problem. Because of a new rule, they don't count initial counters for this purpose. 

Here is the new rule from a previous post: (15.5.1.9.1).What they count now are signings, not initial counters. Because initial counters can never be greater than the number of signings, the latter reaches the defined limit first and is thus controlling. In this context references to initial counter could be deleted from the manual (there may be a reason for it in other circumstances but that would take a thorough review). 

There are only three exceptions in the new rule: 

o if Lindsey Scott Jr returned to LSU, he wouldn't count because this would be his 2nd signing with LSU 

o the 2+ year walk on 

o The rare kid whose college career is over before he shows up due to some unfortunate circumstances. About 10 yrs or so ago LSU signed a kid who injured his neck. We kept him on scholarship. I think after he graduated he gave football a go and maybe played for the Saints.

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