What to know about the new Early Signing Period

National Signing Day comes early this year when there is the new Early Signing Period.

Being the first year with a December singing period, in addition to the traditional February period, coaches around the country are unsure of how commits and recruits will act during the period, running from Wednesday through Friday.

The NCAA added the earlier signing period earlier this year.

Signing day is always a big day as thousands of high school players sign their National Letter of Intent announcing where they will be continuing their football-playing career at college. Many recruits also announce their commitments in ceremonies during this period.

With the Early Signing Period falling in the middle of bowl season, many coaches and their staffs will be under heavy pressure to prepare their teams for their bowl game and continue luring recruits to their university.

After a 2-10 season, Illinois head coach Lovie Smith and his staff are granted the luxury of being able to completely focus on the recruiting trail.

Hype was being generated on Twitter on Sunday afternoon when a handful of Illini posted pictures from their visits on the social media platform. Offensive lineman Reuben Unije also committed to Illinois on Sunday.

For players who commit this early, they need to be incredibly sure of their decisions. Several Illini, however, including defensive tackle Calvin Avery and offensive guard Kievan Myers, announced they will be signing their NLIs with Illinois on Wednesday.

Follow The Champaign Room on Twitter (@Champaign_Room) and Facebook all day on Wednesday as we cover all of Illinois’ signings and any surprise commitments that Illinois receives.