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Early enrollment for football has become more and more popular since the NCAA established an official early signing period. Prior to the early signing period, recruits could still sign financial aid paperwork and get to campus in January but it was more common among junior college athletes than traditional high school signees.
Arkansas had 10 early enrollees for the 2019 class because Chad Morris had a full cycle to recruit and encourage guys to get to campus sooner. That number went down dramatically for Sam Pittman's first class due to the quick turnaround between his hiring and the early signing day, but they still got four high schoolers on campus for winter conditioning.
Junior colleges have already postponed football to the spring semester, throwing a real wrench into the plans of under-recruited JUCO athletes hoping to get exposure this fall and enroll in January. Now, California has announced fall football will be moved to the second semester and Texas has delayed the fall season by five weeks for the two largest classifications in the UIL, 6A and 5A.
Arkansas doesn't do much heavy recruiting out on the West Coast but four of Arkansas's commits hail from the Lone Star State, As more states reveal their plans for the season, it could impact how many athletes choose to skip all or some of their senior seasons.
With 15 commits in the 2021 class, seven are tracking towards early enrollment at this time but nationwide uncertainty could cause that number to increase or decrease between now and December.
Desoto wide receiver Jaedon Wilson, for example, has been planning for months to enroll early at Arkansas. However, Desoto is a 6A program and a perennial playoff contender. The UIL's decision will move playoff games to mid and late December with championships taking place sometime in January. Would Wilson put early enrollment and spring football over a final chance at a title with his teammates?
As the recruits say, it's a "business decision."
