Football

The first Wednesday of February used to be the biggest day on the calendar for college football recruiting. Now it's an afterthought. Whether that's a good thing remains up for debate. There's a movement afoot to alter the recruiting calendar and change the December signing period. The emergence of the transfer portal has made December a busier period than ever before for college programs. Nearly all prospects now finalize their college plans in December rather than waiting until the February signing period.

The challenge of sustained success in the NFL relies in part on the draft, where good teams are forced to pick last. Well, the Chiefs turned all those late-round picks into crucial pieces in their Super Bowl run, right through a pair of seventh-rounders who made crucial plays in the AFC title game. It starts in the defensive backfield, where four rookies were on the field at the same time last Sunday night. Two had interceptions. Another rookie had a sack and yet another has been their leading running back. 

NFL prospects are facing the standard barrage of questions designed to probe their personality and attitude. They're less likely to get the outlier questions that players might find demeaning or embarrassing. It's a nod to the greater attention being paid to mental health concerns among athletes. The NFL warned teams in a memo last January that they could be forced to forfeit a draft pick between the first and fourth round and be fined a minimum of $150,000 for out-of-bounds questions, and individual club employees could also face fines or suspensions.

The prolific pace of school-switching among college players has helped some NFL prospects have breakout seasons and demonstrate they can adapt to a new system. Players like Florida offensive tackle O'Cyrus Torrence are hoping their moves pay off in the draft. Torrence and dozens of others who played for multiple schools are trying to improve their draft stock at the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl this week. They have to answer questions about why they transferred. Some, like Torrence, Washington State linebacker Daiyan Henley and Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., had big seasons.

The opening of college football's traditional signing period for high school prospects brought an apparent end to two of the cycle's most notable recruitments. Blue-chip quarterback Jaden Rashada, who signed with Florida in December and then asked to be released from the commitment when a name, imagine and likeness deal fell through, announced he is going to Arizona State. Also in the Pac-12, Cormani McClain, previously committed to Miami, signed with Colorado to make it two straight years that coach Deion Sanders has landed a five-star cornerback.