TAMPA, FL - Dreams come true on National Signing Day.

High school football players around Florida, and the country, make their college choices official. Over the past five years there has been an Early Signing Day in December – added to help give recruits the chance to commit earlier than the traditional February period. Some coaches like it.

“Me, personally, I feel like it’s a good thing,” said former Bucs player and Carrollwood Day School football head coach Marshall McDuffie. “I feel like kids are able to focus on themselves, focus on the offseason and prepare themselves for the next level.”

Others do not.

“I think it causes more confusion and chaos more than anything else and puts more pressure on the kids early in the season,” said Jesuit football head coach Matt Thompson.

That sentiment by Thompson is one that stems from a recent trend in college football. This season 28 FBS coaches were fired; 13 of those terminations came during the season, making it hard for new coaches to properly evaluate talent ahead of Early Signing Day December 15.

“I think there should be one signing day, back to regular, back to February,” said Thompson. “Give the coaches some time to recruit these guys.”

There is a growing belief that the NCAA will eliminate Early Signing Day in the near future. But that may only solve half the problem.

“I think they need to do something with the transfers more than anything,” said Clearwater Academy football head coach Jesse Chinchar.

College rules now allow athletes to transfer with immediate eligibility.  Making a ready-made talent more attractive than a high school recruit, who could miss out on a scholarship.

The rule started out as a good rule and the intention behind the rule was always good, but I do think that it is hurting high school athletes,” said Chinchar.

One college coach who took full advantage of the transfer portal is USF’s Jeff Scott. He landed the #1 transfer class in the nation thanks to signing 11 transfers on early signing day.

“My best guess is there is going to be some type of regulation that you can only sign a certain number of transfers each year,” said Scott. “Overall I’m concerned that we continued to have opportunities for these high school players to be able to go off to school and earn their degree.”

The NCAA is trying to make sense of the craziness of commitments and the transfer portal. One thing high school and college coaches do agree on is that answers are needed in order to move forward.