2020 has been the weirdest college football season since World War II and recruiting has never been weirder. Since the Captain Trips panic broke out in March, the NCAA instituted a Dead Period that has been extended multiple times and is currently prolonged through January 1. With the Early Signing Period beginning on December 16, that means many prospects will sign with schools without having had an official visit and in some rare cases without even seeing the campus in person.
Long before some Chinese bat bit Tom Hanks, Nick Saban’s plan was to have this and future classes completely signed, sealed, and delivered by the end of the ESP, and that has not changed.