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Steinbrecher is in charge of manning the working group on an early signing period. (MAC).

If a football early signing period becomes reality, Jon Steinbrecher could be the reason why.

The Mid-American Conference commissioner has been tasked with the difficult job of evaluating the merits of an early signing period.

At the Collegiate Commissioners Association meetings in June, the 32 conference commissioners decided to establish a working group to study the issue further given all of the public discussion. Steinbrecher was tabbed as the chairman of the working group and is expected to determine whether an early signing period makes sense for college football.

"We start at a 10,000-foot level and we talk about and examine football recruiting in general," Steinbrecher says. "What is the culture? Are we happy or satisfied with what's going on? From there you start building it out. If in fact we think an early signing period could be a positive, how does that affect the football recruiting culture?"

Steinbrecher will be joined by several other college administrators -- an announcement of the full working group is expected this week -- to review all pertinent issues. The MAC commissioner wants to involve every key player in the recruiting process -- from college coaches to high school coaches to the recruits -- in order to get the most accurate picture of football recruiting. To accomplish all that, Steinbrecher says, will likely take months. He thinks it could take the working group anywhere from early winter to early spring "before we lock this up."

From there, the group intends to present the findings at the American Football Coaches Association in January, and ultimately make a recommendation one way or another to the CCA.

The actual implementation of an early signing period is likely at least a year off.

Perhaps the biggest issue is when an early signing period would occur. The Atlantic Coast Conference wants it to start Aug. 1, as does Steinbrecher's conference. The Southeastern Conference is lukewarm on an early signing period, but if it goes into effect, it wants it to start the Monday after Thanksgiving in November. September is another month that has been publicly discussed as a possible option.

The working group will have to look at all of the existing factors to determine what time of year would make most sense. "No one has laid out what does this mean in terms of recruiting periods and recruiting calendars," he says. "I think we still have a lot of questions to get our hands around before we come to any conclusions on whether an early signing period is in the best interests of all involved."

For instance, how would an early August signing period affect when prospects are eligible to take official visits? Would the NCAA move the start to July, which is typically when college coaches take vacation and spend time with their families? Would the NCAA be willing to allow high school juniors to take official visits instead of making them wait to September of their senior years?

Steinbrecher and his group will evaluate all of those issues before putting together a comprehensive report. He says the group hasn't discussed any potential outs for letters of intent signed during an early signing period -- i.e. releasing the player if a coach is fired or leaves -- but says "it's clearly an issue we are going to have to weigh."

The most important thing for the group, according to the MAC commissioner, is leaving their predetermined biases at the door.

"I will charge our group with 'Don't come into this with an outcome in mind,'" he says. 'Let's go into it with our eyes and minds open, and let the process lead us to what's best for college football."

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