So what impact did the SEC’s new soft 25-man signing cap have on the league’s programs in its first year? A pretty big one.
On average, SEC schools signed about three less players apiece on signing day 2012 than they did on signing day 2011. And for our purposes we include both Missouri and Texas A&M though they were in the Big 12 for previous signing days:
| School |
2011 Signees |
2012 Signees |
| Alabama |
23 |
26 |
| Arkansas |
32 |
23 |
| Auburn |
24 |
19 |
| Florida |
19 |
23 |
| Georgia |
26 |
19 |
| Kentucky |
25 |
26 |
| LSU |
23 |
21 |
| Miss. State |
22 |
28 |
| Missouri |
17 |
18 |
| Ole Miss |
29 |
17 |
| S. Carolina |
32 |
25 |
| Tennessee |
27 |
20 |
| Texas A&M |
22 |
19 |
| Vanderbilt |
21 |
21 |
Here’s how the total numbers for the league’s 14 members have changed overall from 2010 to 2011 to 2012:
2010 total signees: 359 or 25.6 per school
2011 total signees: 342 or 24.4 per school
2012 total signees: 305 or 21.8 per school
Fewer numbers mean longer odds of finding playmakers, but judging by the SEC’s overall national rankings it’s clear the league passed on more two- and three-star players, not four- and five-star guys. Naturally.
So while some will no doubt point to the decrease in overall numbers and suggest that SEC teams might start to decline, we continue to say — as we have been saying since the new soft cap passed — that due to the SEC’s location in the most fertile recruiting zone in the country, the new rule isn’t likely to put too big a dent in the league’s overall football product.
