The Kentucky Wildcats get their groove back with 86-37 win

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

National Signing Day for Kentucky Wildcats Football is still a couple of weeks away, but that February signing period may soon have an early signing counterpart. You have to wonder how an early signing period may have affected the Damien Harris decision as the proposed period for the new signing period may be in December.

"“Based on all of the feedback — and there are all kinds of dates out there of what people want — the most favorable option the committee has seen seems to be for an early signing day in December, something that’s in line with the midyear junior college transfer signing date,” Peal said. “I’m not saying that’s the only option out there, but it is the most favorable. The reason I’m saying that period is the most favorable is that coaches like their recruiting calendar. They like all the work that has been done so far by every subcommittee to get the recruiting calendar to where it is today, and they don’t want to mess with that. A December date would have the most minimal impact to that recruiting calendar, so that’s why that has been the one date that has come out.” The NCAA doesn’t oversee when prospects can officially sign with institutions, and the national letter of intent program is governed by the CCA, a 32-member panel of Division I conference commissioners. The committee examining the early signing period is chaired by Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher and includes a mix of administrators such as Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt, Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity and Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir and former coaches Rich Brooks, Gene Chizik and Jim Grobe. College coaches and administrators have debated for years the merits of introducing an early signing period for football, but momentum picked up considerably in 2014. The only hurdle seemed to be when it would fall on the calendar."

As we recall, Harris and several of the Kentucky Wildcats top targets were in Lexington in mid December. That date could have been a defacto early signing period and it certainly seemed as if Harris was firmly in the Kentucky camp then.

Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Stoops is working fast and furious to put the finishing touches on his 2015 Kentucky Wildcats class. Another key target has just made a date to visit Lexington.

"Georgia cornerback Chris Williamson has become one of the hottest names in the class of 2015 as national signing day approaches, and he’s decided to take an official visit to Kentucky later this month. Williamson told the Herald-Leader on Monday night that he will be in Lexington on the weekend of Jan. 23. That trip will be in addition to official visits to North Carolina this weekend and Florida on the last weekend of January. National signing day is Feb. 4, the Wednesday after his planned trip to Florida. Williamson — a three-star prospect from Gainesville, Ga. — has received scholarship offers from several big-name schools since the end of his senior season. UK joins Notre Dame, Florida, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, UNC and several others that have offered in the last month."