As a kid growing up, Dec. 20 was pure torture. You had five days until you could unwrap those presents under the tree and the clock wouldn't tick fast enough. As an adult, those five days won't slow down. The fear of not having enough time to get everything you needed before you present the gifts to friends and family is plentiful.
For recruitniks, the five days leading up to Signing Day are like the anticipation of Christmas. Those days can't go quick enough until you wake up bright and early on Signing Day to see what you've been dreaming for the last year.
For coaches, it's like being a parent; you've only got five days to put the final touches on something you've spent a long time working on. You don't want the disappointment of what you want not being available.
Signing Day 2012 is five days away. Pac-12 head coaches, four of them new to the conference, are making their final pitches, doing what they can to secure what they hope is a class stocked with talent, loaded with players who can take them to a Rose Bowl, or even better, a BCS Championship Game.
For USC head coach Lane Kiffin, he and his Trojans staff have limited scholarships to offer, but have added several key prospects -- the best two linebackers in the West in Jabari Ruffin and Scott Starr, Army All-American linemen like Max Tuerk and Jordan Simmons. They're also waiting for decisions from All-Americans Andrus Peat, Kyle Murphy and Zach Banner.
Across town, new UCLA head coach Jim Mora has done a good job of putting together what was looking to be a poor class before he was hired and added a handful of stellar recruiters to his staff. He's landed the West's top defensive lineman, Ellis McCarthy, and is hoping for a couple more 11th-hour flips.
Up the road, Stanford head coach David Shaw, in his first full recruiting period, is already putting together one of the best offensive line classes in the country. It ranks as the top right now, according to Scout.com, with the recent commitment of five-star Joshua Garnett. Like USC, they're waiting on a decision from Andrus Peat and Kyle Murphy.
Across the Bay, California head coach Jeff Tedford is trying to plug the holes and stem the panic caused from his ace recruiter Tosh Lupoi leaving for Washington. Tedford already has his quarterback, Zach Kline, on campus, but a Cal class that had commitments from five-star receiver Bryce Treggs and five-star safety Shaquille Thompson, plus being in a good position for the region's top prospect, Arik Armstead, is trying to stay intact, already suffering one loss, courtesy of McCarthy's flip to UCLA.
Oregon is coming off its third straight BCS bowl game, and a year after one of the biggest Signing Day coups in memory -- DeAnthony Thomas signing with Oregon after being committed to USC for most of the year -- the Ducks are hoping for the same kind of magic and are very much in the game for both Thompson and Armstead.
Their Civil War brethren, Oregon State, never has recruited at the high level Oregon has, but Mike Riley has always done a good job of coaching up the talent he brings in. Few have done a better job positionally than his defensive line coach Joe Seumalo. And thanks to Seumalo, the Beavers have a commitment from the top offensive guard in the country, five-star Isaac Seumalo, who just happens to be the youngest son of the defensive line coach.
Washington had a fine year offensively, post-Jake Locker, where Keith Price was everything Locker never was, but was supposed to be. Defensively, though, the Huskies were abysmal, so head coach Steve Sarkisian purged much of his defensive staff, hired Tennessee defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox and swiped Tosh Lupoi away from Cal. While the Huskies have had a bumper crop in-state, they've not fared well inside the fence. But they're right in the mix for Armstead and Thompson, thanks largely to Lupoi. And while they've let a few in-state studs leave, they do have a commitment from four-star homegrown product Jeff Lindquist at quarterback.
Across the Evergreen State comes "The Pirate," Mike Leach, the new head man at Washington State, and he's already pillaged SMU for four commits. The former Texas Tech head coach has made life miserable for many a Lone Star State coach before, but taking four SMU verbals, all from California, shows he's not quite done dealing with Craig James, or in this case, James' alma mater.
Arizona had a change at the top, firing the defensive minded Mike Stoops and hiring the offensive-centric Rich Rodriguez. While the 'Cats have done a great job recruiting out West, their big fish targets include in-state Davonte' Neal and East Coaster Devin Fuller, whose fans are hoping the departure of Greg Schiano from Rutgers will tip the New Jersey native in their direction.
Arizona State also made a change, watching Dennis Erickson's regime come to an end and bringing in a Big East coach to change the culture, courtesy of Todd Graham from Pittsburgh. Graham's already done what Erickson struggled to do the last couple of years: keep a key local kid in-state, getting a commitment Friday afternoon from four-star Semper Fidelis All-American D.J. Foster, the top running back in the West.
Utah's first year in the Pac-12 saw them as one of only two conference schools with a bowl win. They're also getting it done on the recruiting trail. Coach Kyle Whittingham's headline commitment is Las Vegas native Jeremiah Poutasi. He's also survived the departure of Norm Chow by holding on to his top 20 quarterback Travis Wilson.
Colorado head coach Jon Embree also has his first full recruiting class nearly complete, going across the country to snag a four-star US Army All-American cornerback in Yuri Wright to bolster a struggling secondary, while also hitting up numerous states, including Missouri, Texas, Hawai'i, California and even Washington D.C. to add depth.
So, with the calendar quickly approaching Feb. 1, coaches aren't sitting back acting jolly. They're doing just the opposite: hitting the road and taking advantage of the available time, ready to put a bow on what they hope is a nice present come Signing Day.
Tis the season.
-By Brandon Huffman
