Edgy: The recruiting calm before the storm?

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So what's new in the football recruiting world these days?

Not much for now. 

"It's been pretty quiet as far as the Class of 2016 is concerned," according to Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analysis Josh Helmholdt. "We've seen more and more kids, especially in the Midwest, making spring and summer verbal commitments now more than ever before. I'm focusing more on the Class of 2017 right now because honestly we just aren't seeing much going on with kids in the 2016 class."

Here in Illinois, just eight recruits from this year’s senior class remain uncommitted from my Class of 2016 Top 50 recruit rankings.

Kids are now making unofficial visits in spring more than ever, then giving college coaches verbal commitments well before they even put pads on for the start of the high school season. 

[MORE - Five surprising starts for Illinois high school football teams]

In short, May is now the new January in the football recruiting cycle.

The early verbal commitment, along with the unofficial recruiting calendar, is now moving down to younger underclassmen. The Rivals100 national recruiting rankings for the Class of 2017 already is reporting eight verbal commitments out of the Top 25 players in the nation. The Class of 2016 Rivals 100 recruiting ranking shows 10 verbal commitments so far this fall, proof that the decision time frame is moving earlier than it’s ever been before.

The college football season has also suddenly become more than just a chance of getting a potential recruits onto campus for a game. College coaches are now making the early hard sell and trying more than ever to secure a verbal commitment. Keep in mind, this is roughly 16 months before anyone from the Class of 2017 can sign a letter of intent.

Yet I also get the feeling this could be the quiet before the storm.

College coaching changes are bound to happen later this fall. Once a coach is fired the floodgates open. And all of those verbally-committed players become fair game for schools. 

It's simply a case of not “if” this will happen, but “when.”

So if things seem a bit slow in the college football recruiting world right now, stay tuned. The college football recruiting can — and will — change in a heartbeat.

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