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Pandemic pushes pace in college football recruiting

Three years ago the NCAA accelerated the pace of college football recruiting with the addition of the December signing date. In the past two months, recruiting has found another gear.

There’s no doubt the coronavirus pandemic has shifted the process for both college football prospects and the coaches trying to secure their commitments. As of Wednesday, 551 recruits had pledged verbal commitments to teams in the Power 5 conferences, according to Rivals.com’s tally, with the Big Ten Conference leading the way with 155 pledges, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with 135.

Of the 65 teams in the five power conferences, 25 already have at least 10 commitments for the 2021 class, including nine of the 14 teams in the Big Ten.