Ever since the first Early Signing Day in advance of the 2017-18 school year, it has dominated the recruiting cycle and changed how programs are managed. Now, most teams try and sign as many prospects as possible in the early signing period. They then use the later signing period to fill in the rest of their rosters. When you then add in the transfer portal, you have another way of adding immediate talent to consider. This typically means players want to verbally commit earlier. Otherwise, they run the risk of having their spots given away.
The Early Signing Day also means that first year head coaches struggle to put together classes more than they used to.