The early signing period in men's basketball recruiting used to be the highlight of the entire recruiting calendar. Recruitments were based around the weeklong stretch, five-star commitments were always scheduled for the opening few days and the top of the recruiting rankings constantly shuffled from the start of the period until the end.
Over the past few years, with the exception of the 2020 class, the period had taken on less importance. But we've never seen a recruiting cycle quite like this.
With five-star guard Cason Wallace committing to Kentucky on Sunday, every single five-star prospect in the 2022 class is officially off the board. Not a single top-20 recruit remains uncommitted as the early signing period begins on Wednesday morning. It's the earliest that has happened in at least the past decade, and possibly ever.
Why the sudden change?