NORFOLK — Another national signing day has come and gone.
I remember, not long ago, when the first Wednesday of February was a tradition when high school football players made their college choice.
Then, in 2017, the NCAA created the early signing period for college football, which allowed recruits to sign during a three-day window starting in mid-December, along with the traditional February date.
Now, it’s changed even more as college football coaches are shifting their attention from high school athletes to the portal as they recruit experienced college transfers.
As of mid-January 2026, more than 10,500 college football players across all divisions have entered the transfer portal, with over 1,200 FBS scholarship players remaining in the portal, according to NCAA.com. While the peak of the portal has passed, roughly 6,800 players were still looking for new teams as of Jan. 14.
Which brings me back to last week as current athletes face this new dynamic.
I went tosigning ceremonies at Lake Taylor, Maury and Oscar Smith, which all won state titles last season.
In all, six high school players signed with Division I programs. Many others signed with Division II and Division III programs.
Jacoby Marshall, center, signs his letter of intent to play football for Norfolk State University during National Signing Day at Maury High School in Norfolk on Wednesday, February. 4, 2026. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot)
At Maury, I watched Commodores coach Dyrri McCain speak with such passion as he talked about each of his players who signed.
But when we talked later, I also heard the concern he had about how the recruiting process has changed.
To keep up with the changes. McCain went to a three-day clinic in Charlotte last month to hear about the current situation of recruiting.
“I think as coaches, we always talk to guys about not making excuses. We preach that to them as coaches,” he said. “I think from a coach’s standpoint, we got this transfer portal thing that we’re working with as high school coaches. And we can’t be the ones complaining about what’s going on, but we have to stay ahead of the game so we can adapt to the times. Ninety-five percent of coaches now are complaining about the transfer portal. So instead of complaining about it, we have to find a way to stay ahead of it.”
McCain said recruiting has changed dramatically since he took over at Maury in 2017.
He remembers when he had star athletes Sheridan Jones, the No. 3 senior in The Virginian-Pilot’s Class of 2019 rankings, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who was No. 2 in 2020. Jones went to Clemson and Lambert-Smith started at Penn State before transferring to Auburn. He now plays for the Los Angeles Chargers.
“That type of recruiting was way different than it is now,” McCain said. “So that conversation with the parents is totally different now.”
That’s why McCain goes to clinics and holds monthly meetings with the parents of his athletes.
“You just want to keep them up on what’s going on. Some parents are going to listen, and some aren’t. It’s just like kids. Some kids are going to listen, and some aren’t,” he said. “As a coach, I continue to have those parent meetings. I can give you the avenues about what I know and how it works, but it’s up to you to trust the process of how this works.
“But know I’m going to battle for your kids,” he added. “We got to do a better job at setting things up for our kids. We have to set up a plan for when they leave us. We got to be better at that.”
McCain tells his parents what they need to do in this changing world of recruiting so they’ll know what to expect.
McCain had nine players sign during the two signing periods in December and earlier this month, including Isaiah Simmons (Pittsburgh), Elijah Moss-Williams (James Madison), Jahvon Wiggins (Williams & Mary), Damon McDaniel Jr. (North Carolina Central) and Jacoby Marshall (Norfolk State).
Many of those players were expected to sign, but one player who didn’t get a lot of fanfare was Isaiah McDaniel. He trusted the process and signed with William & Mary.
“Behind the scenes, he put in the work and put in the time,” McCain said about Isaiah McDaniel. “He’s super deserving of this opportunity. He’s a kid who just stuck with the program, and you see what happened to him. He stuck and put his boots down and trusted the process of the program. So, I have to give credit to him.”
Since taking over at Maury, McCain has sent more than 100 kids to college. And of those kids, nearly 70 have signed with Division I programs.
Just from seeing what happens every year, I know for a fact that there are plenty of guys who were named All-Tidewater and all-state this past season who didn’t sign in December or last week, and may not sign at all.
That’s why McCain doesn’t take signing day for granted.
“People see signing day, but have no idea the work that went in to make that day possible,” he said. “Those guys look at me and they appreciate everything that I do for them. But this is my job. This is what I’m supposed to do.”
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
