I read a column from some newspaper that was written a couple of years ago that called the excitement surrounding college football signing day something like an overblown sham.

The writer’s reasoning was that teams continue to recruit well beyond the day NCAA football schools can officially announce who has signed letters of intent to come to their institutions and play.

But for University of Montana football fans, signing day has always provided a window to the future of a highly successful program. The real fans get a charge out of seeing who the young Griz will be, and many keep track of how many wind up being productive players and how many fade into the shadows.

This year’s signing day, like the first one for any new head coach, draws even more scrutiny, especially when the new guy follows a coach who had such a tremendous reputation as a recruiter.

But make no mistake. Robin Pflugrad has all of the tools it takes to recruit successfully: organizational skills, drive, and the ability to go into a recruit’s home, charm the socks off his parents, and close the deal.

The results sometimes don’t show up for a year or two, but there’s no reason to believe that – down the road – we’ll see stars on the field from this year’s class of recruits.

- Bill Schwanke