Lets honestly think of the number of students (because these guys signing to play football are "student-athletes") that go to college each year... Obviously, there are some very intelligent high school seniors out there, but we never hear about them on the national media. They never get ranked as SAT Top150. No one I know that earned a significant scholarship to school for reasons other than athletics got the privilege of signing an intent letter.
Don't get me wrong I follow sports as much as or more than most and I am not saying that academic letters of intent should be implemented into the mainstream. But, I just thought it was interesting that the media throws these 18 year old high school seniors in front of a national audience (for many their first real media exposure) to make one of the most important decisions they will face in their lifetime. Granted, I am sure that most of the decision making is made in the friendly confines of home along with family long before a camera guy says "action". But either way, the decision they make influences so many people and they have to stomach that.
Basically, as I flipped through the channels and watched ESPN U briefly this morning, it made me think of all the scholars and athletes of second tier sports that undoubtedly deserve national attention for their accomplishments. Really I just took a different look at "National signing day" and figured out its not really that "national"...
P.S.: How do the scouts even know if these homies are going to perform well when they get to college?