I’ve been interested in the timing of when someone decides to annouce they will enter the draft. Part of me thinks that they should wait until after the bowl game to make the announcement so as not to become a distraction from bowl preparation. On the other hand, if they know they are going, maybe it helps with recruiting to announce before the early signing period. For example, knowing that Lloyd, Covey, Pledger and Fotheringham are not returning lets potential recruits at those positions know that a slot is open for them to take a run at. Maybe the coaching staff actually encourages players to make their announcment as early as possible?