National sign of the times: He who hesitates is boss

Ever heard of a national signing period where nobody signed?

If not, get ready, because it's here, folks.

And it's wild.

Or tame.

Or just plain weird.

The longer Xavier Henry makes Memphis wait, the better the news is for Kansas. (Kelly Kline)

"It's not normal, especially compared to last year when there seemed to be a bunch of guys flying off the board on signing day," said Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels. "There will still be a few guys pop, but it appears the top dogs will wait it out."

This is the second Wednesday in November. So the weeklong national signing period is officially under way, which used to mean something. All the best prospects would hold news conferences or whatever, sign a letter of intent and we'd spend the afternoon debating whether Duke or North Carolina or Syracuse had the best recruiting class. It was fun and exhilarating and a time for fans in search of hope to rejoice about the possibilities of a 17-year-old point guard.

Fast forward to today and ... yuck.

Four of the top five products from the Class of 2009 -- namely Derrick Favors, John Wall, Xavier Henry and Renardo Sidney -- seem set to let the period pass without a development, because after pondering their possible college decisions for at least two years they clearly need just a little more time. No sense in rushing things, not in this era. And though I can't honestly say I blame any of them, I do find it all to be a little ridiculous given how pretty much every major decision made in a normal human's life -- which job to take, what person to marry, whether to go with DirecTV or Dish Network, etc. -- is made in less time and with less back-and-forth.

Take Xavier Henry, for example.

The Oklahoma City product has been a high-profile recruit for as long as I can remember, been recruited heavily by everybody for as long as I can remember and been down to choosing between Kansas and Memphis for many, many months. He has been to both campuses multiple times. He knows both coaching staffs and every player on both teams, and yet Henry still isn't ready to make a decision despite the fact that he nearly made a decision in July.

No kidding.

I spoke to Henry at the LeBron James Skills Academy more than four months ago, at which time he acknowledged he had planned to announce his college decision from the Ohio event. Between you and me, it was going to be Memphis. But then Henry had second thoughts, decided to re-evaluate the situation, and the word from that day forward has been that Memphis is still the leader but that the longer Henry remained uncommitted the better it would be for Kansas.

Worth noting, Henry remains uncommitted.

So it appears Kansas is in position to come from behind and beat the Tigers for the second time in eight months, and it really has been a tough year for the city of Memphis, hasn't it? First, Mario Chalmers hit a shot that cost it a national title. Then Isaac Hayes died. Then TOM II (the Tiger mascot) died. And now Kansas is in position to keep Henry in Big 12 country, which might send the city over the edge.

"There's just a lot of uncertainty," Daniels said. "There is so much going on behind the scenes, and with recruiting anything can happen."

Or not happen.

So if you were hoping to learn over the next week where Favors, Wall, Henry, Sidney -- or even fellow top 10 national prospect Lance Stephenson -- plan to enroll, I'm afraid you might be disappointed. Sure, like Daniels said, there could be some surprises, and there usually are. But it appears the elite of the elite are determined to be the last of the last, which will make for a ho-hum national signing period, just another boring week in November.

On the other hand, the late signing period in the spring should really be something.

Can't wait for that.