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Stress levels dropped considerably for college football coaches across the country this morning with the completion of their sports' first ever early signing period.

Whether it was FBS, FCS or some other division, this was the first time any of them have been able to complete the recruiting process for prospective student-athletes before the traditional "National Signing Day" in February. 

For Bob Nielson and South Dakota, that meant officially adding the first 16 names - 13 scholarship and 3 preferred walk-ons - to the 2018 recruiting class. 

"I think we've got a number of guys that have the ability to be future leaders in our program and guys that have been a part of successful programs," Nielson said. "The two things you look for [are], number one, their ability to come in and hit the ground running in your program, and I think we've got guys in that group that can play early on. That's still going to be something that we need out of this class."

That kind of high-caliber, immediate impact athlete is something Nielson and his staff have been able to attract ever since they arrived in Vermillion. That task was at least a little easier this time around. After all, the Coyotes are no longer selling an unrealized vision.

"I think the success that we had definitely helped us," Nielson said. "Very few guys don't want to be a part of programs that have a chance to play at a national level and the success that we had this year, and being a playoff team resonates with a lot of the people that we're working with."

The second half of the recruiting season will kick off after the New Year. And while there is still a lot of ground the cover before they can call this class complete, Nielson and the rest of the Coyote coaches feel good about their first run through the new landscape of college football.