Coaches go out to sign up recruits, players put their name on the dotted line and both sides get ready to spend four to five years together.

It’s National Letter of Intent Day, football style. The first day high school football players can commit formally to the college of their choice.

NIU head coach Jerry Pettibone said his staff expects to sign 21 recruits. He said 23 scholarships are available, but he wants to leave some open for walk-ons who win jobs during spring drills. Pettibone said 12 of the 21 signees do not come from Illinois.

A new NCAA rule put into effect at the national convention in January prohibits college coaches from making off-campus, in-person visits within 48 hours of signing day. So the NIU football staff has spent the past two days calling recruits on the phone and mapping out which coaches are going where to sign which recruits.

But starting at 8 a.m. this morning, high school athletes are open game, and one of the first expected to sign with NIU is Oak Park wide receiver David Dougherty. He said an NIU coach will be over to have him sign precisely at 8 a.m. this morning.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 195-pound freshman-to-be, who was named to the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times All-State teams, said Michigan and Illinois also pursued him.

“I really like coach (Russ) Graham and coach Pettibone,” he said. “I could really tell they cared about me as a person.”

Dougherty said he plans to major in business. He also said he has met Proposition 48’s grade point average and ACT standards.

That could be a problem for one of the Huskies other recruits. Joliet Catholic coach Jim Boyter said halfback Tyrone Isaac will sign with NIU Wednesday afternoon. Boyter said Isaac also was recruited by Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois State and Western Michigan.

“A lot of people got off him because he might not predict (meet eligibility requirements),” Boyter said. “Northern made a commitment to him. He needs to retake the ACT. He has over a 2.0 GPA, so he needs to get a 15.”

Boyter said Isaac gained more than 1,400 yards and averaged more than seven yards per carry this season for his team, which captured the Class 5A championship with a 12-2 record.

But for all the prospects a team signs, there are always some that get away.

Pettibone said although Ohio State and Purdue each picked up two Illinois recruits after Mike White resigned, his team did not fare as well.

“We lost two players who had committed to us,” Pettibone said. “The coaching change (at Illinois) you think would help us actually hurt us.”

One of those players apparently was Patrick Wendt, an All-America center from United Township in East Moline.

“Mike White wasn’t really involved in recruiting me. I chose Illinois for the academics,” Wendt said. “I like coach Pettibone, but I didn’t feel as comfortable with my visit as I did at Illinois.”

Jay Barresi, the left-footed kicker from DeKalb High School, told The Northern Star he is headed for Western Michigan. The Huskies have looked for a punter and kicker, especially someone who can reach the end zone on kickoffs. Baressi said the Broncos will red-shirt him his freshman season.