Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Wednesday there have been preliminary discussions with the NCAA's football oversight committee and in coaching circles about possibly changing the early signing period for recruiting.

Bowlsby, a former chair of the oversight committee, said the American Football Coaches Association also has started talking about shifting the signing period, which began in 2017 and allows prospects to sign with schools in mid-December rather than on the first Wednesday in February.

Administrators and coaches have said the accelerated recruiting calendar has led to more coaching changes during the season and early hirings to get new coaches in place for recruiting. There have already been 22 new coaches hired in the current cycle.