PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — Clemson safety Jayron Kearse says will announce his decision to turn professional or not as soon as Monday’s National Championship Game against Alabama is over. Other juniors and redshirt sophomores such as safety T.J. Green, defensive tackle Carlos Watkins, defensive end Kevin Dodd, cornerback Mackensie Alexander, cornerback Cordrea Tankersley, tight end Jordan Leggett and running back Wayne Gallman will follow shortly after.

Of course, All-American defensive end Shaq Lawson has already declared he will make himself eligible for the NFL Draft after the season is complete as did nickel back Travis Blanks.

“Yeah, I pretty much know what everybody is going to do already,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said during Sunday’s Coaches Press Conference at the J.W. Marriott Resort in Paradise Valley, Ariz. “It’s one of the things that I don’t like the timing of all that stuff, but it is what it is, so no sense in acting like it’s not there.”

And that seems to be the trouble with the whole process. Clemson and Alabama will play in Monday’s National Championship Game at Phoenix University Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and one of the questions eligible players have been asked repeatedly since touching down in Phoenix earlier this week is what are their plans in regards to turning professional or not.

Juniors, or players removed three years from high school, have until Jan. 18 to declare themselves eligible for the NFL Draft.

“I wish they’d move the declare date back,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “I wish they’d make a rule that says you can’t even give a player what his draft status is from the NFL (advisory) committee until they’ve finished their competition as a college player, so that you don’t put them and their family in this situation where there’s a big timing issue relative to competition.”

Saban tried to develop a little bit of energy on that very subject following last year’s playoff loss to Ohio State, citing it contributed a little to his players’ lack of focus in that game. Saban had many players declare themselves eligible for the draft shortly after the loss and he was not pleased with how it all went down.

“There’s no doubt, it’s a distraction that all of us have to deal with it. Obviously it’s just two of us left at this point,” Swinney said. “You get the grades, and some guys, they didn’t get the grade that they want, so they’re pouting a little bit, and they have to pick themselves up. Then you get the guy that gets the grade he wants, so it’s just the opposite – I echo that 100 percent. It really should be when the season is over, whenever that is, and they should hold those things.”

Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford says all the conferences, schools, the NFL and NFLPA will have to get together collectively and see if there is something they could get done to elevate the situation. He agrees with Swinney and Saban that it puts too much pressure on the student athlete.

College Baseball runs into a similar issue in regards to the MLB’s Amateur Draft. Some of college baseball’s top players are usually prepping for Super Regionals when they get drafted. College baseball coaches have been trying for years to get MLB to push back the date of the draft until he College World Series is complete.

“It’s kind of like the one-and-done rule with the NBA in a way. Those are not things we totally can control,” Swofford said. “But I think what both coaches had to say I would agree with. I think we need to start taking a closer look at that and see if we can gain enough cooperation elsewhere to where we can change the timing.

“I don’t know the NFL’s particular issues on that and the timing of it, but from our standpoint, I think it would be better for our programs and our student athletes if it were changed and it did not have it going on to the degree that it is going on until after each player’s (season) was done.”

Swofford continued that he has not seen any momentum from anyone to change the current three-year rule (three years removed from high school) a player has to go by before he can become eligible for the NFL Draft.

As for Clemson, Swinney has been out in front of the situation. He and his staff have spoken to all the potential prospects that might consider leaving early for the NFL Draft. He says all the players have done a good job staying focused on the task at hand – bringing a national championship back to Clemson.

“They’re focused on the game. All these guys understand that they have a tremendous opportunity, and they’ve done a nice job of focusing on getting themselves ready,” he said. “But I think decisions or announcements or whatever, Tweets, whatever they do, will be pretty quick when the game is over.”