The first day of the 2024 Early Signing Period delivered its usual drama, and when the dust settled, some usual suspects had reasons to celebrate Wednesday.
Although the heavy lifting for most classes had been completed in the last six months, the December’s National Signing Day still featured a host of big-time flips, late decisions and surprises.
The top two recruiting powerhouses were able to add more blue-chippers to their classes, while Mario Cristobal continues to flex as a closer when it’s time to put pen to paper.
Here’s a breakdown of the biggest winners from the Early Signing Period:
The rich got richer Wednesday.
The Bulldogs entered the day with 27 commits and one major target. By lunchtime, Kirby Smart had not only locked down the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class with 27 signees, but added a 5-star cherry on top, flipping the nation’s No. 1 safety KJ Bolden away from Florida State.
Georgia finished with 22 blue-chip prospects — easily the most in the country. The class includes the country’s No. 1 corner Ellis Robinson, No. 1 linebacker Justin Williams, No. 3 linebacker Chris Cole, No. 4 tight end Jaden Reddell and No. 2 tailback Nathaniel Frazier. The also inked the best (and biggest) OL haul (six signees)
The Crimson Tide entered the day with a chance to push Georgia for the No. 1 class, and while that effort came up short, Nick Saban’s program still had a banner day.
On Monday, 4-star edge Jayshawn Ross committed to the Tide, and then Nick Saban & Co., went on a mini Flip-Mas spree, poaching commits from Miami and Texas. Longhorns 4-star athlete Aeryn Hampton switched his pledge from Texas to the Tide, and then top 100 tailback Kevin Riley flipped from Miami to Alabama.
Alabama wasn’t done, either, landing Canadian Steve Mboumoua, a 4-star defensive lineman from Quebec.
The Tide finished the day with 25 commits, including 19 blue-chip prospects. Their impressive crop includes 5-star quarterback Julian Sayin and 5-star corner Jaylen Mbakwe. They also remain in position to add 4-star corner Zay Mincey, who won’t announce a decision until Jan. 6.
The Hurricanes have now stacked back-to-back Top 10 classes, as Mario Cristobal charged late again pulling off multiple flips this week. Miami added 4-star Ohio State tailback commit Jordan Lyle on Monday, and the Canes raided UF’s class for blue-chip linebacker Adarius Hayes.
While Miami lost Riley to Alabama, the biggest news of the day for the Canes was flipping 5-star defensive lineman Armondo Blount back into the fold at the 11th hour. Blount, a Miami Central (Fla.) standout, was a former Miami commit who later reclassified and committed to rival Florida State. But Cristobal and the rest of Miami’s staff never backed off Blount, who committed to The U on Wednesday night.
With Blount in Miami’s class, he joins signees Justin Scott (a 5-star DL from Chicago), edge Marquise Lightfoot, Artavius Jones and others as one of the best defensive line hauls of any program in the 2024 cycle.
The Ducks didn’t make quite as many waves as they did a year ago on National Signing Day, but Dan Lanning still closed strong.
They held onto massive 4-star offensive tackle Jac’Qawn McRoy after a late-push by Colorado, and they flipped 4-star wideout Jeremiah McClellan from Ohio State and 4-star wideout Ryan Pellum away from USC.
Oregon is also the favorites to beat out Washington and USC for 4-star defensive tackle Jericho Johnson — a potential first fifth blue-chip DL/EDGE in the class.
Much in the mold of his mentors Kirby Smart and Nick Saban, Dan Lanning went defense-heavy in the 2024 cycle, prioritizing defensive linemen, edge rushers and corners. Among the notable signees include edge Elijah Rushing, defensive tackle Aydin Ireland, JUCO corner Sione Laura and safety Aaron Flowers.
The nation’s No. 1 overall recruit Jeremiah Smith had head coach Ryan Day on tilt, but Ohio State was able to withstand Miami’s charge late, keeping the potential generational 5-star wideout in the fold. Smith credited Ohio State’s track record of churning out NFL receivers as what tipped the scales, telling reporters he decided in the “last two minutes” before making his announcement.
Only Smith’s “announcement” was simply a precursor to more drama, as Smith didn’t actually sign his NLI until after 10 p.m. Wednesday, reportedly making sure his NLI contract was in writing with the Buckeyes’ collectives.
But while they had to wait a bit longer than they hoped, this was a massive deal for Ohio State. Earlier in the day, the sheer notion of good news re: Smith literally sent Day to his knees in a faux-fainting at his Signing Day press conference.
In another big move, the Buckeyes were also able to beat out Alabama for Buford (Ga.) 5-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston. With Smith and Houston officially in the fold, Ohio State inked four 5-star signees in its No. 3 overall class — most in the country.
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