Most Ridiculous Moments of National Signing Day 2015

On a day when an antiquated piece of office equipment takes on the utmost importance, the bar for absurdity is pretty high.

Thankfully, college football's next wave of future stars didn't disappoint.

National signing day is one of the most anticipated days of the year at campuses throughout the country, a day that usually sees the richest programs get richer but still gives us a few surprises here and there. It also brings about a treasure trove of antics, intrigue and the unexpected.

In other words, entertainment gold.

There was so much craziness on signing day that it was almost impossible to keep track of it all in real time. Thankfully, we went ahead and wrote it all down for you.

Second Thoughts?

Eleven of the top 50 players in 247Sports' composite rankings made their college choices on Wednesday, most of them doing so on television. But some didn't immediately follow through on those announcements by sending in their letters of intent, leading to a day full of drama that's as close to soap-opera level as it gets in college football.

USA TODAY Sports

Defensive end Byron Cowart, a 5-star recruit rated No. 3 overall, was on ESPNU just after 9 a.m. ET and pledged himself to Auburn. To drive home this decision, the Seffner, Florida, resident was dressed in Tigers orange and blue, and even had a Chucky doll from the Child's Play movies that former Florida coach and now-Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was often associated with.

Yet no fax showed up in Auburn's football offices, at least not immediately.

Auburn finally got Cowart's letter just after 4 p.m. ET, then made his signing official as the crown jewel of a 27-man class that ranks as the ninth-best in the country.

For 4-star linebacker Roquan Smith, his commitment to UCLA (over Georgia) featured some awkward moments—like having his potential choices on homemade placards in front of him include "Michigan University" and then a prolonged effort to get gloves with Bruins colors put on under the table—and then just got downright confusing when he was interviewed by Jake Reuse of Rivals.com:

A rough estimate of the number of times Smith, from Georgia, wavered between UCLA and the in-state Bulldogs was at least a half-dozen. The lure of staying close to home could have given him pause, as could the surprising report by Fox Sports' Alex Marvez on Wednesday that UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was leaving for an assistant position with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.

As of now, Smith has yet to sign his letter.

Jamabo's Humor Game Is More Than "So-So"

The recruiting process can be a stressful one, as the uncertainty of some top prospects on signing day has shown. But it doesn't seem that 5-star running back Soso Jamabo dealt much with that part of the business, instead showing off a sense of humor that will no doubt be fun for beat writers in Los Angeles to work with.

The 6'2.5", 210-pound back from Plano, Texas, who ran for 2,279 yards and 44 touchdowns last season, picked UCLA over Texas by tweeting out a lyric from the Childish Gambino song "You See Me" (NSFW language):

Jamabo has been on point with his bon mots the last few weeks, including when—during a television appearance with his Plano West High School basketball team—he didn't hesitate when asked who he would sign with.

If Jamabo's performance on the field is anywhere near as good as his flair for brevity, UCLA landed itself a heck of a star. 

When in Doubt, Flip a Coin

Creativity and national signing day have become synonymous with each other, as still-maturing teenagers look for new ways to announce their college choices. The hat switch/fake has become played out, as has ripping open a button-up shirt to reveal a jersey underneath.

Will flipping a coin be the new rage?

Chris Warren, a 4-star running back from Rockwall, Texas, had to decide between the Longhorns and Washington. Torn between staying close to home and heading to the Pacific Northwest, he left the decision up to chance...and the coin came up heads.

On the surface, this might look like a scam, especially considering how quick the burnt orange came up on the screen behind Warren after making his announcement. But according to Michael Florek of the Dallas Morning News, Warren said if the coin had landed tails "I'd be wearing purple and gold right now."

Rapping About Mountains

BYU made two major splashes on signing day, landing arguably the largest young gentleman in the 2015 class and also providing us with some fresh new beats.

Running backs coach Mark Atuaia and some Cougars grad assistants composed a custom rap for each and every one of their 23 signees. The one above wasn't for their highest-rated pickup, but instead for their largest addition, 6'7", 410-pound offensive lineman Motekiai Langi from the island of Tonga.

Langi's cousin, BYU linebacker Harvey Langi, revealed that the big man—who has never competitively played American football, instead having honed his craft in rugby—will first serve a two-year Mormon mission in Arizona before enrolling, per Jay Drew of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Dressing for Success

Tennessee signee Preston Williams made some waves during the late stages of the recruiting trail by making an official visit to Auburn while wearing Volunteers gear and openly trying to pitch other prospects on campus that weekend about the benefits of heading to Knoxville.

The 4-star wide receiver continued making a name for himself on Wednesday, showing up at his signing ceremony in the most baller outfit of any high schooler in the country.

Wardrobe choices, current and future, were a hot topic on the day. After watching his son, 4-star wide receiver Cordell Broadus, opt to sign with UCLA over his beloved USC, rapper Snoop Dogg backed off on previous claims that he'd wear Trojans-themed underwear beneath the gear of wherever Broadus ended up playing.

Is Anybody Watching?

While ESPNU and other networks had day-long coverage of signing day, many schools put on their own productions via the Internet by live-streaming the announcement of signees as their letters arrived. To help fill in the gaps between fax arrivals and press conferences, some schools threw up highlight packages or put together little skits.

And then there was Nebraska.

We were expecting a bit of a culture change with fiery coach Bo Pelini pushed out and the aw-shucks Mike Riley coming over from Oregon State, but who knew that would mean including the Teletubbies?

Quote of the Day

The last of the coaches hired at a major program, Michigan's Jim Harbaugh made great strides in just over a month on the job to put together some semblance of a recruiting class. Of his 14 commits, eight of them occurred since Jan. 24, with four players pledging on Wednesday.

Several of the future Wolverines were players who had been committed elsewhere but whom Harbaugh and his staff had managed to "flip" to his program, something he said was a necessity because of how late in the game he got involved.

Actually, he said it in a slightly more colorful manner.

Seven months from yesterday, Michigan makes its debut under Harbaugh in a Thursday night game at Utah. We'll see which way the "pickle" squirts on Sept. 3.

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.