College Football Teams Most in Need of a Big 2023 Early Signing Period
The bulk of big recruiting news now happens in late December thanks to the early signing period. The two-day window from Dec. 20-22 this year allows high school football recruiting prospects who have already decided where they want to play college football to sign early with their respective teams and coaching staffs.
Generally, how your team does during this period is a good indication of how your class will finish overall. Thus, it's a pretty crucial time for coaches who want to build successful programs.
As we look forward to the 2024 season, let's look at which programs are in need of a big 2023 early signing period. The list is subjective but focuses on what's at stake for each program.
Colorado
1 of 6
Deion Sanders took the college football world by storm with his unorthodox approach to building Colorado's roster in 2023. Relying heavily on the transfer portal resulted in a mass exodus of Colorado players that Sanders inherited. Colorado started 3-0 featuring a team with 69 new scholarship players and 58 transfers.
But the Buffs' lack of depth in the trenches showed as the season progressed, and Colorado then lost six straight to finish 4-8. The Buffs ranked 132nd in sacks allowed, second-to-last in the country.
If the Buffs want to go bowling next season, Sanders will need to have a big recruiting class in 2024. It currently ranks 50th nationally, much lower than the 30th ranked class it had last cycle. It includes just four blue-chip commits, including 5-star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton and 4-stars like receiver Drelon Miller, athlete Kamron Mikell and defensive lineman Brandon Davis-Swain.
247Sports' Crystal Ball projections lists 4-star receiver Lamason Waller as a potential eventual Colorado signee. Sanders has made some gains in the transfer portal, though—in the past few days, he's landed Vanderbilt receiver transfer Will Sheppard and LSU edge-rusher Quencey Wiggins.
Colorado's class ranks ninth in the Big 12. Rebuilding in Boulder might take longer than Deion initially thought, but keeping this momentum up with some big gains in the coming days would certainly help.
Florida
2 of 6
Billy Napier's plan to rebuild the Gators' program hinges largely on him being able to hold on to most of his 2024 recruiting class. Florida's class was ranked fifth in the country before cornerback Xavier Filsaime flipped to Texas on Monday afternoon. The class dropped to 10th nationally.
The class is led by 5-stars in defensive lineman LJ McCray and quarterback DJ Lagway. It also includes big names like 4-star defensive lineman Amaris Williams, linebacker Myles Graham and offensive tackle Fletcher Westphal.
But there have been some notable prospects, Falsaime included, that Napier lost from this class in the weeks leading up to early signing period. 4-star DL Nasir Johnson flipped to rival Georgia last month. 4-star edge-rusher Jamonta Waller also flipped to Auburn, and 4-star cornerback Wardell Mack flipped to Texas.
Not to mention the Gators have lost some key playmakers to the transfer portal, including star running back Trevor Etienne, safety Kamari Wilson and defensive end Princely Umanmielen, who is now at Ole Miss. Florida could use some big-name players from the transfer portal to replace some of these losses. It looks like Napier is doing just that—in the last 24 hours, the Gators have landed Penn defensive tackle transfer Joey Slackman, who was the 2023 Ivy League defensive player of the year. Florida also added Oregon cornerback transfer Trikweze Bridges.
If Napier wants to stick around at Florida, he can't exactly afford to lose any more big names from this 2024 class. Hanging on to the existing class and getting some playmakers from the transfer portal would help put Florida in a good spot—even with one of the hardest 2024 schedules in the country.
Clemson
3 of 6
It's no secret the Tigers haven't exactly been where we expect them to be over the past two seasons. Following back-to-back years of missing out on the College Football Playoff, Clemson could use some big signings.
The biggest thing head coach Dabo Swinney hasn't utilized as much as several other programs? The transfer portal. Swinney told reporters last week he's looking to add one or two players from it this cycle, and Clemson could use help along the offensive line and at wide receiver.
Clemson has missed on a couple guys so far. Tigers targets like Middle Tennessee State offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge and Georgia lineman transfer Austin Blaske have committed to Georgia Tech and North Carolina, respectively. We'll see if Clemson can land Texas A&M OL transfer Chase Bisontis, who's listed as a top-10 portal prospect this cycle per 247Sports.
Clemson's 2024 class includes 12 blue-chip prospects, including 5-star LB Sammy Brown, 5-star receiver Bryant Wesco and 4-star receiver TJ Moore. Clemson's staff is reportedly trying to flip longtime Florida commitment QB DJ Lagway. The 5-star prospect had the Tigers amongst his final schools before he committed to the Gators last December.
We'll see if Swinney can flip Lagway or get a big-time receiver from the portal this cycle.
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LSU
4 of 6
Brian Kelly shocked everyone by winning the SEC West last season. Instead of doing the same in 2022, LSU finished 9-3 with two divisional losses to Ole Miss and Alabama. For the Tigers to continue trending upward, LSU needs to make some noise this week.
LSU's current 2024 class ranks 12th nationally and is just seventh in the SEC per 247Sports. That's much lower than the top-10 class LSU put together last year.
But the Tigers did flip 4-star edge-rusher Gabriel Reliford earlier this month, and will reportedly try and flip 5-star ATH and TAMU commit Terry Bussey, as well as land JUCO prospect Jaden Hamlin. Mississippi State receiver transfer Zavion Thomas also committed to LSU late last week.
LSU will need to make some big moves in the coming weeks if it wants to replace future NFL talents like Malik Nabers and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. Its current class is headlined by 4-star safety DaShawn McBryde, tight end Trey'Dez Green, both of whom are from Louisiana, and 4-star receivers Jelani Watkins and Kylan Billiot.
Notice how there's not a 5-star prospect listed here? Look for Kelly to change that either this week or come February.
USC
5 of 6
It's no secret that the Lincoln Riley era hasn't exactly gotten off to a hot start. Last season, USC finished with three losses and an upset by Tulane in the Cotton Bowl. 2023's season ended with three straight losses to Washington, Oregon and UCLA to finish 7-5 on the year.
So it's a bit concerning that USC's 2024 class currently ranks 17th overall nationally. The Trojans haven't had a class outside the top 10 since 2020, a year before USC fired Clay Helton. The biggest area of concern for USC under Riley has been on defense. His units have finished 122nd and 106th in total defense, respectively, the past two seasons. If USC wants to compete for national championships, finishing with at least a top-10 class is key.
It helps that the Trojans have the likes of 4-star CB Marcelles Williams, 4-star edge-rusher Kameryn Fountain as well as 4-stars like linebacker Elijah Nebey, CB Isaiah Rubin and safety Maquis Gallegos in the class. But all of these guys have been committed since the summer, and the class hasn't changed too much in the months leading up to the crucial few days in December.
USC also lost a potential replacement for Caleb Williams, as 2023's No. 1 overall recruit, quarterback Malachai Nelson will reportedly enter the transfer portal. The Trojans don't have a signal-caller in its current 2024 class, so this is bad news all around.
Flipping 3-star DL Jide Abasiri from Minnesota like the staff did last week can hopefully get some momentum going for USC, which just hired a new defensive coordinator in D'Anton Lynn. If USC wants to compete for national titles, making some big gains this week will be important. Landing a target like 4-star defensive lineman Jerico Johnson would be a great first step.
Texas A&M
6 of 6
The Aggies moved on from Jimbo Fisher after six seasons and hired Mike Elko from Duke last month. Normally a first-year head coach's recruiting class would be considered a wash, but I think Elko has a chance to get his program off to a strong start by preserving a good chunk of Fisher's 2024 class.
Unsurprisingly, there have been some losses since Fisher's departure. Most notably, 5-star receiver Cam Coleman flipped to Auburn, and 4-star lineman Coen Echols decommitted from the Aggies' 2024 class.
But if Elko can hold on to the current class this week, his tenure will be off to a great start. It ranks 20th nationally and 11th in the SEC. It's headlined by 5-star CB Terry Bussey and fellow 5-star DL Dominick McKinley. Elko and his new staff has reportedly been on the road meeting with the current class since his arrival, and they are expected to host visitors on campus in the next few days.
We'll see if Elko can pull off some surprise gets later this week. Per 247Sports' Crystal Ball Projections, the Aggies are in the running to land Kansas State CB transfer Will Lee III as well as 4-star running back Anthony Carrie.
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