Ultimate Guide to 2015 National Signing Day
1. What
This is recruiting’s Super Bowl. It’s the day college football diehards anticipate for 364 days. It’s excessive, intense and wildly entertaining. National signing day is a national holiday, one last football high before the offseason darkness is collectively accepted.
Using antique contraptions known as “fax machines,” the premier high school players in the nation will learn about ancient communication technology while submitting national letters of intent to their future universities.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
It’s your day, fax machines. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Please enjoy this moment and soak up every person who stares at you wide-eyed and full of mystery.
Before each player can make this entire process official by faxing this signed piece of paper, however, there will be drama. Hats will be lifted. Props will be used. Live animals will (hopefully) make brief cameos, all to announce where a 17- or 18-year-old will attend college.
The emotional toll will hit players, families, coaches and probably a large number of fans. There will be joy. There will be sadness. There will be indecision and overreaction.
The spectacle that is national signing day will make its presence felt shortly after the sun rises, and it won’t close down until well after the sun sets. One exhaustive recruiting cycle will end. Another will find life.
Pull up a chair, won’t you?
2. When
Wednesday. No, it’s not next Wednesday. It’s this Wednesday, February 4.
To maximize enjoyment, avoid work, conference calls, appointments and all human interaction. There’s no reason to leave home, really. Shut the phone off and don’t come up for air until the final commitment has been announced.
If this is news, you’re already behind. However, the following should help get you caught up.
3. Where
The coverage will come from many places. Commits from coast to coast will announce their decisions on live television, doing so from high schools across the country.
There will also be cameras at most major universities, hoping to capture the fist pumps and smiles from coaches as national letters of intent start rolling in. These same coaches will also deliver press conferences once their classes are complete throughout the day. They will all sound very similar.
We really like our class.
We really hit on a lot of areas.
We think there are some real diamonds in the rough with this group.
We expect many of these players to contribute immediately.
Coachspeak, press conferences and decisions will be broadcast on ESPNU throughout the day. Coverage will begin at 8 a.m. ET and run until 7 p.m. ET.
Blatant and unashamed plug: Bleacher Report will provide wall-to-wall coverage, delivering grades for each class with videos, instant reaction to the day’s most surprising turns and analysis on what classes mean to programs moving forward.
It’s going to be a long, wonderful, coffee-infused day.
4. Who
This is the most important part. It’s where 2015’s version of national signing day could deliver in a way the day hasn’t seen in some time.
Although last year’s national signing day offered little in terms of shock and surprise, that will not be the case Wednesday. Three of the nation’s top four prospects on 247Sports' composite rankings remain uncommitted and will finally reveal where they are headed.
Look down the rankings some, and you’ll find more decisions waiting to be made. The list of recruits anxiously waiting to announce is deep, immensely talented and versatile.
| Martez Ivey | No. 1 OT | No. 2 | Florida, Auburn | 11 a.m. |
| Byron Cowart | No. 1 SDE | No. 3 | Florida, Auburn | 9 a.m. |
| Iman Marshall | No. 1 CB | No. 4 | USC, FSU, LSU, Michigan | 4 p.m. |
| CeCe Jefferson | No. 2 SDE | No. 7 | Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida, Alabama | 2 p.m. |
| Terry Beckner Jr. | No. 3 DT | No. 13 | Missouri, Ohio State, Auburn, FSU | 10 a.m. |
| Rasheem Green | No. 5 DT | No. 23 | USC, Miami | 2 p.m. |
| Soso Jamabo | No. 2 RB | No. 32 | UCLA, Texas | 9 a.m. |
| Daylon Mack | No. 4 DT | No. 14 | Texas, Texas A&M, TCU | Noon |
| Damarkus Lodge | No. 6 WR | No. 42 | Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Texas | Noon |
| John Houston | No. 6 OLB | No. 49 | USC, Oregon | 2 p.m. |
| Roquan Smith | No. 5 OLB | No. 47 | UCLA, Georgia, Texas A&M, Michigan | 11 a.m. |
| Chris Warren | No. 8 RB | No. 77 | Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, Washington | 9 a.m. |
| Jeffery Holland | No. 8 OLB | No. 116 | Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss, UCLA | 10 a.m. |
| Chris Clark | No. 2 TE | No. 85 | UCLA, Michigan | 8:30 a.m. |
| Josh Wariboko | No. 6 OG | No. 103 | UCLA, Oklahoma, Ohio State | 10:30 a.m. |
| Equanimeous St. Brown | No. 19 WR | No. 116 | Notre Dame, UCLA, USC, Stanford | 3 p.m. |
There are many more, too. Fitting all of this into 24 hours won't be easy.
5. Who (Part Two)
Names, rankings and schools only scratch the surface when it comes to national signing day intrigue. The storylines to come out of Wednesday—and they will be plentiful—could ultimately help shape offseason and recruiting momentum moving forward.
When it comes to the 2015 class, there are storylines galore.
New Coaches Hoping to Close Strong
Michigan and Florida will enter national signing day with classes ranked outside of the top 40, according to 247Sports' team rankings. It’s an unusual position for programs that have had no issues attracting elite talent over the past decade. Then again, with major coaching changes, this year has been anything but ordinary.
Michigan helped itself by flipping Zach Gentry (No. 8 pro-style QB) in recent weeks. It would love to add Chris Clark (No. 2 TE), though it feels UCLA has the upper hand. The Wolverines simply need bodies, and although they may not load up on 5-star players, they will be active. Jim Harbaugh won’t go quietly in his first abbreviated recruiting cycle.
Florida is hoping to generate similar buzz under new head coach Jim McElwain, and the stakes will be remarkably high for his first national signing day. The Gators are still very much alive with Martez Ivey, Byron Cowart and CeCe Jefferson, three of the top seven players overall.
As a result, national signing day could be a historically successful day in Gainesville. With ample room in the class to fill, it could also be a momentum-killer if the majority of Florida’s targets head elsewhere.
Auburn vs. Florida: Touch Gloves, Guys
Hoping to spoil Florida’s national signing day festivities is Auburn, and there is no person more excited about those demolition prospects than new Tigers defensive coordinator and former Gators head coach Will Muschamp.
These two SEC schools are going head to head for some of the prospects mentioned above. Throw in Alabama and Ole Miss—as is the case for CeCe Jefferson—and we’re looking at a lovely Battle Royale.
It will be wildly entertaining from a distance. The coaches involved, however, would likely describe it with a far different word unfit for this website.
The stakes are high for everyone on national signing day, but for SEC rivals Florida and Auburn, they will be even more so.
Respect the Flip: “Committed” Players to Keep an Eye On
A verbal commitment is just that: an agreement with words and nothing more. In the recruiting world, many players who verbally committed to a program leading up to national signing day fax in their LOIs without controversy.
Others have a sudden change of heart, and they decide—with the clock ticking—to take their talents elsewhere. The surprises are inevitable; it’s simply a matter of spotting where they may come from.
Here are a few to keep an eye on.
Kyler Murray (No. 1 Dual-Threat QB, No. 33 Overall)
After committing to Texas A&M, Murray took a visit to Texas, and many believed Austin would be the QB’s future home. After recommitting to A&M following the uncertain stretch, will one of the nation’s most electric talents have one more trick up his sleeve?
Terry Godwin (No. 1 Athlete, No. 28 Overall)
Speaking of electric players, the nation’s top-ranked athlete could provide one of national signing day’s most fascinating developments. As it stands, Godwin is verbally committed to Georgia. But Gus Malzahn and Auburn are coming hard, hoping to have something to say about that.
Deondre Francois (No. 3 Pro-Style QB, No. 65 Overall)
Francois has perhaps the biggest arm and best deep ball in the class. He’s also a Florida State commit, although a recent tweet—that he further stated was courtesy of a "hack"—said he was decommitting from the Seminoles. Florida could be a potential suitor if Francois decides to make a change. The Gators would love to have him.
Torrance Gibson (No. 6 Athlete, No. 75 Overall)
Where will he play? The Ohio State commit is one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterback options, though some schools see him at a different position. His recruitment has been a roller coaster, and one more surprise—perhaps one working in Auburn’s or LSU’s favor—could cap off a wild ride.
Kendall Sheffield (No. 4 CB, No. 20 Overall)
One of Alabama's prized defensive commits could be on the move. He will be, if Kevin Sumlin has anything to say about it. Sheffield, still committed to the Crimson Tide, could ultimately sign with Texas A&M. Nick Saban is not one who typically loses major recruits near the finish line, however, so perhaps the interest will be nothing more than text in a preview.
6. Why
This is a celebration. Whether you’ve been glued to the process for every turn or you’re only catching up now, national signing day has just the right amount of football.
The class assessments, rankings and prognostications will be made in bulk quantities. The reality, however, is that no one knows exactly what an individual class will mean.
In a way, that’s what makes this day special. It’s about optimism. It’s about assessing needs and whether or not those perceived needs were answered. It’s about the potential and that rare glimmer of hope that fans can experience in unique ways.
More important, it’s about the kids who have waited years to embrace this day. That, more than anything, is why national signing day has become a magnificent spectacle.
There will be suspense, nerves, tears, awkwardness and overpowering joy, all packaged into one day. The full emotional spectrum will be explored, which is precisely why it deserves your utmost attention.
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