National Signing Day 2015: Highlighting Top Recruits Commitments
The strong, silent type took home national signing day's top class in 2015.
Alabama and Nick Saban need not say much these days to lure the top talent in the land to Tuscaloosa. If Steve Sarkisian's haul is any indication, neither do the USC Trojans, now free from recruiting shackles.
The biggest splashes feature familiar faces. The most notable, though, are those decisions by prospects that alter the landscape of college football, as one program misses out and must not only compensate on the field but also alter its strategy in future recruiting battles to compensate.
When it comes to those type of program-altering decisions, a few of the most notable 2015 recruits come to mind.
Top Impact Commitments
Iman Marshall, USC
Let's start with the biggest fish in the 2015 pond.
Iman Marshall, a 5-star cornerback and Long Beach Poly High School product, was the crown jewel of a handful of 2015 classes, but Sarkisian's staff brought home the signature after much ado about nothing—he always seemed destined to stay local.
This is especially the case when one digests a comment he made after the announcement, per Nick Baumgardner of MLive Media Group:
The Trojans are scarier than ever in the defensive secondary. Down the line, Marshall—who comes in at 6'1", 190 pounds with 4.5 40-yard dash speed—will pair with a past top-tier recruit in Adoree' Jackson as well as others.
Also consider how the news impacts the other programs that were in the hunt. UCLA must now avoid throwing his way for years. Florida State does not so easily replace P.J. Williams. Notre Dame will continue to struggle. Ditto for Michigan, where Jim Harbaugh's last-ditch efforts fell flat.
Any talk about the college landscape changing with one signature is not an exaggeration.
Porter Gustin, USC
While not the biggest linebacker name in the class, Porter Gustin dashed the future plans of a few notable programs Wednesday as he signed on the dotted line with USC.
A 4-star recruit out of Salem Hills High School in Utah, Urban Meyer's Ohio State Buckeyes were in the running in a big way before the announcement.
Per the recruit himself, Meyer put up a strong fight, as captured by Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch:
Ohio State needs more talented linebackers, but it appears Meyer and Co. will need to wait another year to better solidify the position.
In the meantime, USC's defense figures to be an annual power led by its linebacking corps. Gustin is one piece of the puzzle and joins fellow recruits in 4-star linebacker John Houston and 5-star linebacker Osa Masina.
Few offenses around the nation will want to see the Trojans anytime soon.
Byron Cowart, Auburn
Wednesday's biggest shocker came rather early in the day, as 5-star defensive end Byron Cowart chose Auburn over a host of other top programs.
Truthfully, Florida only has itself to blame for the egg-on-face scenario.
These sort of recruiting flips happen when coaches who handle the recruiting move on to other endeavors. Cowart, a Seffner, Florida, native, figured to roll with the Florida Gators until Will Muschamp's departure cast a shadow of doubt over his future.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports confirms the situation:
Cowart instead lands with Muschamp at Auburn and does much to solidify the unit for the future against powerhouses such as Alabama and LSU.
For Florida, Cowart represents growing pains in the worst possible way as the staff ushers in a new era.
Michael Weber, Ohio State
Meyer did not lose every battle on national signing day.
Far from it, actually.
Michael Weber, a 4-star recruit, represents the first recruiting shots exchanged between Meyer and soon-to-be archrival Harbaugh.
The Detroit native initially committed to the Wolverines but changed course as Michigan tanked and Ohio State went on to bigger things this past season.
May captures just how important the recruiting rivalry victory is for the Buckeyes:
Weber will not change the Buckeyes in a major way on the field right out of the gates. The important takeaway, though, is that Meyer can go right into Harbaugh's backyard and steal a top recruit.
The battle lines in the sporting world's best rivalry are set in stone.
Player rankings based on 247Sports' composite ranking system. All recruit measurements and stats courtesy of 247Sports.
