National Signing Day 2015: List of 5-Star Recruits Committed

Star ratings aren't perfect. 

Johnny Manziel was a 3-star recruit, and it took him all of two years on campus to win the Heisman Trophy. Marcus Mariota was also given three stars, rated as the third-best player in Hawaii, and he proceeded to tally over 13,000 total yards and 136 touchdowns at Oregon.

Scooby Wright, the defending Chuck Bednarik Award winner, was a 2-star prospect who ranked outside the top 2,000 in the 2013 class. 

The list goes on and on. Plenty of lower-ranked players become stars, and plenty of blue-chip recruits don't live up to expectations. The rankings matter right up until the players step onto the field. 

While rankings and production don't always correlate perfectly, they do give a good idea of which schools are bringing in the most raw talent.

Let's take a look at where each of the previously uncommitted 5-star recruits, via 247Sports' composite rankings, committed on Wednesday's deadline.

Rank*	Player	Decision
2	Martez Ivey, OT	Florida
3	Byron Cowart, DE	Auburn
4	Iman Marshall, CB	USC
7	CeCe Jefferson, DE	Florida
13	Terry Beckner Jr., DE	Missouri
14	Daylon Mack, DT	Texas A&M
23	Rasheem Green, DT	USC
32	Soso Jamabo, RB	UCLA

One of the biggest stories heading into national signing day focused on the potential effect of Will Muschamp.

Florida natives—and two of the nation's top three recruits—Martez Ivey and Byron Cowart were largely considered Gator leans when Muschamp was still head coach. When he was fired and became defensive coordinator at Auburn, the Tigers entered the picture for both prospects. 

It turned out to be an even split.

Ivey, the country's top offensive tackle, signed with Florida. Cowart, the preeminent defensive end, followed Muschamp—a known defensive specialist—to Auburn. 

Still, Cowart downplayed the impact of Muschamp, via USA Today's Laken Litman:

"

Auburn was in my Top 5 way before Will even went to Auburn, so I mean he played a role a little bit, but I told people regardless, if I was to get hurt, if I could never play football again, or if Will was to leave, I still could see myself at Auburn University. He played a little role, but not that much.

"

By adding CeCe Jefferson, the No. 7 overall recruit and No. 2 defensive end, the Gators were able to quell the loss of Cowart in the most ideal way possible. That marked the end of a spectacularly successful day for new head coach Jim McElwain and his staff. 

USA Today's Paul Myerberg gave his thoughts: 

Also big winners on the day were the Southern California schools. USC picked up a pair of 5-star recruits on the defensive side of the ball in Iman Marshall and Rasheem Green, while UCLA's massive haul was highlighted by running back Soso Jamabo. 

The rest of the 5-stars went to the SEC, with Terry Beckner Jr. giving Missouri's class a much-needed boost, and Daylon Mack joining fellow 5-star Kyler Murray at Texas A&M. 

In all likelihood, not every one of these prospects will pan out. However, as the most sought-after recruits in America, they will undoubtedly increase optimism—and expectations—for every one of these programs. 

It will be interesting to see which of these 17- and 18-year-old kids can handle that kind of pressure.