National Signing Day 2015: 10 Biggest Takeaways
The holiday that is national signing day is in the books.
For well over 12 hours, fans were glued to televisions, computers and smartphones in an effort to see which athletes would officially join their favorite teams. Coaches paid attention to fax machines, waiting for letter of intent after letter of intent. Final flips from undecided athletes made the days of some and crushed the hopes of others.
What a day. It happens every year, and it's always loaded with entertainment.
In fact, there's quite a bit of information worth a water-cooler discussion for the next few days. Here are 10 takeaways from a wild Wednesday.
1. Alabama Did It Again
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Stop me if you've heard this before: Alabama is pretty good at this recruiting thing.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Crimson Tide signed the nation's No. 1 class, per 247Sports statistics. Alabama signed 24 overall recruits, and 20 of the 24 were 4-star or 5-star athletes.
Nick Saban arrived in Alabama in 2007, and since 2008, the Crimson Tide haven't finished out of the top five in national recruiting team rankings. This year’s class features six 5-star players. Quarterback Blake Barnett already is on campus, and receiver Calvin Ridley, defensive tackle Daron Payne, running back Damien Harris and cornerbacks Kendall Sheffield and Minkah Fitzpatrick are expected to be major contributors when their numbers are called.
2. USC Class Capped by Impressive Finish
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Steve Sarkisian and his USC coaching staff had plenty of reason to smile by Wednesday evening. The Trojans finished with the No. 2 class and challenged Alabama for the national top spot.
Key additions on signing day helped the Trojans close strong. Wednesday saw commitments from 5-star cornerback Iman Marshall, 5-star defensive tackle Rasheem Green and 4-star linebacker John Houston, who were all big gets for Sarkisian.
Prior to Wednesday, the last time USC had a top-five class was 2011. The 2015 signings should provide much-needed confidence for the Trojans as they now focus on 2016 recruitment.
3. There Will Always Be Drama
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What's national signing day without some ultimate theatrics leaving fans and coaches on the edges of their seats?
Byron Cowart and Roquan Smith provided the sparks that left the biggest questions of Wednesday. Cowart, a 5-star defensive end, signed with Auburn on ESPNU Wednesday morning but waited a few hours to fax his letter of intent to the Tigers coaches. Cowart told ESPNU he wanted to make sure his "heart is there."
By Wednesday afternoon, Gus Malzahn and his coaching staff had the necessary fax in hand. Cowart was an Auburn Tiger.
Smith's story is a little different. After committing to UCLA Wednesday morning, the 4-star linebacker chose not to send in his letter of intent. He said he wants to weigh his options.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is leaving UCLA for the Atlanta Falcons, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (h/t Albert Breer of the NFL Network). Ulbrich's departure made Smith think twice about signing, as he was Smith's primary recruiter.
Smith spoke with The Macon Telegraph about his decision to not sign. He added that the three schools originally in his top four—Georgia, Texas A&M and Michigan—are still in the picture.
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4. Auburn vs. Florida Was a Good Head-to-Head Battle
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If it were a heavyweight boxing match, the recruiting battle between Auburn and Florida probably would have been declared an Auburn win via unanimous decision. But with several top-tier athletes having the Tigers and Gators as their finalists, both programs managed to win rounds against each other.
Auburn finished with 27 signees, and 5-star defensive end Byron Cowart, 4-star linebacker Jeffery Holland and 4-star wide receiver Ryan Davis were three athletes who chose Auburn over Florida. Give Auburn defensive coordinator/former Florida head coach Will Muschamp partial credit for that.
Florida, however, scored its own victories. Two 5-star athletes committed to be Gators in offensive tackle Martez Ivey and defensive end CeCe Jefferson. Ivey submitted his letter of intent. As of early Thursday morning, per Thomas Goldkamp of 247Sports, the Gators were still waiting on Jefferson's letter of intent, which he signed during a Wednesday ceremony on ESPNU.
5. Equanimeous St. Brown...Enough Said
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Equanimeous St. Brown may be the most interesting college football recruit of the 2015 class, if not of all time. And it has nothing to do with his name—although it does bolster his cool reputation.
St. Brown committed to and signed with Notre Dame on Wednesday, but during his announcement ceremony, the 4-star wide receiver gave thanks to several people—in three different languages. St. Brown thanked friends and family in English, his mother in German (she is German) and his French supporters in French.
And if that wasn't enough, St. Brown pronounced Notre Dame in French as he put on the baseball cap announcing his decision.
Impressive. A hat tip to you, Mr. St. Brown.
6. Snoop Dogg Backing the Bruins?!
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Say it ain't so: Snoop Dogg, a diehard USC fan, is now rooting for UCLA?
That's what happens when you're the father of a new UCLA signee. Snoop's son, 4-star wide receiver Cordell Broadus, verbally committed to and signed with the Bruins, becoming one of 20 signees to make up a top-10 class nationally.
Snoop has been a fan of USC for years, but when asked on ESPNU where his affiliation stood with his son in blue and gold, he quickly admitted to being all-in, saying he would "back him up 1,000 percent."
In addition to Broadus, UCLA finished with three 5-star and 11 4-star athletes. Leading the class were quarterback Josh Rosen, defensive end Keisean Lucier-South and running back Soso Jamabo.
What does that mean? More players for Snoop to cheer for in the immediate future.
7. Texas Is Back as a Recruiting Contender
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Charlie Strong has said multiple times that he wants to put the "T" back in Texas. I'm pretty sure he didn't mean the "T" in "recruiting," but perhaps he should have.
The Longhorns finished with 29 signees and, per 247Sports statistics, had their best recruiting class since finishing second behind Alabama in 2012. Of the 29, six already are on campus as early enrollees, including the team's lone 5-star athlete, linebacker Malik Jefferson.
Thirteen 4-star players joined the Longhorns on Wednesday. Wide receiver Ryan Newsome flipped to Texas from UCLA in the last minute, and running back Chris Warren provided one of the most talked-about announcements with the help of his mother's advice and a coin. Additionally, 3-star defensive back P.J. Locke flipped his decision to Texas from Oregon.
Strong will enter his second season as head coach, and in a short time, he's regained the trust of athletes in the state. The future recruiting battles between Texas and Texas A&M will be fun to watch.
8. Aggies Winning with Murray, Mack
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We have to commend Texas A&M for signing 25 athletes, including three 5-star players. Two of those 5-stars were primary topics of discussion throughout the month of January.
There are high expectations surrounding both Kyler Murray and defensive tackle Daylon Mack—and rightfully so. Murray is the most prolific quarterback modern-day Texas high school football has ever seen, and Mack proved in the Under Armour All-America Game that he is one of the most dominant defensive players of 2015.
It's amazing that a few days ago, both had question marks surrounding their commitment. Murray took a trip to Texas a couple of weeks back and almost set social media ablaze by tweeting a Longhorns jersey with his No. 1 on the front. And then there's the idea of him playing pro baseball, as he’s expected to be a high draft pick this year.
Mack had TCU and Texas along with Texas A&M in his top three, and he took a visit to Texas and had in-home visits from all three schools. He made things official with the Aggies on Wednesday during his announcement ceremony.
The Aggies are expected to be competitors once again under Kevin Sumlin, and as long as the head coach sticks around, Texas A&M should battle for the top athletes in the state every year.
9. More Studs for Stud-Heavy Ohio State
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Ohio State coach Urban Meyer's quarterback "problem" is an embarrassment of riches. If things stay the same, Meyer will have Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller eligible to call plays for the Buckeyes.
That's crazy...and unfair to some.
It's all about depth, and that was key to the 2015 class. Ohio State finished with 27 signees, including 14 4-star athletes and one 5-star in linebacker Justin Hilliard. The Buckeyes signed six defensive linemen, six offensive linemen, five cornerbacks, two receivers, two athletes, a quarterback, a running back, a tight end and a long snapper.
Depth wins championships. Ask Meyer.
10. Clemson the Model for Early Enrollment
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The best way to be sure a player doesn't flip is to have him on campus early.
Clemson had 25 signees on Wednesday, but 13 of those players are already taking classes as early enrollees. Dabo Swinney didn't have to worry much about players wavering or flipping.
Guys like 5-star offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt, 4-star defensive tackle Albert Huggins and 4-star offensive tackle Jake Fruhmorgen have been on campus since January, and they're already preparing for what's expected to be a competitive spring.
Swinney had to worry about 12 high school seniors, but not for long. Well before lunchtime, Clemson had all of the letters of intent—including documents from 5-star wide receiver Deon Cain and 5-star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.
Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon on Twitter: @DamonSayles
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