The Most Perplexing Commitments of the Class of 2015

The biggest recruits in the country committed to the usual-suspect programs: Alabama, USC, et al. But farther down the rankings, some signings left us scratching our heads.

That doesn't just apply to big recruits signing at smaller schools, either. In some cases, even if a player committed to an Alabama or a USC, the context around his commitment was odd. There seemed to be a more logical fit elsewhere. 

This road runs two ways, also. Teams make baffling signings with the same frequency as players. That doesn't mean they made a bad signing, necessarily; it just means they took us aback.

For one reason or another, the following five signings perplexed us. There's a good chance they work out in the end—all of these players and coaches know a lot more about their needs than I do—but from a viewer's perspective, it's hard to understand what happened.

Sound off below with any other signings you found odd.

QB Sam Darnold, USC

Credit: 247Sports

Overall Rank: 147       DUAL QB Rank: 5

Why This Confused Us

Because Ricky Town committed before him.

Thus, Sam Darnold picked USC knowing:

1. that Cody Kessler will be the starter in 2015,
2. that Max Browne is eligible until 2017, and
3. that whenever the job becomes open, there's a 50 percent chance (or greater) he doesn't win it.

USC is Darnold's dream school, and he's talented enough to eventually become the starter. I'm in no place to tell a kid he shouldn't attend his dream school if he's talented enough to eventually become the starter. No one in the country has any right to say that.

Still, landing two top-150 quarterbacks from the same class is a doomed exercise. It doesn't work. One of them will transfer at some point, or else one of them will waste his career on the bench. There are too many crummy starting QBs out there for that to happen.

Duke, Northwestern and Oregon were all in the sweepstakes for Darnold, and each would have given him the chance to start in a power conference as a freshman. Those aren't awful programs, either: all three have at least one 10-win season since 2012.

WR Desean Holmes, San Diego State

Credit: 247Sports

Overall Rank: 154       WR Rank: 17

Why This Confused Us

Because the Aztecs don't pass well.

San Diego State finished No. 108 in passing yards per game last season and No. 107 in 2012. It struck gold with Ryan Lindley in the late 2000s (how weird does that sound in hindsight), but for the most part it's a run-first offense with a stagnant passing game.

It's fine that Desean Holmes, a top-160 recruit who was once committed to USC, chose to play outside a power conference. And there are definitely…um…other reasons to attend San Diego State.

But with Fresno State also an option, this doesn't seem like a prudent career decision. The Bulldogs put a receiver (Davante Adams) in the second round of the draft just last season.

The Aztecs last second-round receiver? Will Blackwell in 1997.

DT Motekiai Langi, BYU

Overall Rank: 3,131       OT Rank: 303

Why This Confused Us

Because who the heck is this guy anyway?

No one heard of Motekiai Langi until signing day, when his profile went viral on Twitter. BYU announced him to their class like it was no big deal: like we wouldn't swoon at a 6'7", 410-pound Tongan kid with a snarl that could make a man melt.

As it turns out, the story of Langi's recruitment is even better than we imagined. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall explained:

"

I've known him a total of 15 minutes. So his evaluation was based on [defensive line coach Steve Kafusi] seeing him play a pickup game of basketball in Tonga two years ago. And he just saw a giant body that's light on its feet, than can change direction and loved working out and training.

…

It's not a fat 410 [pounds]. It's a solid…lean isn't the right word…I mean, it is a solid-looking, healthy, giant man. And when I shook his hand, his hand went almost up to my elbow, and I was like, "How could this guy not be something?"

"

Langi is the cousin of BYU sophomore Harvey Langi. He has never played organized football, although he has participated in camps.

Mendenhall said he will start his career at defensive tackle when he returns from his Mormon mission two years from now.

RB T.J. Simmons, Temple

Credit: 247Sports

Overall Rank: 457       RB Rank: 38

Why This Confused Us

Because Temple doesn't run well.

Like Deseaon Holmes, T.J. Simmons picked a mid-major school that struggles in his phase of the game. The Owls rushed 1,293 yards on 369 carries last season, finishing No. 118 in rushing yards per game. No one on the team had more than 400 yards on the ground.

Compare this with Simmons' other finalist, Marshall, which rushed for 3,807 yards last season. The Thundering Herd turned a 243-pound tight end, Devon Johnson, into a 1,700-yard rusher, and they also siphoned 798 yards from Steward Butler. Johnson and Butler are seniors in 2015, so there is room for a new lead back in two years.

Again: There's nothing wrong with a top-500 recruit playing outside a power conference. But if you're going to spurn the likes of Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Louisville, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, UCLA (where Simmons was at one point committed) and Wisconsin, you might as well put up giant numbers.

Instead, Simmons went to a school that's never had a bigger recruit, per Matt Breen of Philly.com. Are we sure the Owls know what to do with him?

RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Illinois

Credit: 247Sports

Overall Rank: 314       RB Rank: 27

Why This Confused Us

Because. It was just so…random.

Four-star running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn and his teammate, 2-star cornerback Cameron Watkins, both committed to Illinois over Vanderbilt, even though their high school, Pearl Cohn, is in Nashville. Vaughn's offer sheet included West Virginia, Notre Dame, Louisville, Ohio State, Tennessee and Wisconsin, too.

The Illini hadn't signed a Tennessee recruit since 2011.

"I chose Illinois because it was the best fit for me," Vaughn said after committing, per Michael Murphy of The Tennesseean. "I can be part of a top program and I can help change the football program. I can compete for a starting spot as soon as I get there."

Except that, well, no he can't. One of the only places Illinois doesn't need a starter is at running back, where rising senior Josh Ferguson is entrenched. Vaughn can (and will) play a big role as a freshman, but it's not like he'll be Nick Chubb.

Not unless something happens to Ferguson.

Note: All recruiting info refers to the 247Sports composite rankings.