National Signing Day 2016: 10 Biggest Takeaways

The recruiting world is still buzzing after national signing day. Water-cooler discussions are lively, and the coaches who were a part of the festivities are now focusing their attention on preparing their "signees"—and not "recruits"—for the 2016 season.

Wednesday was college football recruiting's version of the Super Bowl, and it didn't disappoint. Alabama remained the top dog in the team recruiting rankings; Texas closed in amazing fashion; Michigan showed its importance to the state of New Jersey; and Ohio State—without much fanfare this year—landed one of the best classes in the country.

Oh, and then there were the verbal commitments. One athlete upped the ante in commitment announcements before signing with Ole Miss.

Here are 10 takeaways from what ended up being an action-packed national signing day.

Alabama Reigns Supreme...Again

Hal Yeager/Associated Press

From the realms of redundancy: For the sixth consecutive year, Alabama finished with the top spot in the 247Sports composite team recruiting rankings.

The Crimson Tide closed strong Wednesday, landing two 5-star in-state linebackers in Ben Davis and Mack Wilson, as well as the 4-star trio of defensive end Terrell Hall and cornerbacks Shyheim Carter and Jared Mayden.

Collectively, Nick Saban and Co. nabbed three 5-star players and 14 4-star players. And what may make Tide haters cringe is the fact that they already have nine pledges in the 2017 class.

New Jersey Takeover at Michigan

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Who owned recruiting in the state of New Jersey?

Rutgers signed eight home-state players. Temple didn't do too badly, either, nabbing five Jersey athletes in its signing class.

Knowing that Michigan had more New Jersey signees than Temple and nearly as many as Rutgers speaks volumes about head coach Jim Harbaugh and his recruiting philosophy. Michigan finished with six pledges from the Garden State.

The Wolverines were the big winner in the Rashan Gary sweepstakes. The Paramus, New Jersey, 5-star defensive tackle and nation's top-ranked commit signed with the Wolverines over Clemson.

Other Michigan signees from New Jersey include 3-star defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour and the 4-star quartet of running back Kareem Walker, defensive end Ron Johnson and wide receivers Ahmir Mitchell and Brad Hawkins. 

South Florida Is Cool...

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Part of the recruiting process for coaches is bonding with the players they scout. There are many ways to do that, but getting on the players' levels is the best option.

The South Florida coaching staff danced its way to cool status Wednesday. When 4-star wide receiver Darnell Salomon committed to the Bulls, the coaching staff got the word and then showed off on Twitter.

The dance, called "Ran Off On Da Plug Twice," was done in a video by rapper Plies. It's a relatively easy dance—if you can run in place—and it's oftentimes done on the football field as a touchdown celebration.

The coaching philosophy is simple: If the kids are doing it, learn it. Just make sure you look like you know what you're doing.

...But Houston May Be Cooler

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The #HTownTakeover has been more than a popular hashtag for the Houston Cougars. It's a movement in the city of Houston—one that goes beyond the school's campus.

Head coach Tom Herman connected with Houston rappers Paul Wall and Slim Thug to help congratulate some of the Cougars' 2016 signees.

Additionally, Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt got into the mix with congratulatory words of his own. Watt still remembers the recruiting process as a former 2-star prospect (according to both Rivals and Scout) in Wisconsin.

In short, the new Cougars signees received memorable welcomes as they prepare for next-level competition.

Safety, Skydiver: Deontay Anderson Wins the Internet

Ole Miss had a top-10 national recruiting class consisting of 24 athletes. Among those was 4-star safety Deontay Anderson, who may have had the commitment announcement to end all commitment announcements.

Many athletes like to use props or put on shows to assist with verbal commitments. Anderson took things to a new level, and, with the help of Bleacher Report, announced his plans to sign with Ole Miss—and showcased his inner daredevil—by jumping out of a plane.

Needless to say, Anderson set the bar high for future commitments. Sky-high. Pun intended.

Anderson had 43 offers and ultimately chose Ole Miss over Texas and LSU. He's expected to become a major contributor in Ole Miss' "Landshark" defense.

The Rise of the Texas Longhorns

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

In a couple of weeks, recruiting fans will remember Texas' No. 11 national class. Few will remember the Longhorns trying to hold on to a top-40 ranking two weeks before national signing day.

The Longhorns had one of the best signing day closings in recent years, finishing Wednesday with seven commits-turned-signings. Among the names were coveted 4-star linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch, 4-star linebacker and former LSU pledge Erick Fowler, 4-star defensive tackle and former Oklahoma pledge Chris Daniels and 4-star Brandon Jones, the nation's top-ranked safety.

In a six-day span, including Wednesday, Texas scored 11 commitments.

That's a major feat considering the Longhorns only had 13 commits two weeks ago. Give credit to head coach Charlie Strong and his staff for a solid job.

Slight Shocker of the Day: Trayvon Mullen to Clemson

Credit: 247Sports.com

There were few real shockers on national signing day. Trayvon Mullen may have provided the biggest stunner—and it happened early Wednesday morning.

Mullen, a 4-star cornerback, committed to and then signed with Clemson, aiding in the Tigers' top-10 recruiting class. The Pompano Beach, Florida, prospect was thought to have Florida State and LSU as front-runners in his process, but the Tigers ultimately received a huge get in a long, rangy cornerback (6'1", 168 lbs) who can be a shutdown guy in the ACC.

"The biggest thing was the situation at DB," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said during his signing day press conference, per ESPN.com's David Hale. "We were pretty much done with our recruiting class until we had the attrition in the secondary. That was the game-changer for us, and it was huge to go get Trayvon Mullen."

Mullen is ranked as the nation's No. 6 cornerback and the No. 60 overall player in the 2016 class. He had 47 offers to choose from.

Navy Gets 36 for Its Class...36!

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Having the most 5-star players possible is good, but there's nothing wrong with having a large number of athletes to choose from. Iowa State signed 29 athletes, while Michigan, UCLA and UMass each signed 28 recruits.

But the day's big winner, unofficially, is Navy. The Midshipmen have 36 athletes ready to put on a Navy uniform for the 2016 season.

Of course, there's a caveat to the big number. Service academies are not limited by number of student-athletes. And while most are hoping to see playing time as freshmen, several will spend their first years at prep school.

SB Nation's Justin Mears gives an inside look at Navy's recruiting, explaining how the academy's process differs from other outfits.

Florida Gators Lose 1, Gain 1

Credit: 247Sports.com

National signing day is arguably the most recognizable day for committed athletes to flip schools.

Such flips ultimately helped and hurt the Florida Gators.

Florida, which finished with the No. 13 national recruiting class, added to its wide receiver arsenal in landing 4-star Tyrie Cleveland, who flipped on signing day after being committed to Houston since Dec. 10.

While Cleveland added to the class, Shavar Manuel decided to part ways with the Gators. Manuel, a 4-star defensive tackle, decommitted from Florida on Wednesday after being committed since Jan. 5. Manuel then signed with Florida State.

Regardless, Florida finished with 25 signees, including Cleveland and eight other 4-star athletes.

Quiet as Kept, Ohio State Lands Top-5 Class

Credit: 247Sports.com

Ohio State signee Nick Bosa (second from left) with his family, including his brother Joey (right), who is expected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

There was so much fanfare and news with other programs—Texas, Michigan, Florida State and Alabama to name a few—that Ohio State almost went along silently with its recruiting class.

The Buckeyes quietly signed 25 athletes and had the No. 4 recruiting class. Among those who signed is defensive end Nick Bosa, the younger brother of defensive end Joey Bosa, who declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 31.

Nick Bosa is the nation's top-ranked strong-side defensive end and the No. 8 overall player in the 2016 class. Defensive end Jonathon Cooper and all-purpose back Demario McCall are two additional signees who are ranked as top-50 players in the class.

Also a part of that Ohio State class is quarterback Dwayne Haskins, whom head coach Urban Meyer had extremely high praise for Wednesday, according to Sports Illustrated (h/t Campus Insiders' Robert Judin), saying "He’s the best quarterback, at his age, I've ever seen."

Haskins most recently led Team USA to an International Bowl victory against Team Canada last Sunday and walked away with the MVP trophy.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports.com's composite ratings, unless otherwise noted. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles