Early National Signing Day 2020: Day 1 Recruit Commitments and Reaction

The 2020 college football season is heading into the most important weekend of the year, but the focus Wednesday was firmly on the future as 2021 recruits were allowed to begin officially signing their letters of intent. 

The early signing period runs through Friday. Once that passes, athletes will have to wait until National Signing Day on Feb. 3.

With more signings still to come, Alabama leads Ohio State and Georgia in 247Sports' composite team rankings.

2021 Recruiting Class Rankings

1. Alabama

2. Ohio State

3. LSU

4. Georgia

5. Clemson

6. Oregon

7. Oklahoma

8. Florida

9. Notre Dame

10. Michigan

11. USC

12. Miami

13. North Carolina

14. Texas A&M

15. Tennessee

Full rankings available on 247Sports

The No. 1 player in the country is going to take his time as strong-side defensive end Korey Foreman confirmed he won't make his commitment until Jan. 2.

That leaves IMG Academy offensive tackle JC Latham as the best player to sign so far. Latham pledged his future to Alabama along with Tommy Brockermeyer, who's the No. 2 offensive tackle and fifth-best player overall.

Three other 5-star recruits signed with the Tide: Dallas Turner (No. 1 WDE), Ga'Quincy McKinstry (No. 1 CB) and Jacorey Brooks (No. 2 WR).

Justin Fields will presumably move on to the NFL following the 2020 season, leaving an obvious void at quarterback for Ohio State. The Buckeyes already had C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller III waiting in the wings. That didn't stop them from signing the No. 3 pro-style quarterback, Kyle McCord.

Head coach Ryan Day told reporters McCord will have a shot at succeeding Fields as a true freshman and praised the Philadelphia native for his skills as a pitchman:

One luxury for Ohio State is that it's far and away the best program in its own state. The Buckeyes have signed five of the top six players from Ohio, with strong-side defensive end Jack Sawyer the crown jewel. After watching Joey and Nick Bosa and Chase Young all selected with top-three draft picks, OSU is an obvious landing spot if you're an elite pass-rusher.

As the 2019 season was drawing to a close, it looked like Clay Helton was on his last legs as USC's head coach. The Trojans finished a disappointing 8-5, and more worryingly, they 64th in 247Sports' composite team rankings for 2020.

Sticking with Helton was the right move as USC is 5-0 heading into the Pac-12 championship game against Oregon. The program has also climbed to 11th in the team recruiting rankings.

Most signings are telegraphed beforehand with a recruit having already committed weeks, months or even years ago. Jaxson Dart, the No. 9 pro-style quarterback, was an exception as he had remained uncommitted until signing with USC on Wednesday. The Trojans now have two top-10 pro-style QBs for 2021 after signing Miller Moss as well.

One storyline to watch every recruiting cycle—particularly during a signing period—is how schools perform when the head coach is perceived to be under fire. If there are significant questions over the future of a coach, then it stands to reason that potential recruits could take notice.

Helton was a prime example one year ago.

Michigan finished the regular season at 2-4, and Jim Harbaugh's contract expires following the 2021 season. That hasn't hurt the Wolverines too much away from the field as their 2021 class ranks 10th so far.

J.J. McCarthy, the No. 2 pro-style quarterback, is the headliner from the group.

However, Wednesday brought some bad news as Michigan saw strong-side defensive end Quintin Somerville and inside linebacker Branden Jennings flip their commitments to sign with other schools.

Harbaugh is having a better signing period than the similarly embattled Tom Herman.

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte provided Herman with a vote of confidence, which was a necessary step to quiet any rumors about the Longhorns possibly looking to move on from their current coach. Still, fans might be disappointed to see Texas slip from eighth in 2020 to 17th, where the program currently resides for 2021.

Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports