National Signing Day 2011: The Top 25 Things We Learned
National Signing Day is pretty much wrapping up, with only just a few prospects left out there still uncommitted. We're feeling smarter than we were this morning as most all of our questions have been finally answered.
While we learned so much about players, people, software malfunctions, recruiting rules, recruiting sites, coaches, we also learned how much Kirk Herbstreit hates how most high school players announce their decisions.
Other than that, here are 25 things we learned today on National Signing Day.
25. Marcus Roberson Proves Signing Day Is For Shockers
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Marcus Roberson was thought to be going to Texas Tech a few days ago. He was comfortable with the Red Raiders' staff and his uncle would be his position coach.
Then he abruptly decommitted and switched to Auburn, citing Auburn as the school he's been wanting to attend for months.
Then this morning we woke up only to see Roberson signed on the dotted line with the one and only Florida Gators. Three schools within a week, but the talented defensive back should settle in and become a star in Gainesville.
24. Wright Doesn't Like Bulldogs or UGA, Crowell Could Start Vs. Boise State
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One of the funnier moments on NSD was Isaiah Crowell's announcement to attend Georgia and bring a bulldog puppy with him at the podium. His Carher HS teammate, Gabe Wright did not like it and told Ike to get the dog away from him.
Then Wright chose to play at Auburn, over UGA, Alabama and Tennessee. He revealed a hat that said "Nick Who?" on the back, in reference to replacing Nick Fairley.
Then we later learned that Mark Richt thinks Crowell can start vs. Boise State in the Dawgs initial 2011 game.
23. Victor Blackwell Almost Pulled a Signing Day Switch-A-Roo
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Victor Blackwell, the four star receiver from Mater Dei (CA), said he was firm to USC for months. He committed to the Trojans last summer and comes from a pipeline school.
Yet Blackwell's god brother, DeAnthony Thomas, another Trojan commit, tried to lure Blackwell to Oregon where Thomas is now leaning.
Reportedly, Blackwell had to be talked out of committing to Oregon by the USC coaches and is now 100% to USC.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22. Miami Batted .333 With Recruits In USC Position
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Brennan Carrol, the former Trojan tight ends coach, is now Miami's recruiting coordinator. He made head waves in January by re-establishing his Los Angeles recruiting connections and targeting USC commits.
Carrol got Marqise Lee, George Farmer, Jalen Grimble and Antwuan Woods to all trip to Coral Gables. Farmer stated he was 100 percent to USC all the way but the other three were question marks.
In the end, Grimble was the only former USC pledge to switch to Miami.
21. Being The First Recruit To Contact a Kid Is Key
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Throughout the day, as prospects were signing their LOIs and announcing their commitments, we noticed a trend from the players and coaches.
"Being the first school or among the very first schools, and always communicating with a player is key in recruiting."
It seems players like to be courted, and sending the first recruiting letter or making the first call, along with making the first offer, is crucial to securing a top prospect's commitment.
20. Herschel Sims To Baylor Was Just a Rumor
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Herschel Sims kept saying what he was going to do and no one really believed him. Even some of the Oklahoma State fans were saying he was crying wolf.
Sims kept insisting he would sign with the Cowboys, but rumors swirled about Baylor being on the inside track to land the talented running back.
Well, it was just that, a rumor. Sims signed with Oklahoma State and has a "didn't I tell you" attitude today.
19. Stephon Tuitt and Aaron Lynch Actually Followed Through
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Stephon Tuitt and Aaron Lynch both were amazed by Notre Dame and wanted to play with each other, along with Ishaq Williams. But the pair also decommitted from Notre Dame at one point.
Lynch was committed to Florida State and Tuitt to Georgia Tech. They cited distance as a factor, but then recently both recommitted back to being a Golden Domer.
With NSD being a day of switches and surprises, we thought there would be a chance both would again decommit from Notre Dame. But they didn't, the pair are headed to South Bend.
18. Calling Out Another Player To Commit To Your School Is Cool
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We all know how much Kiehl Frazier and John Rose recruited for Auburn and what James Wilder and Karlos Williams did for Florida State.
But Georgia's recruits take the cake, when Jay Rome committed, he called out Ray Drew to stay in-state and be a Dawg. Drew did.
Then at Drew's press conference, he called out Isaiah Crowell to commit to UGA among a few other recruits. Crowell did.
17. UCLA Needs Hundley To Be a Savior
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While Hundley may not face the pressure of what Ron Powlus faced at Notre Dame, he still is being looked at as the recruit to turnaround the UCLA program.
The Los Angeles Daily News put Hundley on the front page when he just committed to UCLA in the summer, making his pledge a huge deal. With such a small class, a 4-8 record this past year, USC being USC, and a new offensive coordinator coming, UCLA needs an energy boost.
They are lokking at Hundley to be just that.
16. Receiver Duos and Trios Are The Going Trend In College Football
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Remember when the Minnesota Vikings went to the NFC Championship game? They had Chris Carter, Jake Reed and a young Randy Moss all lighting up secondaries.
Ole Miss, Clemson, LSU and USC all have that look going for them in their receiver prospects. The Rebels have Tobias Singleton, Donte Moncrief and Nickolas Brassell coming, Clemson has Sammy Watkins and Charoen Peake, and LSU has Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham.
The Trojans have George Famrer and Victor Blackwell to add to a super talented receiver depth chart.
15. Auburn Will Have a Dominant Offensive Line For Years To Come
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Whether they finally get Cyrus Kouandjio or not, Auburn finished with a top five class and perhaps the best offensive line class in the country.
Reese Dismukes, Greg Robinson and Christian Westerman are all studs up front and among the top 100 overall player in the country regardless of position.
Imagine if they get Koaundjio to join them? I could be the fifth offensive lineman on that line and they'd still be darn good. Ok maybe not me, but you get that deal.
14. Coaching Changes Aren't Always So Bad
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Stanford and Michigan, playing six degrees of Jim Harbaugh, hauled in pretty solid recruiting classes.
Brady Hoke kept Justice Hayes, added player like Antonio Poole and Blake Countess to Big Blue's good recruiting class.
Stanford got James Vaughters and Wayne Lyons to come play defense on The Farm, while keepng both of their QB pledges.
13. Richt and Georgia Aren't Dreaming Anymore In Athens
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In he and his staff's answer to the whispers of not being able to keep Georgia prospects home, Mark Richt assembled the Dream Team recruiting board and plan.
A plan's not god if it is not properly executed and Richt and Georgia's coaching staff executed it perfectly. They got Jay Rome, Ray Drew, Christian LeMay and Malcolm Mitchell.
Then to top it all off, 5-star running back chose UGA or the elephant and signed with Georgia.
12. National Signing Day Press Conferences Are Annoying
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With me having an NFL scouting background, I get the fact that NSD gets so much coverage and high school and college football is such a big deal.
It's neat. It really is. But these players are just high school players and have not done anything in college yet. Having a press conference to pick a school is a bit over the top.
Yet, really it's the microphones not working, the players not realizing there will be a delay and echo when talking to to the network show host and whole hat thing that is a bit irritating.
11. Childhood Favorites Are Not Always The...Well...Favorites
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Through the home stretch of the process I predicted that Tony Steward would ultimately chose Florida State and maybe Tim Jernigan would come back and settle of Florida.
I was wrong. So wrong. Steward chose Clemson in a bit of a shocker and actually told Dabo Swinney last night he was a Tiger.
Jernigan just couldn't get past Odell Haggins telling him he was not a Gator but a Seminole and signed with Florida State.
10. A Crystal Ball Works Wonders On The Recruiting Trail
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Wow. how much does a National Championship help a school out? Ask Auburn and they'll you.
Gene Chizik already was sitting on a top 10 class coming into today but the Tigers had a good run on National Signing Day.
While they are still working on Cyrus Kouandjio, they did nab Gabe Wright and Erque Florence to a class that includes Kielh Frazier, Brandon Fulse, Kris Frost and Quan Bray among others.
There's talk that Auburn has the second best recruiting class in the country.
9. Texas May Finish Their Recruiting Process Too Early
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While Texas revolutionized the recruiting process by offering players earlier than most schools, there is now talk that they finish too early with marginal commitments.
Could this be why the Longhorns had a sub-par season last year a 5-7? Mack Brown's NSD is always a bore as he and his staff are rarely battling for a player at this point.
Yet Texas had a consensus top two class coming into today and now have fallen a few spots down the pole because they finish recruiting so early, the top prospects left look elsewhere.
8. Jimbo Fisher Means Business
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Some coaches speculated last year that Jimbo Fisher just had beginner's luck and was a sexy name in recruiting because he was a new head coach.
Well they are sure to shut up now. Fisher may have the best recruiting class in America and can be called Jimbo "Finisher". He lost out to Clemson for Tony Steward, but he did nab Tim Jernigan, kept Bobby Hart and already has James Wilder Jr. and Karlos Williams in the fold.
Two back to back elite classes for Fisher aren't luck.
7. USC Can Still Draw Nationally
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USC has looked at the sanctions placed upon it and kept the dirt off it's shoulders. The Trojans have a stellar recruiting class and it's not just some local Angelinos headed to Troy.
Aundrey Walker, an Ohio guard shocked everyone by picking USC, even though he was silently committed for months.
Lamar Dawson, a big SAM linebacker from Kentucky, chose the to head west to USC and Anthony Sarao is coming to LA from New Jersey.
6. Urban Can Be a Legend In The Studio
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It was a bit weird seeing Urban Meyer do studio work for ESPU today, as he has had a rocky relationship with the media throughout his years as a coach.
But Meyer was extremely insightful, informative and had some great stories. It was almost like getting a behind the scenes look at recruiting when he spoke on camera.
He won;t be an analyst for long as I expect him to coach again, but Meyer has a chance to a very good one.
5. Houston Nutt Is a Force In Own State
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Anyone doubting the recruiting efforts of Ole mIss head coach can now be quiet.
Nutt grabbed four of the top players in Mississippi in CJ Johnson, Nick Brassell, Tobias Singleton and Donte Moncrief.
The latter three will boost the Rebels offense at receiver and Johnson will knock opposing receivers out across the middle at linebacker.
4. It Was Always 'bama For Calloway, Not Auburn
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Brent Calloway de-committed from Alabama at he start of the year, during the Army game. He was mad at the Tide coaches because he asked if he could play running back and they told him no, he was a linebacker.
Auburn told him he would get a shot at running back with the Tigers and he chose to commit.
Then last night we got word he was wavering and the whole town of Russellvile was basically pleading with him to revert back to the Tide, in which he did today, signing with Alabama, his first love.
3. Alabama Was Actually Behind USC In The Race For Erique Florence
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Erique Florence was the first announcement of the day and we assumed he was down to Alabama and the favorite Auburn.
But mysteriously, it was only USC and Auburn hat on the table which means Alabama was out of the race coming into today. Auburn always was the favorite, but we felt the Crimson Tide was a distant second, not USC.
And as it turns out, Florence was close o choosing the Trojans as Lane Kiffin and co. were expecting him to sign with USC, but Auburn as we thought all along won out.
2. Kouandjio Is Still Confused
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Cyrus Kouandjio, the nation's top offensive line prospect is still unsure.
Yeah, you and I both saw him pledge to Auburn today, but he never signed his LOI and will wait to do so until he is sure. It was soemthing about Kouandjio's demeanor that tipped me off to him being uncertain about the Tigers. He didn't look too confident.
Now New Mexico and Alabama are burning up his phones.
1. Clemson, South Carolina and Alabama Still In It For Clowney
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So we know Jadeveon Clowney is announcing on his birthday, Valentine's Day.
But we also know now that North Carlina, LSU and Florida State are out of the race. Clowney did an interview today on ESPNU where revealed his three finalists and the Gamecocks, Crimson Tide and Tigers are the finalists.
Now we wait for chocolates, cards, candy and Clowney's announcement.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
