National Signing Day 2012 live blog
Missouri pulled off a huge coup by landing No. 1 overall recruit Dorial Green-Beckham. For all the latest information, track the Top 100 recruits, Top 25 classes, team-by-team commitments and more. To consult the experts, join Rivals' live chat.
Ben Glicksman: After more than 12 hours of announcements -- some more entertaining than others -- Signing Day 2012 is finally winding to an end. It certainly didn't disappoint: Dorial Green-Beckham stayed home at Missouri, Florida State secured another crop of top prospects and Stanford, however improbably, finished with a top five class.
But the recruiting cycle isn't over. Like last year, a few choice holdouts plan to make their commitments in the coming days. Here are three to monitor:
• WR Stefon Diggs, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel. Rivals' No. 8 prospect in the class of 2012, Diggs may be the most versatile player in the nation. He racked up 1,443 all-purpose yards, 13 touchdowns, 32 tackles and four interceptions as a senior, and should provide immediate depth at return man and receiver. He's set to declare on Feb. 10, and his top five consists of Auburn, Cal, Florida, Maryland and Ohio State.
• OT Jordan Diamond, Chicago (Ill.) Simeon. The lead-blocker on an offense that averaged 35 points per game, Diamond has the size (6-foot-6, 289) and strength of a budding BCS standout. After dropping Ohio State from his consideration set a week ago, his final four includes Auburn, Arkansas, Michigan and Wisconsin. He'll make his decision Feb. 3.
• ATH Davonte Neal, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral. The biggest enigma remaining on the board, Neal has no timetable set for his signing. He has a visit to Arizona planned for Feb. 10, and is also weighing offers from Arkansas, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Ohio State. He may be worth the wait: The 5-foot-9, 170-pounder finished his senior year with 1,317 rushing yards, 1,113 receiving yards and 35 total touchdowns.
Of course, the other lingering questions are whether Josh-Harvey Clemons and Jameis Winston -- five-star prospects bound for Georgia and Florida State, respectively -- will actually fax over their letters of intent. Will they make good on their verbal commitments? Or are a few post Signing Day surprises still in store?
Rivals.com: Signing day news continued to break in the Pac-12 late in the day with a pair of Rivals250 prospects announcing their intentions to sign with Cal and Washington.
Upland (Calif.) wide receiver Kenny Lawler will sign with Cal, picking the Bears over Michigan State.
Compton (Calif.) Dominguez cornerback Brandon Beaver will sign with Washington, picking the Huskies over Nebraska, Oklahoma, UCLA and Utah.
Rivals.com: Stanford's march to a historic signing class continued with the announcement of five-star Aziz Shittu. The defensive end from Atwater (Calif.) Buhach gives the Cardinal their third five-star prospect.
Shittu selected Stanford over Cal and USC.
All three of Stanford's five-star prospects, including offensive linemen Kyle Murphy and Andrus Peat, announced their decisions today.
Ben Glicksman: Last season, Stanford boasted the premier offensive line in the nation, surrendering just 11 sacks in 13 games. It was anchored by two likely first-round draft picks in guard David DeCastro (a first-team All-America) and tackle Jonathan Martin (a second-team selection), and simply overwhelmed Pac-12 defenses with its size.
Despite both stalwarts' departure to the NFL, Stanford's front may have actually improved. Kyle Murphy (Rivals' No. 19), Andrus Peat (No. 32) and Joshua Garnett (No. 33) all signed with the Cardinal Wednesday, and this trio is even bigger: Murphy and Peat check in at 6-foot-7, and Garnett stands at an imposing 6-5.
Andrew Luck may be irreplaceable, but the important thing to remember is that Stanford was run-heavy last year. It amassed 2,738 rushing yards (18th in the FBS) and brings back Stepfan Taylor, who galloped for 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns. And that doesn't include another high-profile pledge: Barry Sanders Jr., who will accompany the linemen to Palo Alto.
Most telling? Since Rivals started keeping track, Stanford has never produced a recruiting class better than No. 20. This year, before defensive end Aziz Shittu's (Rivals' No. 27) declaration, the Cardinal were slotted at No. 7. Talk about a coup in Palo Alto.
Rivals.com: Stanford's offensive line class is shaping up to be one of the best at any position in the class with the Signing Day announcement of five-star Kyle Murphy. He selected Stanford over USC.
Murphy's announcement gives Stanford three of the top eight offensive linemen in the 2012 class. Ranked 19th in the country, Murphy is the highest ranked of Stanford's impressive offensive line haul.
Murphy was the Cardinal's second five-star offensive line commit of the day, joining Andrus Peat.
Andy Staples: The Signing Day flip devastates a coach. With a normal decommitment, a coach has a fighting chance to get the player back. At least the coach has a chance to make his pitch. With a Signing Day flip, the prospect has signed with another school. He's gone, and the coach can't even try to get him back.
Here are some of the high-profile flips from Wednesday:
• Westlake Village, Calif., receiver Jordan Payton, who originally committed to USC before switching to Cal, flipped from Cal to Washington earlier in the week, then flipped again Wednesday and signed with UCLA.
• Cleveland offensive lineman Kyle Dodson flipped from Wisconsin and signed with Ohio State.
• Shreveport, La., linebacker Torshiro Davis flipped from LSU and signed with Texas.
• Receiver Deontay Greenberry, a longtime Notre Dame commitment from Fresno, Calif., signed with Houston.
• St. Petersburg, Fla., defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. flipped from Florida State and signed with Florida.
• Boca Raton, Fla., back Jawand Blue flipped from Virginia Tech and signed with Miami.
If that isn't enough flippage for you, take a moment and read The Commitment Project: College Football Edition, which examined star recruits who decommit.
Rivals.com: USC picked up its share of victories on National Signing Day, but the Trojans couldn't land quarterbackCyler Miles.
The Denver Mullen signal-caller started the day committed to Washington and ended the day that way despite USC recruiting him late in the process.
Miles started to examine other options after the departure of offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier to Alabama, but the nation's second-ranked dual-threat quarterback elected to play for Nussmeier's replacement, Eric Kiesau.
Ben Glicksman: Auburn whiffed on many of its early morning targets, with Eddie Goldman, Kwon Alexander and Leonard Williams choosing to sign elsewhere. Things looked grim for Gene Chizik and Co. -- especially as SEC rivals Alabama and Georgia continued to thrive.
A few hours later, the Tigers responded. Wide receiver Ricardo Louis and offensive tackle Avery Young have both declared for Auburn.
The two commitments give the Tigers 19 in the 2012 class, and provide the team with an offensive foundation for the future. Wide receiver Emory Blake and tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen return and will be joined by running back Jovon Robinson, receiver JaQuay Williams and tight end Ricky Parks in addition to Louis and Young. They'll look to better an Auburn attack that finished a meager 100th in the nation in total offense in 2011.
Around the rest of the country, Florida State added to its phenomenal day by signing cornerback Ronald Darby, while Stanford bettered a loaded offensive line with five-star tackle Andrus Peat. The Cardinal stand the most to gain by day's end: Blue-chippers Kyle Murphy and Aziz Shittu are both considering Palo Alto.
Rivals.com: Valdosta (Ga.) Lowdnes five-star prospect Josh Harvey-Clemons, the top recruit in the state, has not sent a letter of intent to Georgia yet, though he committed to the Bulldogs earlier this morning.
Florida continues to push for Harvey-Clemons while his fate remains uncertain, sources told Rivals.com's Keith Niebuhr today. The Bulldogs and Gators were tied atop Harvey-Clemons' list late in the recruiting process.
Rivals.com: Florida State had a reputation of closing well under Bobby Bowden. That's continuing under Jimbo Fisher.
Rivals100 cornerback Ronald Darby announced he intends to sign with Florida State, opting for the Seminoles over Auburn and Clemson. Darby is the second-ranked cornerback in the class and the second-ranked player from Maryland.
Darby is the fourth player to announce for Florida State today, not including Jameis Winston and Ukeme Eligwe, who reaffirmed their commitments to the Seminoles.
Rivals.com: A slow morning for Auburn turned into an eventful afternoon thanks to two South Florida prospects.
Miami Beach (Fla.) four-star wide receiver Ricardo Louis signed with Auburn after switching his commitment from the Tigers to Florida State and finally back to Auburn.
Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) four-star offensive tackle Avery Young soon followed with an announcement for Auburn after considering Georgia, Florida, Miami and Alabama.
Rivals.com: Alabama waited for most of the morning for two of its biggest recruits, but the Crimson Tide ended up with letters of intent from both key prospects by the afternoon.
Five-star safety Landon Collins, the top prospect from Louisiana, signed with Alabama after all. Collins originally committed to the Tide during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, but his mother voice her disagreement with the decision on national television. Collins stuck with Alabama rather than his mother's choice of LSU.
Rivals100 athlete Cyrus Jones also made Alabama wait for his letter of intent, but he signed with Alabama in the early afternoon.
Rivals.com: Tempe (Ariz.) Corona Del Sol offensive tackle Andrus Peat may be the crowning jewel on a standout offensive line class for Stanford.
Peat, the sixth-ranked offensive tackle in the nation, picked Stanford over Nebraska. Peat is the fifth four- or five-star offensive lineman in Stanford's class.
Rivals.com: Four-star linebacker Ukeme Eligwe had been a longtime Florida State commitment, but he wanted to take a visit to Cal late in the process.
Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher has little reason to sweat with Eligwe reaffirming his decision to go to Florida State.
Eligwe, from Stone Mountain (Ga.), is the second-ranked prospect in Georgia.
Ben Glicksman: Now that the morning rush has temporarily subsided, the Signing Day picture is coming into focus. Without further adieu, here are the early winners...
• Florida State: Twelve players have already signed their letters of intent, including five-star Eddie Goldman, the nation's No. 1 defensive tackle. Florida State may have just 17 pledges, but three rank among Rivals' top 10: Goldman, defensive tackle Mario Edwards (No. 3) and quarterback Jameis Winston (No. 10).
• USC: Weren't NCAA sanctions supposed to wreck the Trojans' recruiting? Despite limited scholarships, 13 of USC's 15 commitments boast a four- or five-star rating, and many are signing from outside Los Angeles. Athlete Nelson Agholor (No. 18) and defensive end Leonard Williams (No. 53), the program's biggest Signing Day gets, both hail from Florida.
• Washington: Tosh Lupoi's addition is playing out better than Steve Sarkisian could've hoped. Since coming over from Cal on Jan. 16, the Huskies have nabbed safety Shaq Thompson, four-star athlete Jaydon Mickens and defensive end Pio Vatuvei. Even with wideout Jordan Payton's last-minute switch (he's gone from Cal to Washington to UCLA within a two-day span), Washington could crack the Top 20.
• Alabama: Add tackles Korren Kirven and Dalvin Tomlinson to the Tide's top-ranked haul. Nick Saban strikes again.
• Missouri: Dorial-Green Beckham. Need I say anything more?
Ben Glicksman: Some programs have been far less fortunate today. Without further adieu...
• Notre Dame: The Irish have struck out since landing Gunner Kiel, suffering their greatest setback after losing four-star wideout Deontay Greenberry (Rivals' No. 49). Greenberry collected 2,165 receiving yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior, and his departure to Houston has left Brian Kelly with just one receiver (three-star Justin Ferguson) in his 2012 crop.
• Auburn: It's not who the Tigers signed, it's who they didn't. In regard to defensive tackle Goldman, linebacker Alexander and defensive end Williams, Gene Chizik and staff are 0-for-3.
• Cal: Thompson and Payton switched, and other top prospects including Arik Armstead opted to go elsewhere. Cal has failed to replace them sufficiently on Signing Day. What could've been a top 10 class would now be lucky to finish in the top 30.
• Too early to tell: Florida. The Gators flipped five-star defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., who should team with five-star Jonathan Bullard to form the team's pass rush of the future. But after missing out on Agholor, Josh-Harvey Clemons and Tracy Howard, Florida's ultimate ranking remains to be seen.
Rivals.com: Rivals100 wide receiver Jordan Payton will sign with UCLA, only a day after flipping his commitment from Cal to Washington.
Payton originally committed to USC, then flipped to Cal at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. His status with the Bears was thrown into question with the departure of assistant Tosh Lupoi to Washington.
Payton is the 16th-ranked player in California and the 15th ranked receiver in the class.
Rivals.com: Urban Meyer's knack for persuading recruits to switch schools didn't stop on Signing Day. Former Wisconsin offensive tackle commit Kyle Dodson switched his commitment from the Badgers to Ohio State in a news conference at Cleveland (Ohio) Cleveland Heights.
Dodson will help improve depth on an offensive line that added five prospects in this recruiting cycle. Dodson is the 10th-ranked player in Ohio.
Rivals.com: Inglewood (Calif.) cornerback Devian Shelton had committed to Arizona before the Wildcats fired Mike Stoops. Then he committed to Oregon State.
When his position coach left for Washington, Shelton was close to committing to the Huskies before USC stepped into the picture. Shelton will be the second cornerback prospect in USC's 2012 class.
Rivals.com: First-year coach Larry Fedora earned an important recruiting victory for North Carolina with an announcement from Gaffney (S.C.) wide receiver Quinshad Davis.
Davis, the second-ranked player in South Carolina and a four-star prospect, chose North Carolina over Tennessee.
Rivals.com: First Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland defensive end Leonard Williams picked USC. Then Tampa (Fla.) Berkley Prep wide receiver Nelson Agholor also picked the Trojans.
Both picked USC over Florida, among others.
Agholor is the third-ranked receiver in the class and the second-ranked player in Florida.
Rivals.com: Texas is enjoying a rare foray into January and February recruiting with a surprising commitment from four-star linebacker Torshiro Davis. Meanwhile, LSU continued a rough morning by losing an in-state commitment.
Davis did not send a letter of intent to LSU in the morning. Instead, he announced he would head to Texas in a ceremony at Shreveport (La.) Woodlawn on Wednesday.
Texas, which usually does most of its recruiting in the spring and summer, received four commitments since Jan. 28, including Davis.
Rivals.com: USC continues to make the most out of its limited scholarships with the signing of Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland defensive end Leonard Williams.
Williams is a four-star end who considered Florida and Auburn through the process. At 6-foot-5, 255-pounds, Williams has the potential to be an elite lineman for USC.
Rivals.com: Starting with the hire of defensive line coach and ace recruiter Tosh Lupoi from Cal, Washington has been one of the hottest recruiting teams in the country.
That continued on Signing Day with the signature of Rivals250 defensive end Pio Vatuvei, a former USC commit.
Vatuvei of Patterson (Calif.) is the 22nd-ranked player in California and 11th-ranked defensive end.
Rivals.com: Rivals100 wide receiver Deontay Greenberry may have clinched the biggest shocker for 2012's Signing Day -- and perhaps a few Signing Days to come.
Greenberry, a onetime Notre Dame commitment, signed with Houston and first-year coach Tony Levine.
Greenberry was the top receiver in Notre Dame's class. The Irish will only bring in two receivers, which was a major priority in this recruiting cylce. Greenberry, from Fresno (Calif.) Washington Union, was recruited by assistant Jamie Christian at two schools: first at Arizona State, then at Houston.
Rivals.com: Alabama continued its recruiting success in Georgia with the announcement of McDonough (Ga.) Henry County defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. The Rivals250 prospect also considered Georgia Tech.
Tomlinson is the seventh Georgia recruit to commit to Alabama.
Rivals.com: Alabama dipped into Louisiana for key recruits this season. LSU returned the favor by landing four-star linebacker Kwon Alexander out of Oxford (Ala.). Alexander is the 11th-ranked prospect in Alabama. He considered the Crimson Tide and Auburn.
Alexander's teammate Trae Elston pulled off a minor surprise with his decision to go to Ole Miss. The three-star safety was considered an LSU lean. He also considered Oklahoma State.
Rivals.com: Winnfield (La.) Senior athlete Alonzo Moore ended his public silence on his college choice by selecting Nebraska Wednesday.
The four-star prospect told Nebraska coaches weeks ago of his decision, but he did not announce publicly until today.
Moore could play cornerback for Nebraska but first he needs to qualify academically.
Rivals.com:Pittsburgh continued to build its defense Wednesday with a signature from McKees Rocks (Pa.) Sto-Rox linebacker Deaysean Rippy. The four-star prospect is the ninth-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania.
Rippy narrowed his list to Pitt, West Virginia and Arizona before settling on the Panthers. Pitt also received a Signing Day decision from three-star safety Bam Bradley.
Rivals.com: After missing on a few recruits this morning, Florida received some good news with a signature from five-star defensive end Dante Fowler Jr.
The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Lakewood end had been committed to Florida State but hinted he could change his choice in recent months.
Despite the loss of Fowler Jr., Florida State will retain one of the top defensive line classes in the country with Eddie Goldman, Mario Edwards and Chris Casher.
Rivals.com: Virginia Tech picked up its second major prospect of the day with the arrival of Clifton (Va.) Centreville linebacker Ken Ekanem.
Ekanem, a Rivals250 prospect, joins Rivals100 athlete Joel Caleb in picking Virginia Tech today. Ekanem picked the Hokies over Notre Dame.
Rivals.com: Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, who had kept his school decision quiet for most the process, will sign with Missouri.
Green-Beckham, from Springfield (Mo.) Hillcrest, was long believed to be leaning toward Arkansas, but an official visit with the Tigers in the final weekend of recruiting may have swayed him.
In December, Green-Beckham trimmed his list to five, but Missouri made the biggest late impression. Tigers coach Gary Pinkel landed at Green-Beckham's high school via helicopter, followed by a bus full of Missouri assistants in mid-January.
Green-Beckham gives Missouri an elite 6-foot-6, 220-pound receiver as the Tigers enter the SEC next season.
Andy Staples: This just in from the Realignment Geographical Absurdity Department: By choosing Missouri, top-ranked recruit Dorial Green-Beckham tightened the SEC East's stranglehold on the top spot in the Rivals.com rankings.
As shocking as it may sound given the fact that the SEC West is clearly the dominant division in that league, the No. 1 player in the Rivals.com rankings has signed with an SEC East school each of the past four years. Last year, Rock Hill, S.C., defensive end Jadeveon Clowney signed with South Carolina. Two years ago, Moreno Valley, Calif., defensive end Ronald Powell signed with Florida. Three years ago, Wichita, Kan., tailback Bryce Brown signed with Tennessee. (Two out three ain't bad.)
How will Green-Beckham fare in the SEC? Who knows. He hasn't played a snap of college football. But he has the physical attributes that could make him very successful. He appears to be a faster version of Alshon Jeffrey, who would have put up bigger numbers at South Carolina had the quarterback situation been more settled.
Missouri's quarterback situation is extremely settled. Against a brutal schedule, James Franklin was excellent in his first year as the starter. He threw for 2,865 yards with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while also running for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns. Missouri, typically fairly pass-happy under Gary Pinkel, ran the ball more because of the ability of Franklin and tailback Henry Josey. But with Josey probably out for 2012 after a horrific knee injury, look for the Tigers to throw the ball more than they did in 2011.
That's where Green-Beckham comes in. Leading receiver T.J. Moe returns to Missouri, but the Tigers lost tight end Michael Egnew and No. 2 receiver Wes Kemp. Green-Beckham will have an opportunity to contribute immediately. He'll also be challenged almost immediately. Georgia, which should boast one of the nation's best defenses, visits Columbia, Mo., Sept. 8.
Rivals.com: Florida State bolstered an already strong defensive line class with the addition of five-star defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, the seventh-ranked prospect in the class.
Goldman, from Washington D.C. Friendship Collegiate Academy, picked Florida State over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Cal, Clemson and Miami.
He becomes the second five-star defensive lineman in the class, joining tackle Mario Edwards.
Ben Glicksman: How's this for a daunting defensive line class: Defensive end Mario Edwards (Rivals' No. 3), end Chris Casher (No. 36), tackle Justin Shanks (No. 135) and tackle Eddie Goldman (No. 7)? That's Florida State's current haul, adding to an already formidable front that returns Bjoern Werner and Cornellius Carradine. Goldman chose the 'Noles over Alabama and Auburn, and should see playing time immediately. The 6-foot-4, 307-pounder compiled 23 tackles for loss and 15 sacks as a senior.
With Goldman's decision, Jimbo Fisher is cleaning up on Signing Day for the second consecutive year. He's emerged as one of the top closers in today's recruiting circuit, building another loaded class after his No. 2 crop in 2010. And with Goldman and tight end Colin Blake in tow, Fisher might not be finished: receiver Nelson Agholor, offensive tackle Andrus Peat, corner Ronald Darby and defensive end Leonard Williams all count Florida State among their final group of suitors.
Even with Dante Fowler's flip to Florida, the Seminoles' success begs the question: Can Florida State supplant Alabama atop the final team rankings?
Ben Glicksman:Josh Harvey-Clemons to Georgia and Tracy Howard to Miami may have been the biggest signings of the hour, but they certainly weren't the only ones of note. Two Pac-12 schools also upped their Signing Day stock -- Oregon and Arizona State.
The Ducks landed a pair of dynamic wideouts, adding Bralon Addison (Rivals' No. 112) and Chance Allen out of Missouri City, Texas. Both were former Big 12 commits -- Addison to Texas A&M, Allen to Oklahoma State -- before agreeing to head together to Eugene. They could serve as big gets for Chip Kelly: No Oregon receiver amassed more than 600 yards in 2011.
Todd Graham boosted his first class at Arizona State with four-star running back Marion Grice, a 6-foot, 215-pound JUCO recruit out of Blinn College (Cam Newton's former stomping grounds). Grice racked up 1,052 yards and 16 touchdowns to earn NJCAA All-America honors and will team up with fellow prolific Sun Devils' recruit D.J. Foster, who rushed for 3,058 yards and 54 scores at Saguaro High in Arizona.
Perhaps most importantly, some of the biggest names in the 2012 class stayed put. Running back Johnathan Gray, defensive end Mario Edwards and running back Duke Johnson made good on their verbals by signing with Texas, Florida State and Miami, respectively.
Rivals.com: Miami landed perhaps the biggest recruit of Al Golden's tenure with the signature of Miramar (Fla.) cornerback Tracy Howard Wednesday.
Howard, the top prospect in Florida and top cornerback in the Class of 2012, announced he will attend Miami after trimming his list to Alabama, Florida, Florida State, USC and West Virginia.
Howard is breaking a school tradition by heading to Miami, which plays down the road from Miramar's campus. Miramar High had become a pipeline to West Virginia, providing the Mountaineers with quarterback Geno Smith and wide receivers Stedman Bailey and Ivan McCartney.
Miami will have one of the largest classes in the country with 33 potential signees.
Andy Staples:Temple's rise to respectability from the dregs of college football should have tipped everyone off to the fact that Al Golden can recruit better than most of his colleagues. As the letters-of-intent for Golden's first start-to-finish class at Miami roll in, that fact should now be obvious to everyone.
Wednesday, Golden landed Miramar, Fla., cornerback Tracy Howard, the highest rated player in South Florida. Miami beat out Florida and Florida State for Howard, which bodes well for Golden this year. More importantly, it helps Golden for the future because it means he has earned the respect of the locals.
Dade and Broward counties typically produce enough players to stock a very good college football team, but those players don't always attend the same school. When Miami is rolling, it can essentially select the best players from the most talent-rich area of the country. When Miami is struggling, the locals start looking north to Gainesville and Tallahassee or out of state.
With an NCAA investigation into the Nevin Shapiro allegations and a 6-6 record in his first season, Golden and his staff needed to work even harder to convince area players that Miami can become nationally relevant again. They got a huge boost when Miami Norland tailback Randy "Duke" Johnson committed in September and then became a junior recruiting coordinator. Landing Howard provides an even bigger boost for 2012 and beyond.
Rivals.com: Florida State landed a Rivals250 prospect from Texas on Wednesday when it received a letter of intent from San Antonio Brandeis cornerback Colin Blake.
Blake, the 21st-ranked prospect in Texas and 13th-ranked corner, will leave Big 12 country after picking the Seminoles over Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and TCU.
Rivals.com: Trotwood (Ohio) Trotwood-Madison safety Bam Bradley will join his brother at Pittsburgh after Bradley signed with the Panthers on Wednesday.
Bradley considered offers from Arizona, Stanford among others. Bradley's brother is linebacker Nicholas Grigsby, who signed in last year's class.
Rivals.com:Marion Grice, a four-star junior college prospect, said last week he may take some extra time to make a decision.
The Blinn Community College running back didn't take too much time to deliberate Wednesday when he signed with Arizona State.
He also considered Houston and Ole Miss.
Rivals.com: Georgia took its recruiting losses in-state this season, but the Bulldogs landed the top homegrown prospect.
Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes athlete Josh Harvey-Clemons announced he will sign with Georgia, giving the Bulldogs a five-star prospect.
Harvey-Clemons was in demand in the Southeast and received a late push from Florida and Florida State.
Andy Staples: The recruitment of Valdosta, Ga., linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons has been one of the most entertaining of the Class of 2012, but it had to come to an end at some point. Wednesday, the 6-foot-5, 208-pounder signed with Georgia.
I don't have hard data on this, but I'll take an educated guess that Harvey-Clemons has the most interesting after-school job of any recruit in America. Forget the nametags and hair nets. Harvey-Clemons is a bond agent. His grandfather, Woodrow Clemons, is a bail bondsman, and Harvey-Clemons helps the family business by occasionally springing people from the pokey. In fact, when Georgia coach Mark Richt used his in-home visit to attend a church service with Harvey-Clemons, Harvey-Clemons had to slip out of his pew to get three clients out of jail.
Read all about how Richt wound up giving part of his recruiting pitch at the jail in this hilarious blog post from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Michael Carvell. Then feel free to insert any joke you wish about a bond agent on the roster at Georgia, a program that has had its share of legal scrapes in the past few years.
Rivals.com: Missouri City (Texas) Hightower wide receiver Bralon Addison will head to Oregon after all. The Rivals250 prospect was once committed to Texas A&M but signed with the Ducks on Wednesday.
Addison, the 18th-ranked receiver in the country, and Missouri City (Texas) Elkins wide receiver Chance Allen hinted earlier this week they may try to play at the same school.
That will happen with Allen signing with the Ducks earlier this morning.
Rivals.com: St. Louis Ritenour defensive tackle Edmund Ray signed with Texas A&M on Wednesday, breaking off a commitment to Missouri.
Ray, the ninth-ranked prospect in Missouri, had been committed to the Tigers since July 31.
Rivals.com: Nebraska scored a Big Ten recruiting victory Wednesday with the signature of Keller (Texas) Fossil Ridge defensive tackle Aaron Curry.
Curry, the 43rd-ranked prospect in Texas, chose Nebraska over Iowa.
Ben Glicksman: If this morning was any indication, the rich will likely get richer on this Signing Day. Four-star defensive tackle Korren Kirven committed to Alabama early, pledging to the Tide over in-state Virginia Tech. The move bolsters an already top-ranked class in Tuscaloosa, and could be the start of a banner day for Nick Saban. Linebacker Kwon Alexander and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson also remain on the board, and 'Bama would likely secure this year's No. 1 class with both signings.
In other morning action, Michigan pulled off an early coup by flipping four-star running back Dennis Norfleet, who rushed for 2,033 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior, from Cincinnati. It's a welcome reversal of fortune for the Wolverines, who have missed on several key prospects -- including four-star offensive guard Alex Kozan -- in recent days.
Finally, though it comes as no surprise, Virginia Tech landed the biggest prospect before 9 a.m. by nabbing Midlothian, Va., athlete Joel Caleb (Rivals' No. 84). A model of versatility, Caleb has experience as a quarterback, running back, wide receiver and return man and could contribute immediately with David Wilson's decision to turn pro.
Rivals.com: Missouri City (Texas) Elkins wide receiver Chance Allen signed with Oregon on Wednesday, breaking off a commitment to Oklahoma State.
The three-star prospect is close friends with Missouri City (Texas) Hightower wide receiver Bralon Addison, a Texas A&M commitment. The two have indicated they may attend the same school.
Rivals.com:Kentucky earned a National Signing Day surprise at the expense of ... Alabama?
Atlanta Washington running back Justin Taylor, a former Alabama commitment, signed with Kentucky on Wednesday.
Taylor is a three-star running back ranked 52nd in Georgia.
Andy Staples: Atlanta tailback Justin Taylor decided he would rather have scholarship in the hand than a promise for 2013. Wednesday, Taylor signed with Kentucky instead of waiting for a grayshirt from Alabama.
Taylor's case is interesting because he is one of the first players affected by a new SEC rule that allows schools to sign a maximum of 25 players each year. Taylor committed to Alabama in February 2011, but a knee injury suffered in September threw his recruitment into question. In January, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban told Taylor the Crimson Tide wouldn't be able to sign him in the 2012 class, but Saban promised Taylor a scholarship in the 2013 class.
Under the old rules, Alabama could have signed Taylor to a National Letter of Intent anyway. That would have banned other schools from recruiting Taylor, even though it wouldn't have guaranteed him a 2012 scholarship. This year, had Taylor decided to wait on the Tide, other schools could have continued recruiting him. That way, if he changed his mind during the summer, he could have taken a scholarship from someone else without any red tape.
Taylor opted not to deal with that scenario, choosing to sign with Kentucky after a late push from the Wildcats, Ole Miss and Purdue. Taylor will follow in the footsteps of Gadsden, Ala., receiver Daryl Collins, who passed on an Alabama grayshirt offer last year to sign with Kentucky. Collins missed last season after suffering a knee injury in preseason camp.
Rivals.com: Midlothian (Va.) Clover Hill athlete Joel Caleb will remain in state after signing with Virginia Tech on Wednesday morning.
Despite a push from Ohio State and West Virginia, Caleb joined the Hokies' class. The Rivals100 prospect is ranked third in Virginia.
Rivals.com: Alabama continued to nab top prospects out of state with the signature from Lynchburg (Va.) Brookville defensive tackle Korren Kirven.
Kirven, the seventh-ranked player in Virginia, picked the Crimson Tide over Maryland, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
Rivals.com: New Rutgers coach Kyle Flood continued to get good news in his first days on the job with a letter of intent from Reistertown (Md.) Franklin wide receiver Ian Thomas.
The three-star wideout also considered Vanderbilt and Iowa before announcing for the Scarlet Knights on Wednesday morning. He is the fourth receiver in the class.
Rivals.com: Michigan provided the first surprise for National Signing Day by landing Rivals250 running back Dennis Norfleet, who had been committed previously to Cincinnati.
Norfleet, from Detroit Martin Luther King, was surprised by the sudden scholarship offer from the Wolverines on the eve of National Signing Day.
"It's been a crazy night," Norfleet told Rivals.com. "I was coming off a loss in our basketball game and then getting something I've been waiting for. This is just one of the best nights of my life."
The 5-foot-7, 180-pound Norfleet could be a return specialist, slot receiver and running back for the Wolverines.
It may be early, but the future of college football isn't waiting. A number of top recruits are set to announce their college choices today, and the morning session is particularly stacked: Five-stars Tracy Howard, Josh-Harvey Clemons, Eddie Goldman and Dorial Green-Beckham -- you may have heard of him -- are all set to commit before 10:30 a.m. ET.
We'll once again be here all day to analyze the latest signings, flips and offbeat declarations. Our partners at Rivals.com will chime in with breaking news as it occurs. As a roadmap for the day, here is a tentative schedule of announcement times for some of the major uncommitted prospects. All times are ET.
8 a.m.: Korren Kirven, DT, Lynchburg (Va.) Brookville (Considering Alabama, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia Tech)
8:30 a.m.: Joel Caleb, ATH, Midlothian (Va.) Clover Hill (Considering Ohio State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia)
9 a.m.: Josh Harvey-Clemons, ATH, Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes (Considering Florida and Georgia); Bralon Addison, WR, Missouri City (Texas) Hightower (Considering Texas A&M and Oregon)
9:30 a.m.: Tracy Howard, CB, Miramar (Fla.) (Considering Florida, Florida State, Miami)
10 a.m.: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Hillcrest (Mo.) (Considering Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas); Eddie Goldman, DT, Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate (Considering Alabama, Auburn, Florida State)
11 a.m.: Kwon Alexander, LB, Oxford (Ala.) (Considering Alabama, Auburn, LSU); Thomas Johnson, WR, Dallas (Texas) Skyline (Considering Cal, Oregon, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M)
Noon: Nelson Agholor, WR, Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep (Considering Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC)
1:30 pm.: Andrus Peat, OT, Tempe (Ariz.) Corona del Sol (Considering Florida State, Nebraska, Stanford, USC)
2:30 p.m.: Ronald Darby, CB, Oxon Hill (Md.) Potomac (Considering Arizona, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, Notre Dame)
4 p.m.: Kyle Murphy, OT, San Clemente (Calif.) (Considering Florida, Oregon, Stanford, USC)
5 p.m.: Aziz Shittu, DE, Atwater (Calif.) Buhach (Considering Stanford, Cal, USC, UCLA)
