Previewing BYU's National Signing Day

National signing day is one day away. On Wednesday, the BYU football program will put a bow on the 2023 recruiting class. The early signing period has taken a lot of the spotlight from the traditional signing day, but there are still various storylines to follow on Wednesday. Here is a preview of BYU's national signing day.

1. All Eyes on LJ Martin

Ever since the departure of Stanford head coach Dave Shaw, BYU has been trying to flip Stanford running back commit LJ Martin. Martin announced that he will be signing his national letter of intent on Wednesday morning. If BYU is able to flip Martin, he would be one of the biggest recruiting flips in the star-ranking era.

The Cougars need talented running backs that can be in Provo for the long term as they head into the Big 12. Martin would have the opportunity to compete for a major role in BYU's offense as soon as he steps on campus, and he has the talent to be BYU's running back of the future.

2. Other Names to Watch

BYU is in the pursuit of other scholarship and PWO candidates. Keep an eye on these names on Wednesday:

1. Naseri Danielson - ATH

BYU hosted California athlete Naseri Danielson on an official visit. He is weighing competing offers from Army, Navy, and Nevada among others. There's a lot to like about Danielson on the football field and off the football field.

Danielson played both wide receiver and safety while excelling in the classroom and earning a 4.0 GPA. Danielson took on a leadership role this past season for his high school and led a young core of players to one of the best seasons in school history.

As a wide receiver, Danielson excels at high-pointing the football to make contested catches and he is naturally gifted at creating separation off the line of scrimmage. He racked up over 1,000 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns on 65 catches as a senior. On defense, Danielson could be described as a ball-hawking safety.

2. Moteaki Mounga - DL

Longtime BYU target Moteaki Moung has not signed a letter of intent, but he did release a top four that excluded BYU. Given his longstanding relationship with BYU, he is a name to at least monitor on Wednesday.

3. D'Andre Barnes - DB/WR

BYU extended a late offer to D'Andre Barnes, then Nebraska followed suit. Like Mounga, he is a name to at least monitor on signing day.

4. Kevin Doe- ATH

Kevin Doe. Doe preps at East High School in Salt Lake City where he is a multi-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track. Kevin Doe is new to the game of football. Up until the last year year, Doe was focused on basketball and track. He averaged over 15 points per game on the hardwood as a junior and he was the Utah 5A state champion in both the 100M dash and the 200M dash last Spring. He won the state title with times of 10.91 (100M) and 21.74 (200M). He told Cougs Daily that he didn't start playing football until the end of his junior year of high school. His size and speed at 6'4 and his athleticism on the basketball court made him an intriguing prospect when he transitioned to football.

5. Strantz Mangisi - OL

Strantz Mangisi is a massive lineman out of Provo High School. BYU offered Mangisi as a PWO, and he has various options to choose from. He is weighing PWO offers from BYU, Utah, and Utah State. He is also weighing scholarship offers from New Mexico State, Weber State, Missouri State, Idaho State, and SUU among others.

6. Gage Tanner - LB

Gage Tanner is a linebacker out of Meridian, Idaho. Tanner has received PWO offers from both BYU and Boise State. He was on campus a few weekends ago for an official visit.

Class ranking

As of this article, BYU's overall class ranking (including transfers) is ranked 56th in the country. The high school class ranking and transfer ranking are 70th and 37th, respectively. BYU's overall class ranking could move into the 40-50 range with a few more additions on Wednesday.

Returned Missionaries

BYU typically announces the missionaries that will join the program on signing day. Multiple former signees will return in time for the 2023 season - signing day might shed light on which missionaries will join the program for 2023 and which missionaries will grayshirt.

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