Top Five Recruiting Storylines From National Signing Day
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Although it draws less attention than the early signing period, the traditional National Signing Day still produced plenty of headlines.
Recruits across the country put pen to paper and some made decisions that shocked coaches, players and entire fanbases.
1. Oregon beats USC for Rodrick Pleasant
Pleasant narrowed his list of schools to five prior to signing day, but this recruitment was a USC vs. Oregon battle all the way.
Dan Lanning and Lincoln Riley are poised to battle it out on the recruiting trail for years to come. Lanning got his first win back in 2022 when Josh Conerly chose the Ducks over the Trojans, and Riley snagged an offensive lineman of his own out of the Pacific Northwest when Michael Bañuelos chose the crimson and gold.
Riley keeps loading up on elite skill talent and Lanning is doing his part building a strong defense to slow his offense down. Who knows how much we'll get to see these two square off with USC headed to the Big Ten, but it's still a fun battle to follow.
2. Nycoles Harbor chooses Shane Beamer and South Carolina
The nation's No. 1 athlete shocked much of country when he picked the Gamecocks on national television. It looked and felt like Oregon checked every box on his official visit over the weekend, but it wasn't enough for Lanning and company to pull it off.
Harbor has elite upside on both sides of the ball, but what really shocked people was that the track program wasn't enough to win this battle for the green and yellow. South Carolina had the stronger relationships, but going into the day I really though he was going to end up a Duck.
For what it's worth I think Pleasant fills a bigger need on the roster at defensive back, but Harbor would've been a fantastic addition this late in the cycle.
3. Walker Lyons is a Trojan
This was a bit of a surprise to me, especially since sources I'd spoken with led me to believe California's top tight end was headed out of state. Whether that be to play for Kirby Smart and the back-to-back national champions, or Kyle Whittingham and the Utes, who are fresh off of consecutive Pac-12 titles.
Lyons may not be the flashiest name he used to be after suffering an injury his senior season, but like Harbor this is another big addition late in the cycle and he should flourish in Lincoln Riley's offense once he gets to Los Angeles. He'll complete a mission trip after graduating from Folsom High School.
4. Jaden Rashada to Arizona State
Arguably the most dramatic recruitment in the 2023 class ended back closer to where it started, as the top quarterback in the Bay Area landed in Tempe. It looked like it came down to the Sun Devils and the TCU Horned Frogs.
Arizona State has a lot of momentum given that they're a program in transition and in an ongoing NCAA investigation. You have to give Kenny Dillingham a lot of credit, as he's more than proven his worth as a recruiter at both Oregon and now Arizona State.
The Sun Devils add one of the country's best arms in the country at the eleventh hour and continue to reel in top talent from in state.
5. Harris twins end up at different schools
We have to go all the way out to Florida for this last storyline.
The Harris twins are a pair of brothers that are both four-star linebackers at Altamonte Springs (Fla.) Lake Brantley High School. Perhaps you'd expect brothers to end up at the same school, but that wasn't the case today.
Michael Harris chose Mike Locksley and the Maryland Terrapins, while Andrew Harris committed to Gus Malzahn and the UCF Golden Knights. Michael is a solid addition for Maryland, who tried to stick around late for local standout Nyckoles Harbor.
Andrew is one of the higher rated pledges for the Golden Knights in a signing class that heavily relied on the Sunshine State and Georgia.
READ MORE: Rodrick Pleasant breaks down Oregon commitment
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