Signing Day: Winners and Losers
The Georgia Bulldogs ran away with the first SI All-American recruiting championship on Wednesday as the class of 2020 cycle came to somewhat of an end.
A strong close, adding a handful of prospects in the last 10 days or so, helped UGA edge the Early Signing Period champs Clemson for the top spot.
The day was not as smooth for may programs looking to put a bow on what often times is more than a year's work in courting top prospects from coast to coast. We'll look at each side of the coin in our annual look at winners and losers, with a heavy focus on what occurred throughout signing day itself (not just the entirety of the cycle).
Winners
Georgia: This list of course begins with the signing day champs, who had a near perfect day. Not only did it add prospects like in-state lineman Cameron Kinne and defensive back Daran Branch as a flip from Ole Miss, but it held onto massive talents up front despite contention. Both Broderick Jones and Sedrick Van Pran were heavily targeted by other programs following the departure of Sam Pittman but stayed true to Kirby Smart's program.
Texas A&M: McKinnley Jackson's recruitment was the biggest in SEC country in terms of uncommitted prospects who did not sign in December. There were plenty of teams in the mix, but when you defeat Alabama, LSU and Auburn for a defensive line prospect native closer to that region of the country—you get on the winner's list. A&M also added running back Darvon Hubbard and failed to get poached over the last few months all together.
Tennessee: How about the day for Jeremy Pruitt and his staff? Assembling big, athletic pass catchers is always important in today's offense-first nature of football and the Vols picked up two so talented they're legit expected to play basketball in college. Malachi Wideman is a bonafide hooper but he may have a higher ceiling as a jump ball and 50-50 specialist on the field. Flipping him from Florida State, especially as Ole Miss had a lot of buzz in getting his final official visit, was huge. Dee Beckwith, who was linked to Florida more than Tennessee until the final stretch, was another head-turning addition. UT finished just outside the top 10 in the SIAA rankings.
Miami: The most surprising news of signing day from an individual recruit's perspective—aside from Jordan Burch in an extended signed/not signed loop—was Avantae Williams. The in-state defensive back had plenty of back and forth in the last month or so of the process, leaning towards Georgia before focusing on the Hurricanes and Florida Gators. Get this, Williams to UF was among the most confident of predictions entering the day. The SI All-American going green thrust Miami into the national conversation instantly.
South Carolina: All Burch back and forth aside, the Gamecocks went in on Wednesday. It played the flip game in swiping Floridian pass rusher Gilber Edmond from USF, added to its running back room with junior college standout ZaQuandre White and added in-stater Ger-Cari Caldwell at wide receiver for good measure. And when it comes to Burch, at least on this day, he was sporting his USC hat and talking about playing with his friends in college—presumably at his hometown program.
Kentucky: The UK program is recruiting better than ever under Mark Stoops, with that special emphasis on the Midwest and specifically the state of Ohio, and it attacked there again Wednesday. The last big decision of signing day was Ohio running back Mike Drennen and despite some buzz for the USC Trojans late in the game—he went with Big Blue. There was some worry about Drennen not being announced by Kentucky last night, but he was on Thursday morning.
Arkansas: Sam Pittman had been assembling the top offensive line classes in the country while at Georgia, now he's leading Arkansas' recruiting resurgence in short order. The Hogs hit the offensive line Wednesday, as one would expect in the additions of Marcus Henderson and Jalen St. John. But the big boom for the Razorbacks was in landing their quarterback of the future in Malik Hornsby out of Texas.
Cincinnati: Recruits aren't worried about the Luke Fickell to Michigan State chatter just yet. The Bearcats signed the top Group of Five class in the country and it hit the end of the cycle hard along the way. On signing day's eve it flipped Illinois wide receiver commitment Jadon Thompson and added one-time USF commitment Marquez Bell at the position Wednesday. While he hasn't yet signed, former Ole Miss pledge De'Arre McDonald jumped on board as well.
Losers
Florida: Yes, adding Texas pass rusher Princely Umanmielen was a big one, and somewhat surprising. But the Gators again missed out on several prospects with UF hats on the table including two running backs in Jahmyr Gibbs (Georgia Tech) and Ashaad Clayton (Colorado) in the South who signed with inferior programs. Dee Beckwith was a Gator lock before Tennessee closed on him and we already went over how surprising Avantae Williams picking The U over UF was to the industry. On top of the day's news, longtime verbal commitments in Leonard Manuel and Marc Britt remain unsigned while considering other options.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide signed the No. 3 class on SIAA but it failed to boom on the final day of the cycle. In addition to missing on McKinnley Jackson, easily the most important recruit on the board in the New Year, UA missed on late-rising defensive back Ennis Rakestraw and joined Florida in whiffing on a flip attempt of UGA offensive line signee Sedrick Van Pran. Longtime in-state commitment Jayson Jones flipped to Oregon, though the move wasn't a surprise.
Ole Miss: The Lane train had a lot of steam in January but February hasn't been quite as ideal. The Rebels lost a pledge to Georgia in Daran Branch and missed on their own defensive back flip attempt as Donovan Kauffman stuck with Vanderbilt. Their once strong buzz for Malachi Wideman faded fast as he signed with Tennessee. Same can be said for Marcus Henderson on his way to Arkansas. Kiffin did bring in a massive offensive lineman in 6-foot-7, 315-pound Brady Ward. Ole Miss isn't done with the class, however. They'll factor in for Florida verbals Leonard Manuel and Marc Britt while continuing the potentially spring-long chase for Zach Evans.
Illinois: In a small and possibly the worst class in Illinois history, without an in-state addition, there was no push on National Signing Day. Instead, Lovie Smith's staff is expected to rely on transfers? More here.
Virginia Tech: Another small class, another lack of push on the final day of the cycle. The new coaching staff at Boston College somehow put together a better class.
USC: This isn't just about losing out running back Mike Drennen to Kentucky Wednesday night. While the Trojans have escaped from the Pac-12 recruiting basement with some New Year additions, it hasn't been by much. A tiny class of 13, with just three defensive prospects, failed to add a new prospect on February 5.
Bit of Both
Florida State: On the strong side, FSU won legit recruiting battles for prospects like linebacker DJ Lundy while an offer to Alabama DB Sidney Williams—which he accepted—coming in the last 24 hours of the cycle flexes the Seminoles' brand. Adding sleeper pass rusher TJ Davis could be another late pull, too. But losing the commitment of an SI All-American in Malachi Wideman (Tennessee) is tough to shake just as it is for Vandy to win out for a coveted defensive back in Donovan Kaufman.
Texas: There may not have been a bigger sole get, talent wise, Wednesday compared to UT keeping defensive lineman Alfred Collins within state lines. But UT could have pushed higher in the top 10 should it have paired him with another prospect like Princely Umanmielen.
Baylor: There was early signs of pop for the Bears and new coach Dave Aranda on Wednesday, particularly in the secondary in adding speedy Alabamian Mike Harris and junior college corner Alfahiym Walcott. On the flip side, the coaching change likely coast BU the signatrue of Texans Princely Umanmielen (Florida) and potentially quarterback Malik Horsnby (Arkansas).
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