Resetting the College Football Team Recruiting Rankings after the Early Signing Period
The early signing period has come to a close and the dust has all but settled after three days of big decisions by college football prospects.
Friday was busy on the verbal commitment and signing front, with several impactful decisions that affected how the SI All-American team recruiting rankings look heading into the weekend.
SI99 offensive lineman Bryce Foster kicked Friday morning off with his pick of Texas A&M. SI All-American finalist and running back Deshun Murrell followed it with a re-commitment to UCLA and a flip from LSU to Notre Dame was made an hour later when Georgia safety Khari Gee made the news official. LSU would bounce back in the evening, adding inside-out defensive lineman Bryce Langston. The Irish would add another flip shortly thereafter in running back Audric Estime and Florida State closed the day out with a re-commitment of IMG Academy wideout Malik McClain. Washington, Stanford and Kansas were among those to add Friday commitments, too.
Post Early Signing Period Top 25
1. Alabama
24 Verbal Commitments, 10 in the SI99
Wednesday's daily double of flips of LSU commitments, SI99 athlete Jojo Earle and pass rusher Keanu Koht, was enough to surge 'Bama by OSU for the top spot.
2. Ohio State
21 Verbal Commitments, 11 in the SI99
No program has more SI99 members than the Buckeyes, who remain in the mix for multiple elite prospects into the new year.
3. Georgia
20 Verbal Commitments, 6 in the SI99
UGA survived one of the biggest surprises of signing day with a top three class.
4. LSU
22 Verbal Commitments, 6 in the SI99
No elite recruiting program dealt with the fluctuation on the commitment list like the Tigers did, but it ended up adding a pair of SI99 members (DL Maason Smith, RB Armoni Goodwin) and losing just one (Early) amid the chaos. Not inking LB Raesjon Davis bears watching.
5. Clemson
18 Verbal Commitments, 8 in the SI99
A typical Clemson signing day meant locking in commitments and minimal drama.
6. Notre Dame
27 Verbal Commitments, 4 in the SI99
The Irish flipped a pair of Friday prospects to hold off Florida and Oregon in the top 10.
7. Florida
25 Verbal Commitments, 4 in the SI99
Wednesday featured some big misses for UF, but a nice Thursday rebound in adding in-state offensive tackle Austin Barber helps. On Friday night UF did lose perhaps its most explosive offensive commitment.
8. Oregon
21 Verbal Commitments, 4 in the SI99
The Ducks held onto a spot in the top 10 by maintaining their pledges and adding legacy linebacker Jonathan Flowe to the mix.
9. Texas A&M
20 Verbal Commitments, 3 in the SI99
The Aggies had about as strong a week as any program and it leads to a debut in the top 10. SI99 member Bryce Foster was the icing on the cake, following adding Tunmise Adeleye midweek, with Friday morning's decision over Oklahoma.
10. Miami
21 Verbal Commitments, 2 in the SI99
Miami clings to this spot over Oklahoma for accomplishing the cycle-long mission of getting its QB in Jake Garcia.
11. Oklahoma
16 Verbal Commitments, 5 in the SI99
Adding Savion Byrd to the offensive line was a big win, but missing on Bryce Foster was even bigger. Plenty of OU targets, including top available running back Camar Wheaton, remain a possibility in the coming weeks.
12. Michigan
20 Verbal Commitments, 3 in the SI99
It was an up-and-down week for UM, adding in-state running back Donovan Edwards and playing keep-away with several longtime commitments while losing SI99 pass rusher Quintin Sommervile (UCLA) and linebacker Branden Jennings (Maryland) to inferior programs.
13. North Carolina
18 Verbal Commitments, 2 in the SI99
Status quo for Mack Brown and company, a program starting to look ready to contend on the trail as the ACC Coastal darling it has become on the field.
14. USC
20 Verbal Commitments, 3 in the SI99
USC added a wideout and made national headlines in pairing QB Jaxson Dart with Miller Moss, but the losses of LB Ma’a Gaoteote and WR QuayDarius Davis sting.
15. Ole Miss
23 Verbal Commitments, 1 in the SI99
The Rebels keep climbing the SIAA ranks with key skill additions, including top 10 nickel prospect Markevious Brown, who we can see making an early impact in Oxford.
16. Wisconsin
21 Verbal Commitments, 0 in the SI99
If there's a sneaky-good class that may still be undervalued in the top 20 it's the Badger haul.
17. Washington
15 Verbal Commitments, 2 in the SI99
Huskies sat tight this week as they build up to trying to shock the recruiting world with in-state phenom JT Tuimoloau.
18. Texas
19 Verbal Commitments, 1 in the SI99
UT held true with its class but didn't sign the sole SI99 member within it, Ishmael Ibraheem, who was recently arrested.
19. Maryland
22 Verbal Commitments, 1 in the SI99
The Terps have clear momentum on the trail and it's stretching beyond the Jennings flip on Wednesday.
20. Tennessee
22 Verbal Commitments, 2 in the SI99
The Vols had a rough stretch leading into the ESP, losing multiple commitments along the way. While incoming QB Kaidon Salter locked in his signature on Wednesday, defensive headliner Dylan Brooks did not.
21. Arkansas
We labeled Wisconsin the sneaky-good class so Arkansas must just be a good one. Adding Georgia defensive lineman Cameron Ball and maintaining the rest of the commitment list on Wednesday was business-like from Sam Pittman and company.
22. Iowa
17 Verbal Commitments, 0 in the SI99
The Hawkeyes maintained its class during the week, impressive given some of the recent off-the-field chatter around the program.
23. NC State
19 Verbal Commitments, 0 in the SI99
The Wolfpack took care of their commitments with minimal drama, a sign of a stable program.
24. Nebraska
19 Verbal Commitments, 1 in the SI99
Status quo in Lincoln this week, probably something welcomed after a rough week of defections leading into the unofficial holiday.
25. UCLA
17 Verbal Commitments, 1 in the SI99
UCLA has made just about every ESP feature we've put together and a big Friday, adding running back Deshun Murrell, propelled the Bruins into the top 25 for the first time.
More from SI All-American
Signing Day Central: Live Blog Updates from SI All-American
Signing Day Behind the Scenes - SI99 QB Miller Moss
2021 Dream On-Field Matchups Series Part 1 | Part 2
SI All-American Candidate Donovan Edwards Commits to Michigan
--
Follow SI All-American's college football and basketball recruiting coverage here on SIAllAmerican.com as well as on social media, @SIAllAmerican on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and now on YouTube.