Early Signing Day winners: Oregon, Texas among others.

Some teams have really impressed on early signing day while others not so much

Author:
Kevin Borba
Publish date:
Dec 21, 2022 3:32 PM EST

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Early signing day is like Christmas before actual Christmas for college football fans, as people all across the country have their hopes and dreams greatly impacted by the decision of an 17/18 year old.

Programs all over are hoping to keep their recruiting class in tact while also possibly poaching a recruit or two from other schools. Oregon has easily had the best day thus far, nabbing a new quarterback to replace Five-star Dante Moore, while also adding two five-stars on the defensive side of the ball.

With all of the craziness going on, it may be hard to decipher who is actually doing well on this early signing day, so I will highlight the five programs that absolutely won early signing day.

Oregon

The Ducks have made noise today, as they have really put together an excellent class. They were able to flip four-star quarterback Austin Novosad from Baylor, and were also able to land five-star EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei over Ohio State and USC, while also adding five-star safety Peyton Bowen who was committed to Notre Dame and held Oklahoma crystal ball predictions. The Ducks class has catapulted in the top-10 as they are currently at No. 8, and it wouldn't surprise me if they keep ascending up the ranks.

Texas

Anytime you can sign all of your commits on early signing day it should be considered a win. Not only did Texas not suffer from any flipping casualties, but they also were able to bring in the No. 4 class in the country that features three players ranked as the No. 1 recruit at their position. Their class is of course headlined by the No. 1 recruit in the country in five-star quarterback Arch Manning. Steve Sarkisian continues to trend upwards in Austin.

Alabama

It can't really be a list of winners and not mention the program that holds the No. 1 class in the country. This shouldn't come as a surprise if you have had a pulse and have even remotely tracked college football this past decade, as Alabama's worst class since 2018 came in at No. 5. Nick Saban was not pleased with his team this year, and emphasized that better connections need to be built in order to sustain success. He has been able to snag some huge players in the trenches, nabbing commits from a duo of teammates and five-star defensive linemen. They also were able to flip a five-star offensive tackle in Kadyn Proctor from Iowa, who could start immediately. Something that will also be overlooked, but catches my attention is the fact that they signed the two top JUCO recruits in the country, one of them being a receiver which as we saw this year is a huge need.

Auburn

Hugh Freeze has hit the ground running in his short time at Auburn, as the Tigers currently holding the No. 20 class in the country. They were able to flip who is now their highest rated signee in four-star Keldric Faulk from Florida State, and were also able to steal four-star Kayin Lee from Ohio State. Similar to Alabama, they have dipped into the JUCO pool effectively, getting a boost on both sides of the trenches.

Florida State

Seminole fans are likely still having flashbacks to last year's signing day when Travis Hunter flipped to Jackson State at the last second. However, they landed an elite five-star receiver in Hykeem Williams that actually turned down Deion Sanders, who gave him a call before he signed. They got their quarterback of the future in Elite 11 participant Brock Glenn, and while they did lose a recruit to Auburn, they also signed one of if not the best transfer classes in the country.