The first day of the 2024 Early Signing Period featured its usual drama, and when the dust settled, some usual suspects had reason to celebrate on Wednesday.
Although the hard work for most of the class has been completed over the past six months, there were still a number of big misses, delayed decisions and surprises at National Signing Day in December.
The two top recruits were able to add more top talent to their classes, while Mario Cristobal continues to act as a closer when it's time to put pen to paper.
Here's a breakdown of the early signing phase's biggest winners:
The rich got richer on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs started the day with 27 appearances and one important goal. At lunchtime Kirby Smart Not only had the country's No. 1 recruiting class locked up with 27 signees, but he also added a 5-star icing on the cake, turning around the country's No. 1 safety KJ Bolden away from Florida State.
Georgia finished with 22 blue-chip prospects – by far the most in the country. The class includes the No. 1 corner in the country Ellis RobinsonLinebacker No. 1 Justin WilliamsNo. 3 linebacker Chris ColeNo. 4 tight end Jaden Reddell and traffic jam #2 Nathaniel Frazier. They also awarded the best (and largest) OL haul (six signees).
The Crimson Tide started with a chance to push Georgia to the No. 1 spot in the class, and even though that attempt failed, Nick Sabans The program still had a banner day.
On Monday, 4-star Jayshawn Ross committed to the Tide, and then Nick Saban & Co. went on a mini-Flip Mas tour, poaching commits from Miami and Texas. The Longhorns' 4-star athlete Aeryn Hampton switched his commitment from Texas to the Tide, and then top-100 tailback Kevin Riley transferred from Miami to Alabama.
Alabama wasn't done yet either, bringing in Canadian Steve Mboumoua, a 4-star defenseman from Quebec.
The Tide finished the day with 25 commits, including 19 blue-chip prospects. Their impressive group includes 5-star quarterback Julian Sayin and 5-star corner Jaylen Mbakwe. They also remain in position to sign 4-star corner Zay Mincey, who will not announce his decision until January 6th.
The Hurricanes have now stacked back-to-back top-10 finishes Mario Cristobal He was charged late again and committed several rollovers this week. Miami added 4-star starter Jordan Lyle from Ohio State University on Monday, and the Canes swooped on UF's class for blue-chip linebacker Adarius Hayes.
While Miami lost Riley to Alabama, the biggest news of the day for the Canes was the return of 5-star defenseman Armondo Blount in the 11th hour of play. Blount, a Miami Central (Florida) standout, was a former Miami player who later committed to rival Florida State. But Cristobal and the rest of Miami's staff never left Blount, who committed to The U on Wednesday night, behind.
With Blount in Miami's class, he joins newcomers Justin Scott (a 5-star DL from Chicago), Marquise Lightfoot, Artavius Jones and others as among the best defensive players of any program in the 2024 cycle.
The Ducks didn't make quite as much of a splash on National Signing Day as they did a year ago, but Dan Lanning still heavily closed.
They held on to strong 4-star offensive tackle Jac'Qawn McRoy after a late Colorado push and knocked off 4-star wideout Jeremiah McClellan from Ohio State and 4-star wideout Ryan Pellum from USC.
Oregon is also the favorite to beat Washington and USC for 4-star defensive tackle Jericho Johnson – a potential first fifth blue-chip DL/EDGE in the class.
Following the lead of his mentors Kirby Smart and Nick Saban, Dan Lanning focused on defense in the 2024 cycle, prioritizing defensive linemen, edge rushers and corners. Notable signees include Edge Elijah Rushingdefensive tackle Aydin IrelandJUCO corner Sione Laura and security Aaron Flowers.
Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in the country, was the head coach Ryan Day on the brink, but Ohio State was able to withstand Miami's attack late into the night and keep the 5-star prospect on the field. Smith called Ohio State University's track record of producing NFL receivers the deciding factor, telling reporters he made up his mind in the “last two minutes” before making his announcement.
Merely Smith's “announcement” was just a harbinger of more drama to come, as Smith didn't sign his NLI contract until after 10 p.m. on Wednesday and reportedly made sure his NLI contract with the Buckeyes collective was put in writing.
Although they had to wait a little longer than they hoped, this was a huge deal for Ohio State. Earlier in the day, the mere idea of good news re: Smith Day literally sent him to his knees and into a feigned faint at his Signing Day press conference.
In another big move, the Buckeyes also beat Alabama by adding 5-star defensive back Eddrick Houston from Buford (Ga.). With Smith and Houston officially in, Ohio State added four 5-star signees to its No. 3 overall class – the most in the country.