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Signing Day 2020: Winners and Losers

A busy signing day wraps up with the good and the bad around the country.

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The early signing period kicked off in wild fashion Wednesday, with everything from flips to re-commitments and everything in between, resulting in a perceptive scorecard for top college football programs coast to coast. 

SI All-American dishes out Wednesday's winners and losers as the dust settles on the busiest day of the year. 

Winners

Alabama: No surprise ‘Bama had another great Signing Day. The Crimson Tide blew out LSU on the field on Dec. 5 and picked on their SEC West rivals today. Head coach Nick Saban and his staff got things started right off the bat by flipping edge Keanu Koht. Then, Saban and his staff set their sights on another big prize leaning toward LSU: RB JoJo Earle. The Texan had appeared to be solid to the Tigers for quite some time, but Alabama put the press on him and was able to flip the versatile weapon from the Tigers. Earle gave the Tide 24 commitments, with 10 being inside the SI99, and was the final piece to surge Alabama past Ohio State for the SI All-American 2021 ESP recruiting title.

Georgia: UGA got another SI99 commitment today when LB Xavian Sorey, No. 2 at his position, announced in the afternoon he would be playing in Athens. While the Bulldogs didn’t get many additional surprises, Sorey is enough to make them a winner for today. Head coach Kirby Smart undoubtedly has the best incoming LB class from the 2021 cycle, with the nation’s top LB in Smael Mondon also joining Sorey, along with fellow SI99 LB James Dumas-Johnson and Chaz Chambliss, another quality prospect. With Smart being a defensive-minded coach, Georgia’s defense got even better today even as Deion Sanders and company plucked one from the bunch.

LSU: While LSU lost commitments from Koht and Earle, all was not bad in Baton Rouge today. Head coach Ed Orgeron flipped WR Malik Nabers from Mississippi State, landed CB Damarius McGhee and got a commitment in the evening from SI99 RB Armoni Goodwin. McGhee was previously pledged to Tennessee, while Goodwin previously decommitted from Auburn. Taking prospects from conference rivals is always a great thing, but the big news for LSU came late in the afternoon when SI99 IDL Maason Smith announced for the Tigers over Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Miami.

Miami: All cycle we knew Miami would be great on defense and keep plenty of in-state talent home like top 20 prospects Leonard Taylor and James Williams, but the question always reverted back to the quarterback position. It took longer than expected—even after the ‘announcement’ was to begin±but former USC commitment and current Loganville (Ga.) Grayson QB Jake Garcia indeed picked the Hurricanes over rival Florida State and Arkansas late in the game. He called The U “home” and looks to be the future of the position in Coral Gables to lock in the Canes’ top 10 class. Sure, a cornerback addition would have made the day near perfect, but we’re still calling it a win for Manny Diaz today. Garcia’s former program, USC, got its QB addition as well.

Ole Miss: 10 verbal commitments, now signees, in December is a wild ride in and of itself. The way Lane Kiffin attacked other programs, from Florida State and Tennessee before Wednesday, to Mississippi State the entire way—made it more impactful. Adding a top-10 nickel prospect in Markevious Brown to cap the day was a nice cherry on top, too, especially considering in the wee hours Wednesday morning he told SIAA he remained undecided. The Grove Report has you covered.  

UCLA: The Bruins didn’t roll into the ESP with a lot of public momentum but they would capture it throughout the day, beginning with the addition of Atlanta (Ga.) Marist defensive back Josh Moore, who had been committed to USC recently. UCLA then took it up a notch and into the SI99 ranks with the flip of longtime Michigan edge commitment Quintin Somerville and capped the head-turning run with the re-commitment of Devin Kirkwood. The local defensive back backed off of his UCLA commitment just nine days prior to the ESP with the crosstown Trojans holding all the knee-jerking buzz. The Bruins flipped Oregon pass rusher commitment Christian Burkhalter and Vanderbilt edge AJ Campbell days prior in what has been a banner Bruin week.

South Florida: Winning on signing day itself is about perception just as much as numbers, big flips and high school additions throughout the cycle. The Bulls actually lost the commitment of local standout Desmond Mamudi—the only prospect Jeff Scott and company have lost this cycle—but reeled in one of the hottest senior risers in the Sunshine State in wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. over all the Power 5 programs. But when it came to transfers, USF looks to have immediately upgraded its roster in Wednesday additions like former Miami quarterback Jarren Williams, Miami corner transfer Christian Williams and former Auburn wide receiver Matthew Hill.

Additional winners: Cal, Maryland, Virginia Tech, TCU, Michigan State, Jackson State

Losers

Florida: The Gators were technically able to keep IDL Tyreak Sapp away from Alabama and get him to sign, but they lost out on a few big fish to SEC rivals. LB Xavian Sorey chose Georgia over UF, DE Tunmise Adeleye opted for Texas A&M and IDL Maason Smith spurned the chance to play in Gainesville for LSU. Sorey and SI99 safety Terrion Arnold have been linked as a package deal, so with the former picking the Bulldogs, the Gators’ chances of landing Arnold in February also took a hit today. Perception of better Wednesdays in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, Athens, Oxford and maybe even Auburn don’t make it much better.

Tennessee: The Vols were victims of 10 total decommitments during this cycle, including losing S Edwin White on Tuesday. However, the most disappointing news was class headliner and SI99 EDGE Dylan Brooks opting not to sign his NLI with Tennessee on Signing Day. Brooks has been committed since April, so seeing him decide not to put pen to paper after being a long-time pledge has to sting for head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Auburn has been mentioned as a potential serious threat for Brooks, and him not making it official with Tennessee gives the Tigers time to hire a head coach and staff for Brooks to get to know before February 3. Fellow Alabamian Roc Taylor also didn’t sign.

Mississippi State: It’s been a tough stretch for MSU in terms of holding onto verbal commitments and the Bulldogs still have a respectable class, but the way it lost verbal commitments of late was a gut punch. Multiple prospects who had doubled-down on verbal commitments to Mike Leach and company bailed when it counted most. No doubt the loss of in-state star MJ Daniels, to Ole Miss no less, stung the most. But he wasn’t alone, as wideout Malike Nabers and junior college linebacker Navonteque Strong each opted for LSU. MSU suffered a half-dozen December decommitments in all. It did add Antonio Harmon, however.

Minnesota: Coming into Signing Day, Minnesota’s class was anchored by a pair of SI99 nickel prospects in Steven Ortiz Jr. and Avante Dickerson. Ortiz signed and sent in his NLI, but Dickerson announced earlier in the day that he would not be signing today. Instead, Dickerson will wait to sign in February, which is not a good sign for an incumbent school like the Gophers. In-state Nebraska is said to be making a big push for him, and his decision not to sign with Minnesota after being a long-time commit has only bought the Cornhuskers even more time to convince him to play in Lincoln.

Additional losers: Auburn, Florida State, Arizona State

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