National Signing Day: Latest on unsigned Rivals100 prospects
The first day of the Early Signing Period has come and gone, and 11 Rivals100 prospects remain unsigned going into Thursday.
Here's the skinny on each recruitment heading forward.
*****
NSD VIDEO INTERVIEWS: Stanford's Troy Taylor | Rutgers' Greg Schiano | Maryland's Mike Locksley | Florida State's Mike Norvell | USF's Alex Golesh | Michigan State's Mel Tucker | Louisville's Jeff Brohm | Illinois' Bret Bielema | Virginia Tech's Brent Pry | Wisconsin's Luke Fickell | Clemson's Dabo Swinney | Georgia Tech's Brent Key | Cal's Justin Wilcox | Nebraska's Matt Rhule | Indiana's Tom Allen | Penn State's James Franklin | Texas Tech's Joey McGuire | Arizona's Jedd Fisch | Virginia's Tony Elliott | Florida's Billy Napier | Kansas' Lance Leipold | Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham | Vanderbilt's Clark Lea
MORE NSD: Winners and losers | Ten big flips and misses | National Signing Day Live | Studio Show
*****
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Message board | Transfer ranking | Transfer Tracker
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
*****
In what could be tabbed as the surprise of the day, Lakeland (Fla.) five-star cornerback Cormani McClain did not show up to sign with Miami on Wednesday, and the suspense has only built in the hours since.
Colorado has been in contact with the five-star, and Florida has been in the thick of the recruitment from the jump.
*****
The plan all along for Katy (Texas) Paetow five-star David Hicks Jr. was to sign on Friday, the last day of the signing period, but new intel suggests that Hicks could get it over with on Thursday.
I still like Hicks to sign with Texas A&M, but Oklahoma has remained in contact throughout his recruitment, and the Sooners were in-home with the five-star last week. Oregon is a major threat as well, but distance has been a major factor in regards to the Ducks.
*****
In what has easily been the most topsy-turvy recruitment of the 2023 cycle, Denton (Texas) Guyer five-star safety Peyton Bowen seemingly made his final decision on Wednesday afternoon when he flipped from Notre Dame to Oregon, but his letter of intent has not been delivered to Eugene, and sources have told Rivals that he is in communication with both Oklahoma and Notre Dame this evening.
My gut feeling is that a resolution won't come on Wednesday night, but this recruitment has erased any sort of element of surprise.
*****
Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy five-star cornerback Desmond Ricks will make his decision on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET, and the signs are pointing towards LSU locking in a second five-star defensive back.
Alabama and Florida remain in contact with less than 24 hours to go until his decision.
*****
Phoenix Pinnacle five-star tight end Duce Robinson will be signing in February as Georgia, Texas and USC will fight down the stretch for the nation's top tight end.
USC has the momentum going into the final stretch, but Georgia has been a steady player. Meanwhile, Arch Manning has been driving the Texas angle hard as well.
*****
Washington D.C., Archbishop Carroll five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor will also be signing in February as South Carolina, Maryland and Michigan have been the programs that have hosted Harbor for official visits, and it is expected that LSU, Miami and USC are also in the mix.
Maryland and Michigan have been doing great work in this recruitment as of late, but other visits in January could help determine the conclusion.
*****
Jacksonville (Fla.) Westside four-star defensive tackle Jordan Hall will make his decision on Thursday, and all signs point toward Georgia landing a solid Early Signing Period signature.
*****
Montgomery (Ala.) Catholic four-star all-purpose back Jeremiah Cobb did not sign with Auburn on Wednesday as he plans to sign with his teammates in February.
While there is initially no concern from the Auburn camp on him delaying, the door is still open for other schools to come in with a letter not signed.
*****
Folsom (Calif.) four-star tight end Walker Lyons is planning on signing in February after pulling his longtime Stanford pledge in late November following the retiring of David Shaw. However, Lyons returned to Stanford recently and is keeping the Cardinal in the mix.
Utah and USC are also contenders to keep one of the region's top tight ends in the area.
*****
Planning on signing in February, Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant is taking a hard look at a trio of Pac-12 schools in Oregon, UCLA and USC.
One of the speediest defensive backs in the country, Pleasant's visits in the month of January will help guide his final decision in February.