NSD: 10 signings that stung
With so many big-name prospects making final decisions during Wednesday’s National Signing Day, both coaches and fans alike woke up with major hopes and dreams. By the time the final letters trickled in at the end of the night, some of the same coaches and fans were celebrating, while others felt the sting of being scorned at the last minute by top targets.
With the major portion of the Early Signing Period over, we take a look at 10 prospects whose signings stung for particular opposing programs that missed out on landing prime targets.
MORE: The Farrell Awards | Mind of Mike | Top 10 flips on NSD | What's left to watch for in Early Signing Period | Biggest surprises | Breaking down team rankings | How every Power Five school announced signings | NSD blog | Rivals studio show
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
1. Jordan Burch to South Carolina
Who it stings: Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Alabama
Why: While Burch has yet to actually send in his letter-of-intent, he made his commitment public on Wednesday on national TV and chose the Gamecocks over a host of other top programs.
What makes his pledge so sting-worthy is that none of the parties involved knew where he was going and all felt varying degrees of confidence. Burch had long flirted with Georgia and even took his last visit to Athens just prior to the dead period. Clemson also made sense because of the program’s tradition of developing defensive linemen, and Alabama and LSU both made compelling pitches to Burch as well.
Instead, all were left empty-handed as Burch picked the Gamecocks, marking one of the biggest recruiting victories of the Will Muschamp era. Now, the question is whether or not Burch will follow through and send in his LOI or open the door for the spurned parties to take another shot at him.
2. Justin Flowe to Oregon
Why: Flowe is exactly the type of prospect USC historically lands, especially considering his affinity for the program growing up. But for some reason the relationship between the two sides never developed and despite a last-minute push from the Trojans (and plenty of rumors that he would end up staying close to home), Flowe signed with Oregon on Wednesday.
The Ducks continue to beat out the Trojans for top California prospects, but given Flowe’s outstanding talent and status as one of the nation’s top overall talents this one really hurts. Miami had felt good after hosting Flowe for an official visit last month but fell behind the Ducks down the stretch. After saving a spot for Flowe in the class, the Canes will be scrambling to find a replacement at linebacker.
3. Arian Smith to Georgia
Who it stings: Alabama
Why: Smith had been a lean toward Georgia for quite some time, but Alabama made a strong late push, hoping to sell the success that the team’s receiving corps has had over the past few years. But Smith elected to sign with the Bulldogs, giving Kirby Smart yet another big recruiting victory over his mentor Nick Saban.
It’s not like Smith makes or breaks Alabama’s class, but he was someone that the staff really liked and now he will be someone that they will more than likely have to play against down the road.
4. Donell Harris sticks with Texas A&M
Who it stings: Florida
Why: This is a rough one for the Gators as they appeared to be poised to flip Harris away from Texas A&M all the way up until Wednesday morning. That’s when word started to circulate that the Aggies had swung things back in their favor and Harris would indeed be sticking with his commitment.
But when it came time to reveal his choice, Harris revealed a Florida sweatshirt, only to take it off and toss it aside to show a Texas A&M shirt underneath. While Aggies fans loved the way the stunt came off, it was a major blow on a day full of them for Florida fans.
5. CJ Stroud to Ohio State
Who it stings: Georgia
Why: With the possibility of quarterback Jake Fromm entering the draft still on the table and the rather thin quarterback depth the Bulldogs have on the roster, adding Stroud to go with longtime commit Carson Beck was high on the signing day wish list.
Some around the Georgia program felt confident Stroud would come to Athens for the chance to replace Fromm, either in 2020 or 2021. Instead, he’s headed to Columbus, where he will likely compete to replace quarterback Justin Fields in 2021. The late addition was big for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, but it was also a blow to Georgia, which could look to the transfer portal for quarterback depth, depending on what Fromm decides.
6. Morven Joseph to Tennessee
Who it stings: Florida, Florida State
Why: Joseph had a roller coaster of a recruitment, having already committed to both Florida and Florida State. Heading into Wednesday’s announcement, both the Gators and the Vols felt good about their chances to reel him back in once and for all.
But the Vols pulled off the surprise, stealing Joseph away from the rival Gators and dealing new Seminoles coach Mike Norvell one of his few losses on Wednesday. Joseph should be a good fit in Tennessee’s scheme, and now the Gators will have to square off against their former target once a year in SEC play.
7. Myles Slusher to Arkansas
Who it stings: Nebraska, Oregon
Why: While Oregon had hoped to hold on to longtime commit Myles Slusher on Wednesday, the writing had been on the wall for a flip for some time. But after coming off an excellent season, it’s pretty surprising to see the Ducks lose a prospect to Arkansas, even if the Hogs have a new coaching staff. The same can be said for Nebraska, which felt very confident about the chance to land Slusher when the day started on Wednesday. Instead, it was new Arkansas coach Sam Pittman doing the celebrating as he beat out two notable coaches to land the four-star defender.
8. Tyler Baron to Tennessee
Who it stings: Kentucky
Why: Despite the fact that Baron’s father works in the Tennessee recruiting department, Kentucky pulled out all the stops to convince him to head north to Lexington instead of staying close to home with the Vols. And the longer Baron’s process dragged out the more it looked like the Wildcats had a chance.
But when Baron got on the stage at his high school on Wednesday to reveal his decision, it was for the Vols, marking one of the few misses for Kentucky on Wednesday. The Wildcats still have quite the haul along the defensive line, but considering the effort put into Baron, it stings to see him go to a division rival.
9. EJ Smith to Stanford
Who it stings: Texas A&M, Florida
Why: The son of NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, EJ pulled off quite a surprise when he spurned his father’s alma mater as well as in-state school Texas A&M to head west to Stanford. The Cardinal have always been quietly confident about their chances to land Smith, but a late push from Florida and the chance to fill a hole at Texas A&M made it seem unlikely that Stanford would pull the upset.
But when he made his pick on Wednesday he followed in the footsteps of another son of a former great, Barry Sanders Jr., and elected to sign with the Cardinal. Since the Gators were late-comers, this one doesn’t sting as much for them, and the blow for Texas A&M could be softened if the Aggies are able to land five-star Zachary Evans when he announces a commitment next month.
10. Sam Brown to West Virginia
Why: This one didn’t get the same type of attention as some of the other major commitments on Wednesday, but all signs had the one-time UCF commit headed to Florida after the Gators put on the full-court press over the past month.
Instead of heading south to Gainesville, Brown announced for West Virginia, giving the Mountaineers a major addition at a position of need. While Florida has plenty of talent at wide receiver, the Gators staff coveted Brown, so losing him hurts. The same goes for UCF, which had him committed for months and saw him snatched away at the last minute.