National Signing Day is in the books so it’s time for another edition of the Gorney Awards. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney hands out some hardware.
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NO FUSS
Devin Sanchez committed to Ohio State in January and then shut down his recruitment. No other visits. No NIL chasing around the country. No games. The five-star cornerback stayed true to the Buckeyes, helped recruit for one of the top classes in the country and down the stretch gave no indication whatsoever that he was looking at anyone else.
After his pledge, in many ways his recruitment was a piece of cake.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE
Leading up to National Signing Day, the word was if five-star cornerback Na’eem Offord flipped his Ohio State pledge it would be to stay home and go to Auburn. But after a long, drawn-out ceremony at Birmingham (Ala.) Parker, Offord showed a video and announced for Oregon, which had been trailing in his recruitment. It was a major surprise for a recruitment that had been closely watched in the final days.
SAVE THE DRAMA
There was a time during the fall where it felt like DJ Pickett could make his recruitment even more interesting as Miami and Florida made serious runs at the five-star safety but as it got closer to signing day – save for the reporter paranoia – Pickett did as he said: He signed with LSU.
His signing day ceremony wasn’t a lengthy borefest, either. He sat down with an LSU shirt on, signed the papers and wrapped it up. That’s that.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE II
One wonders when the momentum really started sliding back in Notre Dame’s favor for four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo. The way this one played out was that the Irish were the leader through the summer and early fall but the San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic standout just wouldn’t commit.
Then in the last month or so, USC made a huge push and it looked like coming out of last weekend, the Trojans would land him. A Notre Dame source even told me it was looking like USC.
Then all of a sudden, Wednesday morning arrives, USC’s linebacker coach Matt Entz takes the Fresno State job and hours later, Faraimo is committed to ND.
BEST DRAMA
Would it be Michigan? Would it be Texas A&M? Would it be back to Florida State? Would Syracuse or even Pitt where he visited a few weeks ago be able to swing it? In the end, Javion Hilson picked Missouri after a last-second visit to Columbia even when the Tigers weren’t given much of a shot.
RETURN TO SENDER
Dallas Wilson committed to Oregon in January 2023. Historically, those really early commitments from players who live across the country don’t last. But the four-star receiver from Tampa (Fla.) Tampa Bay Tech bucked the trend and stuck with the Ducks even after a significant push from Florida and others down the stretch.
If anything, Wilson sticking speaks to his admiration of the Oregon program and the Ducks’ national reach.
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Linkon Cure, the four-star tight end from Goodland, Kan., who could be the best at his position nationally, committed to Kansas State on July 1. But Cure kept itching to get back to Oregon for a game this season and after a snowstorm stalled those plans late in the season, Cure figured out a way to get to Eugene for the finale against Washington. That usually means a flip is coming and while the Ducks absolutely made this one so close in the final hours, the Kansas kid decided to stick with Kansas State.
STAND BY YOUR MAN
There is literal meaning in this award for five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi, who stuck with Oklahoma on signing day even though Texas was reportedly putting a huge NIL package together for him.
The word leading into Wednesday was that if Oklahoma position coach Bill Bedenbaugh was there, then Fasusi would stick with the Sooners. That held true even though the Longhorns and Texas A&M didn’t give up until the end.
HURRY UP AND WAIT
Five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. did not sign on Wednesday and that was the big news story but the word is that Tennessee doesn’t have anything to worry about. But there is always some angst until the paperwork is signed as the family might just be looking over the NIL language one more time before getting it done with the Vols.
Still, Ohio State lingers and Sanders is not signed, so this will be one to watch.
HURRY UP AND WAIT II
Justus Terry planned a signing ceremony for Friday once all the dust clears from Wednesday and the spotlight could be completely on him but many still fully expect he signs with Georgia and just wants to do it in front of a big crowd in his hometown of Manchester, Ga.
This recruitment has taken a really, really interesting turn though in the last few days as the word is Texas is putting together a big NIL package for him and now that the Longhorns missed on Fasusi, could they double down on Terry?
FLIPPING OUT
Jayvan Boggs was committed to Ohio State. Then he was committed to Missouri. Then he was committed to UCF and it looked like his recruitment was over. But then UCF coach Gus Malzahn up and leaves to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State and the four-star receiver from Cocoa, Fla., is without a head coach steamrolling into signing day.
So Boggs yet again opened up his recruitment and signed with the Seminoles on Wednesday to finish off a wild recruitment.
CAN LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT
Since 2011, only two No. 1 players in the state of Louisiana rankings have not gone to LSU and those two were Landon Collins (whose mom threw a fit that he didn’t pick the Tigers) and Arch Manning.
Now there is a third, as five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart picked USC over the Tigers despite taking a mid-week visit last week to Baton Rouge. LSU had history on its side but Stewart said from Day 1 that he wasn’t afraid to leave the state – and he meant it.
