With National Signing Day (now known as the Late Signing Period) in the books almost every Rivals250 prospect is now signed. So, it’s time for the Gorney Awards.
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STAYING ALIVE AWARD
In the days leading up to the February signing day it became clear that five-star tight end Duce Robinson was not going to sign. This could go a while longer as the Phoenix Pinnacle standout decides between Georgia and USC – with Oregon and Texas still in there. Complicating the matter is that Robinson is also expected to be taken in the MLB Draft and then will have to figure out what’s best for his bright future.
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FLIPPING OUT AWARD
Stanford lost two commitments on Wednesday in three-star running back LJ Martin (to BYU) and three-star DL Cameron Brandt (to Michigan), but this award goes to four-star defensive tackle Kendrick Gilbert, who finally made the flip from Purdue to Kentucky.
For months, the Indianapolis Cathedral standout was involved with the Wildcats but nothing ever came of it – until Wednesday, when he went to the SEC school.
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DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT AWARD
The conventional thinking was that Rodrick Pleasant was going to be like so many other top Gardena (Calif.) Serra prospects and head to USC after looking at other schools. The theory was that any rumors of Oregon were just a smokescreen for something that seemed so obvious – that Pleasant was going up the road to USC.
But Pleasant wins this award for surprising so many and leaving home to play for the Ducks. It’s a huge recruiting win for coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
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YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY AWARD
Michael and Andrew Harris are twin brothers. You know how that goes, right? The odds were they were definitely going to play together in college. But as Wednesday dragged on and some things were happening behind the scenes, Andrew Harris ended up signing with UCF and Michael Harris went to Maryland.
It was a stunning turn of events, since so many expected the twins to stick together, whether that was down the road with the Knights or with the Terrapins. It didn’t work out that way.
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SURPRISE, SURPRISE AWARD
Walker Lyons had gone dark in recent weeks – not talking to many people about his recruitment, not providing the usual updates – and it looked like signing day was going to come and go with no news from the four-star tight end.
But the Folsom, Calif., standout had another idea as he chose USC over Georgia, Utah and Stanford on Wednesday, giving coach Lincoln Riley yet another weapon in his offense.
It’s a huge win for the Trojans, since the Bulldogs were making such a concerted push for Lyons, who will serve a Mormon mission first.
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BLOCKBUSTER AWARD
The biggest news of the day came from Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll, where five-star tight end Nyckoles Harbor stood in his school’s gym and announced that South Carolina was going to win in his recruitment. He had taken a late visit to Oregon, and the Ducks pushed hard, as did Maryland, but his longstanding relationship with coach Shane Beamer and others in Columbia won out.
To make this even more interesting, Beamer said on the Rivals Signing Day Show that Harbor texted him around 3 a.m. Wednesday with not-so-positive news. But by midday things were shored up and the Gamecocks landed him.
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EARLY BIRD AWARD
Ellis Robinson did not need to wait until the class of 2024’s signing day to announce his decision. He’s a year ahead of the game. The four-star cornerback from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, who is finishing up his junior year, committed to Georgia over Alabama and many others on Wednesday. His pledge adds to an already-loaded Bulldogs class that has 10 pledges in 2024.
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EARLY BIRD II AWARD
Austin Mack also needed no more time. The 2024 three-star quarterback from Folsom, Calif., had taken a couple visits to Washington, sat down with coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, saw what Michael Penix Jr. did there last season and decided it was time to get it over with.
Stanford also made a serious run at Mack – and things got more interesting when former Folsom coach Troy Taylor got the Cardinal job – but he loved the Huskies’ offense too much to turn them down.
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END OF THE ROAD AWARD
Jaden Rashada’s recruitment took a very winding road. It started with a commitment to Miami, then there was a flip to Florida and an NIL dispute that led to the four-star quarterback being released from his letter of intent.
Over the last few weeks, Arizona State and TCU emerged as the frontrunners. The Sun Devils and first-year coach Kenny Dillingham won out for the talented four-star QB.
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DON'T GO UNNOTICED AWARD
Jonathan Davis was not on many radars, even through his senior season, but in recent weeks Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas and others got involved with the high three-star defensive tackle from Monticello (Miss.) Lawrence County star.
On signing day, Davis chose the Bulldogs, and he could follow in the line of many other in-state star defensive linemen in Starkville. Davis could end up being one of the biggest sleepers in the class, and Mississippi State landed him.
