Published Dec 17, 2023
Rivals Roundtable: Looking ahead to National Signing Day
Adam Friedman, John Garcia, Adam Gorney
Rivals.com

National Signing Day is just days away and the next week is sure to be full of twists and turns as prospects around the country announce their final college decisions and put pen to paper.

The national analyst team – Adam Friedman, John Garcia Jr. and Adam Gorney – sit down at the Rivals Roundtable and discuss.

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1. Which program will be the biggest surprise by the end of NSD on Wednesday?

Friedman: Miami has so many irons in the fire right now that they'll be a surprising team regardless of whether the outcomes are positive or negative for the Hurricanes. Five-star Florida State commit Armondo Blount seems like he's on the verge of flipping back to Miami. Longtime Rivals250 running back commit Kevin Riley might be trending away from Miami but Rivals250 Ohio State commit Jordan Lyle could flip to the Hurricanes. Rivals250 Florida commit Adarius Hayes and four-star Wisconsin commit Xavier Lucas could end up signing with the Hurricanes. Miami is also working hard to try to flip Rivals250 No. 1 prospect Jeremiah Smith away from Ohio State. At this rate, there could be even more twists and turns by the time Signing Day is finished.

Garcia: Miami is on a roll ahead of signing day, but there should be plenty of pro-Hurricane fireworks come Wednesday. Five-star defensive end Armondo Blount was at Miami over the weekend and a potential flip back to the Hurricanes, after initially flipping from UM to Florida State, looks all but imminent. It won't be the only blue-chipper or only flip for The U over the coming days, either. The Canes are in play for Ohio State running back commitment Jordan Lyle, Florida linebacker pledge Adarius Hayes and Wisconsin secondary verbal Xavier Lucas, each of whom also took an official visit to Coral Gables over the weekend. Other names are also in play, both to and potential from Miami with a top commit like running back Kevin Riley visiting local Alabama, so it looks like few programs will have as much late movement as Mario Cristobal's program.

Gorney: It's never a surprise when Alabama does well in recruiting but there's a chance the Crimson Tide could move right to the top of the team recruiting rankings again if everything goes well. Multiple four-stars including Zavier Mincey, Jayshawn Ross, Solomon Williams and potentially others could jump on board. There is also a very good chance that Alabama lands high three-star OL Favour Edwin. If Alabama closes with everybody, the Crimson Tide could shoot right back to No. 1 in the country and coach Nick Saban's recruiting dominance will only continue.

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2. Which program's fans should be most nervous right now about NSD?

Friedman: Florida and Ohio State fans should be on the edge of their seats right now. Billy Napier and company could be on the verge of watching their recruiting class collapse. Almost all of their eight Rivals250 commits have been looking at their options. It would be shocking to see the Gators hold onto all of them. Xavier Filsaime and Amaris Williams seem more likely to sign elsewhere than with Florida. Ohio State is dealing with the daily drama of holding onto No. 1 overall prospect Jeremiah Smith and five-star commit Eddrick Houston took a previously unannounced official visit to Alabama this weekend. It seems likely that Rivals250 running back commit could end up signing with Miami and receiver commit Jeremiah McClellan could be worth keeping an eye on.

Garcia: Many programs are poised to lose at least one pledge down the home stretch, but Florida is one that could continue to see defections after suffering through a few since the end of the season. Top commitments like five-star quarterback DJ Lagway and fellow blue-chippers Xavier Filsaime, Adarius Hayes, Amaris Williams and LJ McCray are all being pursued heavily by national players. Lagway has seen a rush of new coaching staff in his native Texas trying to keep him home, including Mike Elko's at Texas A&M. Filsaime spent the weekend at Texas and Hayes was at Miami just days before signing day. Williams and McCray made trips elsewhere the weekend prior, each to Auburn coincidentally, with Williams trending to the program having canceled a last-weekend trip to Georgia. It's an understatement to say Florida fans should be in maintenance mode with its commitments as pen meets paper.

Gorney: Ohio State is definitely one to watch. There has been so much chatter about five-star receiver Jeremiah Smith as he makes his final choice whether to stick with the Buckeyes or flip to Florida State or Miami but then news broke over the weekend that five-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston is at Alabama this weekend. On top of that, there is a pretty decent chance four-star running back Jordan Lyle flips to Miami and four-star receiver Jeremiah McClellan is also one to watch since Missouri and others have been pushing as well. If the Buckeyes can dodge all those bullets, it will be a really good day for them.

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3. Who has been the most entertaining prospect to cover during this recruiting cycle?

Friedman: It's been great following Florida State Rivals250 receiver commit Elijah Moore throughout the process. Having met him when he was just finishing his freshman season, Moore is a prospect I was excited about before his recruitment really got started. We ranked him as a four-star close to the beginning of the rankings cycle and he's gotten better and better throughout the remainder of his high school career. Moore brings a competitive and fun attitude to the practice field, camp setting, and game environment.

Garcia: Jason Zandamela finished the year as the top-ranked offensive center recruit, a far cry from where he was when we began covering his recruitment as a raw underclassman playing tackle on Friday nights shortly after moving to the United States. The Zimbabwean has a personality larger than his listed 6-foot-3, 286-pound frame, witty and honest about everything from his inexperience through the intricacies of the recruiting process. On the field, he wouldn't back down from any level of competition, year-round, as he matured into a top interior talent. On top of that, the USC commitment would lift up his teammates as much as he liked to get after it himself. After he earned an invite to the Under Armour All-America Game at a camp in the spring, Zandamela stopped in the middle of our interview with him to celebrate a one-on-one reception in the end zone for teammate Khalid Campbell.

Gorney: David Stone has been awesome. He's been around for years but still loves to compete, still loves to talk it up off the field and for someone in my business, that's great. He's open for stories, sitting down and doing a podcast, talking often on social media and it's easy to see that Stone just absolutely loves the whole football scene. The five-star defensive lineman should be great at Oklahoma because he has a real and true passion for the sport and that's half the battle sometimes.