Sting Factor: The biggest stings from National Signing Day
National Signing Day means a lot of the top prospects in the country make their decisions and because of that other schools feel the sting. Here is the National Signing Day Sting Factor of the biggest from Wednesday’s busy day.
MORE NATIONAL SIGNING DAY: Winners and losers | Grading the new Power Five coaches | Ten biggest flips | The Gorney awards | Travis Hunter spurns Florida State, signs with Jackson State | Breaking down team rankings | Where will Deion's next job be? | How teams announced their signees | Top 10 storylines of Late Signing Period | Ten best still available
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Travis Hunter to Jackson State
Who it stings: Florida State
Why: This one explains itself. But for those who didn't follow, Hunter pulled off the biggest stunner in Rivals history dating back to 2002 when the No. 1 overall player and five-star athlete flipped his commitment from Florida State to Jackson State on National Signing Day.
To make it worse, it was an FSU legend Deion Sanders that can be credited (or blamed, if you're an FSU fan) for pulling off the feat as Prime Time is now coaching Jackson State.
If without the Deion factor, though, this stings severely. Hunter had been committed to the Seminoles since March 2020, had developed such a strong relationship with the FSU staff and in the days leading up to Wednesday gave no hint this was happening.
There was always rumors he would flip to Georgia but never to Jackson State although there was one nugget that made this extra interesting. Sometime during Hunter's recruitment he said he wanted to be the next Deion Sanders.
Everybody just thought he meant at Florida State, not playing for the man himself at Jackson State.
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Shemar James to Florida
Who it stings: Georgia, Alabama
Why? When James decommitted from Florida this fall it looked like the Gators would be out of his recruitment, especially when coach Dan Mullen was not retained things looked dire for them. Alabama and Georgia started to battle for the five-star linebacker but then the Crimson Tide started slowing down at the end and Florida’s new coaching staff made him a big priority again. He recommitted to Florida as the Gators beat out some other SEC heavyweights.
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Marvin Jones, Jr. to Georgia
Who it stings: Alabama, Florida State
Why? The battle for Jones went down to the wire, back-and-forth between his top contenders and he was legitimately torn leading up to his decision. This felt like Alabama or Georgia until the end with Florida State also in there but after his late visit to Athens and seeing the opportunities there, the Bulldogs won out.
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Kiyaunta Goodwin to Kentucky
Who it stings: Michigan State
Why? Goodwin has been committed to Kentucky since April and the Wildcats held onto his commitment but this one was so close in the final hours. One source told me hours before signing day that Goodwin was going back and forth and that it would go down to decision time where the massive offensive lineman decided to stick with the Wildcats instead of flipping to Michigan State, his other finalist.
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Kamari Wilson to Florida
Who it stings: Georgia
Why? For months, if not longer, it felt like Georgia was by far the team to beat for Wilson and there’s no real argument other than the four-star safety doesn’t talk to reporters much and maybe things were going on behind the scenes. But the new staff at Florida got Wilson to visit right before National Signing Day and convinced him it would be the right spot. Originally an in-state prospect even before transferring to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, Wilson must have agreed.
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Shazz Preston to Alabama
Who it stings: LSU
Why? New LSU coach Brian Kelly could have made a major statement about keeping top talent home by getting Preston to sign but Alabama landed him and kept four-star receiver Aaron Anderson in the fold. Kelly is still transitioning into the job but losing Preston to the Crimson Tide hurts as the new coach in Baton Rouge looks to rebuild LSU into a national power. This one was tough, though, since Alabama seemingly led for some time here.
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Anthony Lucas to Texas A&M
Who it stings: Alabama, Notre Dame
Why? Leading up to his decision, the Crimson Tide slowed on Lucas leaving Texas A&M and Notre Dame as the likely landing spots as education was a major factor in his decision-making process. The Aggies are putting the final touches on an outstanding recruiting class and Lucas was a big piece since he could be one of the best defensive ends in this class. Alabama and Notre Dame made a run but it wasn’t meant to be.
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Kam Dewberry to Texas A&M
Who it stings: Texas, Oklahoma
Why? Texas gave it a shot but as National Signing Day approached it became clear that Texas A&M was by far the front-runner in Dewberry's recruitment. Oklahoma was also there among others throughout his recruitment but it sort of came down to Texas and Texas A&M and when the Longhorns trailed off the decision was not a surprise.
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Zion Branch to USC
Who it stings: Ohio State, Oklahoma
Why? Until Lincoln Riley was hired at USC, it didn’t even look like the Trojans were a serious competitor in Branch’s recruitment and Ohio State held the lead. But after Riley came on board and then the four-star defensive back from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman took a late visit to USC it started to become clear that the Trojans were going to win out. Oklahoma was in his top three but after the coaching change there it was probably a stretch that the Sooners would land him.
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Azareyeh Thomas to Florida State
Who it stings: Florida, Georgia Tech, LSU
Why? Thomas’ recruitment was one of the more intriguing ones down the stretch because of coaching changes, his brother leaving Georgia Tech for the NFL Draft and other things that happened out of his control. All along, Florida State remained involved in his recruitment and after a final weekend visit to Tallahassee, the Seminoles won out for his commitment. It was a big win that might not have happened without other changes around the country.