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One of the wildest weeks in college football is upon us, as the early signing period for 2023 starts Wednesday and runs through Friday.
We’ve already seen a flurry of flipped commitments and notable moves in the transfer portal, but Wednesday’s national signing day is when it gets really interesting, as high school prospects declare their choices.
While a handful of recruits will wait to announce in the traditional February window, the early signing period is where the bulk of the action happens nowadays and one that often leads to fireworks from the early hours of Wednesday morning until late in the evening on the West Coast.
Keep checking back on this story, as it will be updated for every signing as it happens.
What you need to know
- What are the biggest things to keep an eye on when it comes to the Class of 2023? Bryan Fischer goes deep on the furious recruiting arms races in the Big Ten and Pac-12, the impact of the transfer portal and conference realignment, and the Deion Sanders Effect and other new faces in new places. (Read our national signing day preview.)
- Who’s in the transfer portal and who has already found a new home? With the new transfer portal window having officially opened on Dec. 5, we’ve been tracking all the biggest names, including top 2022 recruit Travis Hunter departing Jackson State shortly after Deion Sanders left the program. (Check out our transfer portal tracker.)
- It was a 2022 coaching carousel that could largely be summed up as shock and awe. From Luke Fickell to Tom Herman to, yes, Deion Sanders, how will things play out for each of the 24 new head coaches across FBS this cycle? (Read our grades for every coach hire in the 2022 cycle.)
- An insistence that players must earn everything is at the forefront of Deion Sanders’ recruiting philosophy. On a recent episode of “Club Shay Shay,” he outlined to Shannon Sharpe his recruiting pitches to 17- and 18-year-old prospects and why he has been able to have so much success. “I’m not gonna give you nothing and I’m not gonna promise you anything,” Sanders said. (Read Sanders’ comments on his time as a college coach.)
Bryan Fischer’s schools and players to keep an eye on
- USC: The Trojans have a number of highly regarded playmakers set to make things official, like QB of the future Malachi Nelson, but will also be one to keep an eye on as a potential landing spot for a host of others with plenty of stars next to their names. They have a chance to make a splash if they can reel in five-star defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei and might be the favorites to land top tight ends Duce Robinson and Walker Lyons, among others.
- Michigan: The transfer portal has been a big focus, but Jim Harbaugh and company can add to Michigan’s efforts on Wednesday, too. They’re firmly in the mix for four-star corner Jyaire Hill and wideout Karmello English, but will be holding their breath mostly for five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor.
- Ohio State: The Buckeyes have a chance at finishing in the top five nationally as they usually do but will need a big closing kick on signing day. They’re in the mix for a pair of five-star pass rushers in Uiagalelei and Damon Wilson, plus have been trying hard to flip Alabama commit Caleb Downs, considered by most the top safety in the class. Ryan Day recently brought four-star QB Lincoln Keinholz into the fold and seems primed to keep things rolling.
- Alabama: Nearly a dozen top-100 players are already committed to the Tide and will make things official this week, but the program isn’t done yet. Iowa commit and top-ranked offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor recently visited Tuscaloosa and is a player many believe could be flipped, while five-star tight end Duce Robinson has ‘Bama on the shortlist of options. Throw in another four or five highly regarded prospects, like LB Jaquavious Russaw and DT James Smith, who will have that script A hat on the table, and college football’s greatest coach appears to be back in a familiar position come signing day, even if this most recent on-field campaign didn’t end in the playoff.
- Colorado: The Buffs have already flipped former Notre Dame commitment Dylan Edwards and have been making a hard sell to recent visitors, like four-star edge rusher Tausili Akana out of Utah (considered an Oklahoma lean) and former Nebraska commit/four-star athlete Malachi Coleman. Throw in a number of players who have expressed interest from either the high school or college ranks, and it could be quite the talent infusion set to take place starting on Wednesday.
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