Five Biggest Takeaways From College Football Signing Day 2018
National Signing Day is behind us and virtually all of the nation’s top high school football players have made their commitments. As always, there was a ton of drama, twists and turns and a few crazy announcements.
Here’s a look at the biggest takeaways from the 2018 edition of college football’s National Signing Day.
*All rankings are from the 247 composite.
Georgia is King
There is a new recruiting champ and after years of Alabama domination, Georgia has reached the mountain top. The Crimson Tide had won every recruiting title on 247 since 2011, but their reign ended in 2018 as Kirby Smart and company hauled in a monster class.
The Bulldogs welcomed seven five-star prospects and 15 of the top 100 players in the nation. That’s just insanity.
The class is headlined by dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields, running back Zamir White, guard Jamaree Salyer, cornerback Tyson Campbell and linebacker Adam Anderson. Those five guys all rank within the top 18 players in the country.
Smart and his staff did an absolutely incredible job getting these guys to sign up. The SEC champs are clearly building something special in Athens and this class will likely be a big part of what happens next.
Coffee is for Clay Helton
For the third year in a row, Clay Helton and his USC coaching staff closed incredibly well. The Trojans jumped from the teens to start the day, all the way up to No. 4 by the end.
Drink it up Clay.
They only took 18 players in the class, but the average rating of those players in 247’s system was 94.23, which was tied for second in the nation with Georgia (who took 26 commitments).
The Trojans flipped linebacker Eli'jah Winston away from Oregon Tuesday night, then went on a crazy run Wednesday. They landed four top 100 players, starting with linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu (ranked 86th nationally), and continuing with cornerbacks Olaijah Griffin (No. 28) and Isaac Taylor-Stuart (No. 32) and wide receiver Devon Williams (No. 40).
Adding those commitments to the players already in the bag, and USC finished with 10 players in the top 150, four five-stars (the only four in the Pac-12 this cycle) and five of the top six players from California. The Trojans also brought in the top-rated player from California, Nevada, Oregon and Hawaii. Simply put, they slaughtered the rest of the Pac-12 and brought in a class that stacks up well against anyone nationally. Well, except maybe Georgia…
Say what you want about Helton as a head coach, but the man knows how to recruit. And he always closes big.
Chip Kelly Underwhelms
Things weren’t so bright for the other program in Los Angeles. When UCLA hired Chip Kelly, plenty of pundits foretold a recruiting whirlwind that would tip the balance out West. That never materialized.
On Wednesday, the Bruins wound up with a 28-player class that ranked 18th nationally and fourth in the Pac-12. When your recruiting base is as fertile as Southern California, you can’t turn in a dismal performance like that.
It’s not all bad news for UCLA, as dual-threat quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (No. 36) and receivers Bryan Addison (No. 98) and Chase Cota (No. 159) look like solid players. But the Bruins only landed two of the top 150 high school prospects and just four in the top 250.
Kelly has never had the reputation of a great recruiter, during his time at Oregon the flash of Nike and the school’s facilities did much of the work for him. Luckily for UCLA fans, he did do a great job of coaching up and developing the players he got to campus.
If the Bruins win games under Kelly, they’ll get players, but this was clearly a disappointing cycle after the hype his hire got.
Florida State Tops Jimbo Fisher
Florida State’s class under new head coach Willie Taggart wound up ranked six spots higher than former coach Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M class. While Fisher did a solid job bringing the Aggies up to 17th place nationally, Taggart got the Seminoles up to 11th with his 21-player class.
Taggart has a reputation as a fantastic recruiter and he flexed his muscles in a short time during this cycle. He brought in four top 150 players and 10 in the top 250. The headliners are safety Jaiden Woodbey (No. 35) and cornerbacks Anthony Lytton (No. 50) and Asante Samuel Jr. (No. 60). Wait, Florida State got talent in the secondary? No way!
But Taggart also pried defensive tackle Robert Cooper out of Georgia, rangy athlete Tre'Shaun Harrison out of Seattle, stud linebacker Xavier Peters out of Ohio and tight end Camren McDonald out of Long Beach. Oh, and he went head-to-head with USC and Ohio State for Woodbey. He proved he can go national to get recruits, and if he can continue do that and make deeper inroads in Florida, the Seminoles should be a recruiting juggernaut.
We all know Fisher will be fine at Texas A&M, and it showed on Wednesday. He flipped running back Bobby Brown (No. 182) from Alabama and bested Florida State and LSU for dual-threat quarterback [autotag]James Foster (No. 271). While it was a good day in Aggieland, Fisher and co. couldn’t top Taggart and the Seminoles.
What Happened to Michigan?
There’s no way to spin this, Michigan and head coach Jim Harbaugh whiffed during this recruiting cycle. The Wolverines finished 21st in 247’s rankings, with no five-star players, just seven four-stars and barely finished ahead of recruiting lightweights Nebraska, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
Michigan finished with a 19-player class that had no players in the top 100, two in the top 150 and just five in the top 250. Considering that program’s brand and how much hype has surrounded Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor, that’s simply unacceptable.
The team’s lone top 100 recruit entering Wednesday was linebacker Otis Reese (No. 87) and he flipped to — wait for it — Georgia.
Harbaugh’s top signees were defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (No. 112) and outside linebacker Cameron McGrone (No. 118). Tight end Mustapha Muhammad (No. 168) out of Texas is an intriguing prospect, but no one else in this class will get Wolverines fans excited.
It was just an off-year for America’s most prolific khaki customer.