A Brief Preview of College Football’s 2012 Signing Day
Reading too much into recruiting rankings is silly. So is ignoring them. Nick Saban has won two of the last three BCS titles. Landing three No. 1 overall classes in four years undoubtedly contributed to that. Signing Day is just part of what it takes to build a college football winner, but it’s an important part.
For those who don’t loiter in Rivals chat rooms, follow recruits on twitter or attend official visits, here is a brief rundown of the top recruits scheduled to pick tomorrow and schools with the most to gain.
Dorial Green-Beckham: Finally, a Beckham America can get behind. He’s the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit out of Missouri. He’s 6’6” 220lb and runs a 4.4 40-yard dash. His production has been even more impressive than his measurements. He’s the nation’s all-time leader in career receiving yards, after a monster senior year (119 catches, 2,233 yards and 24 TD). Arkansas were presumed favorites, though a late Gary Pinkel push may keep him in state. [Decision: 10:15am ET]
Eddie Goldman: This is the type of recruit Randy Edsall was brought in to keep close to home. The jerseys the kids love apparently had no affect. Goldman is 6’4” 307lb defensive tackle from D.C., Rivals’ No. 7 overall. His quickness and fast-twitch muscles have the scouts in a tizzy. He took official visits to Alabama, Auburn, Miami and Florida State. [Decision: 10am ET]
Nelson Agholor: Originally from Nigeria and supposedly a great kid. He’s a 6’2” 180lb WR/KR from Tampa, Rivals’ No. 18 overall. He narrowed it down to a final five of USC, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma. Though, it’s believed the first two are the probable picks. USC, putting on a full court press, might be the slight favorite. [Decision: Noon ET]
Kyle Murphy: He’s a 6’7” 275lb offensive tackle out of California, Rivals’ No. 19 overall recruit. He’s been assumed to be a Stanford lock, though USC has been making a late push. Never, ever discount Ed Orgeron. [Decision: 4:45pm ET]
Aziz Shittu: He’s a 6’3” 275lb defensive tackle out of California (or strong-side DE depending on the site), Rivals’ No. 27 overall recruit. He will be staying in-state. He committed to Stanford last April, though rescinded the commitment to look around. Cal dropped out after Tosh Lupoi left. He is down to UCLA after a late visit, Stanford and USC. [Decision: 5pm ET]
Josh Harvey-Clemons: He’s a 6’5”, 208lb linebacker prospect out of Georgia, Rivals’ No. 31 overall. He was the fellow entertaining coaches at his church. His mindset might be hard to gauge, since he lost his phone on his official visit to Miami. Florida State is in the discussion. Golden has been making a late push. Though, it’s still believed he’ll decide between the two initial favorites, Florida and Georgia. [Decision: 9am ET]
Andrus Peat: Peat is a 6’7”, 305lb offensive tackle from Arizona, Rivals’ No. 32 overall. He’s supposed to be tremendously athletic. His Rivals comp, Jonathan Ogden, was a bold one. His older brother plays for Nebraska and he has a teammate already committed there. USC is closest to home. Stanford now has a track record of sending NFL offensive linemen to the first round. Those are his options. [Decision: 1:35pm ET]
Stanford: The Cardinal have reeled in a solid, Top-20 class recruiting nationally. A couple in-state kids still in play could push them higher. They already have 10 four-star recruits including Barry Sanders Jr. and Rivals’ No. 33 overall tackle Joshua Garnett. If David Shaw is to build Stanford, brief flicker into sustainable light, elite talent up front is a great way to start.
Urban Renewal: Urban Meyer will spend some time with his family, only after he has seduced every elite college football recruit north of the Mason-Dixon. Ohio State’s new coach marauding across the Midwest like Sherman, rocketing the Buckeyes up to No. 3 overall in the Rivals’ class rankings. Penn State and Michigan State’s best recruits belong to him, as do kids who weren’t even considering Ohio State beforehand. He could add a couple more kids before the bell rings. No school within a two-state radius will feel safe until those faxes come through.
USC: The Trojans’ recruiting sanctions begin this year, making it imperative that Kiffin loads up on quality and reliable quality. They have ditched the national recruiting, staying mostly in-state. Five-star offensive lineman Zach Banner from Washington is their only non-California commit thus far. Despite the size restrictions, a good showing tomorrow could vault them into the top ten overall and, more importantly, set them up to weather the upcoming storm.
The Southeast: Will we soon be kowtowing to ACC speed? Alabama, with nine Rivals’ Top 100 recruits and counting should finish first. Florida should stay in the top five. But, with strong showings from Florida State, Clemson and Miami, it’s conceivable there could be more ACC classes in the Rivals Top 10 than SEC ones. The former two schools will look to close like they did last year. Miami, with ominous NCAA clouds, should just look to hold firm. Though teams such as LSU, Georgia and South Carolina will be looking for a last charge. Commitment flips, crazy stories, twitter flaming. Things could get interesting.
[Photo via Getty]

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26 Responses to “A Brief Preview of College Football’s 2012 Signing Day”
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January 31st, 2012 at 5:21 PM
I separate recruiting from “Signing Day”(tm). Recruiting is one of the key components of being a quality program. “Signing Day”(tm) is a fake-ass pageant show put together by tWWL in order to try and make CFB season similar to the NFL.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:25 PM
Is Sumlin just hanging onto the class Mike Sherman had in place, or did he add to it/lose anything? I see where the Aggies are ranked 10th, which is pretty good for a middling program.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:28 PM
i do the charleston every time i see that wonderful picture above.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:28 PM
the only reason I could see him going to Missourah is the home state thing. Fayetteville is an hour closer to Springfield than Columbia is, and Arkansas is light years ahead of Mizzou as far as offenses go, not to mention the facilities are way better as well.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:30 PM
Thought this headline on ESPN was funny
January 31st, 2012 at 5:30 PM
I’m so ready for spring practice to start. I can’t stand recruiting shit.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:31 PM
is that a joke or is that seriously on espn?
January 31st, 2012 at 5:32 PM
Some quarterbacks are elite. Some are close. Some are way off. Trent Dilfer puts them in their place.
Trent Dilfer and “Elite quarterbacks” should never be near each other.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:33 PM
Well isn’t this just getting fucking ridiculous….
January 31st, 2012 at 5:39 PM
DGB to Stoops.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:43 PM
Oh, here’s everyone.
/goes back to link-vomiting all over the Manning post
January 31st, 2012 at 5:46 PM
i enjoy it…you can taste the fear. the pure petrified fear.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:47 PM
Is Sumlin just hanging onto the class Mike Sherman had in place, or did he add to it/lose anything? I see where the Aggies are ranked 10th, which is pretty good for a middling program.
basically, yes. sumlin has added a few pieces, and got a nice RB transfer from OU. I dont know how they did it as average as that program is.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:50 PM
Yeah, I give Sumlin 2 years before TexAgs fires him.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:51 PM
surely they will keep him longer than that. they kept Sherman around for 4 or 5 years didn’t they?
January 31st, 2012 at 5:54 PM
Yeah, I give Sumlin 2 years before TexAgs fires him.
He should be on the market for a job about the same time as Chizik
January 31st, 2012 at 5:54 PM
im just going to play devil’s aggie here…i think sumlin wins a minimum of seven national titles.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:55 PM
wait wait wait wait wait…
ghostrider got a sequel?
/faintvomits
January 31st, 2012 at 5:55 PM
Those jack-booted brown shirts aren’t going to let someone that looks like Sumlin hang around nearly as long.
I hope other SEC teams, while beating the balls off A/M, still chant “SEC!SEC!SEC!” at them, to remind them that they don’t really belong.
January 31st, 2012 at 5:56 PM
Yeah, but Mizzou being in the SEC now can’t help things either.
January 31st, 2012 at 6:00 PM
Oh, here’s everyone.
/goes back to link-vomiting all over the Manning post
That was by choice? I thought you were semi-banned and forced to remain in that post
January 31st, 2012 at 6:00 PM
Yeah, but Mizzou being in the SEC now can’t help things either.
I will never not laugh at this…
January 31st, 2012 at 6:03 PM
If you don’t take a limo to your signing presser – YOU AINT SHITTTTTTTTTTTTT
January 31st, 2012 at 6:11 PM
Arkansas is light years ahead of Mizzou in offense??? Mizzou was 15th in the nation in total offense at 476ypg and averaged 33ppg. Arkansas was 28th at 438ypg and 36ppg. Pretty comparable if you ask me.
January 31st, 2012 at 6:19 PM
One team played in a conference with actual defenses, though. What Arkansas did v. an SEC heavy schedule >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> what Mizzou did v. the likes of Baylor, A/M, KState, Iowa State, etc.
February 1st, 2012 at 1:14 AM
I see the SEC honks are out in force in this one. I wish Missouri had played Arkansas in a bowl game in the last five years so we could have seen which offense is better.