The Early Signing Period, a.k.a. National Signing Day, is upon us and SI will have college football fans coast to coast covered as Letters of Intent roll in
The college football coaching carousel dust has yet to settle, but the future of every college football roster hangs in the balance anyway as the Early Signing Period kicks off Wednesday.
The de facto National Signing Day over the last five years could be in jeopardy of change, as many attribute early firings and swift hiring in the sport to the December period. This could even be the last one, per SI's Ross Dellenger, and if so it won't be one to soon forget based on the movement expected Wednesday and throughout the week.
Alabama enters the period with the top recruiting class with SEC foes Georgia and Texas A&M on its heels in what should be a photo finish between the three for the nation's top class. The Crimson Tide enters the day with the most SI99 recruits, with nine verbally committed, followed by UGA and TAMU with eight apiece.
It won't just be about the top of the recruiting mountain, though, as new coaching staffs look to hit the ground running and programs down on the field push to add instant-impact talent to bounce back next fall. As the first day of the Early Signing Period kicks off, Sports Illustrated will track the biggest recruiting news all in one place while each signature allows for the class of 2022 takes shape.
We will update this live blog throughout Wednesday with recruiting scoop, breaking news, analysis and more en route to crowning an ESP champion this evening.
(All times eastern)
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8:42 am - A Texas flip just came in and it may not be the last of the day for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. Xavion Brice just announced a commitment to UT after being committed to Oklahoma since July.
8:39 am - Cam East, a former Mississippi State commitment who said he was likely to sign in February, just signed with Ole Miss. The Louisiana native is a long and lean athlete who the Rebels have been working to flip for some time.
8:25 am - Maryland already has its second flip of the day. In-state linebacker Jaishawn Barham committed to South Carolina on December 11 but he signs with the Terps anyway.
8:15 am - One of the top offensive line recruits in the country and an SI99 member, Kiyaunta Goodwin, announces a top two of Michigan State and Kentucky. He may not sign a letter this week as he mulls a decision. Goodwin has been committed to Mark Stoops and Kentucky for some time.
8:12 am - SI99 tight end Jake Johnson, a recent LSU decommitment, just announced for Texas A&M. Now tied with Alabama at nine SI99 recruits on board at this moment, the versatile tight end is the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson.
8:02 am - One time West Virginia running back commitment Justin Williams, who is from Georgia and admitted he wanted to play in the SEC, picks Tennessee over Auburn. Josh Heupel and company should close well this week. Williams broke down the move with VR2:
7:52 am - Ole Miss just flipped Miami offensive tackle commitment Falentha Carswell, a towering tackle with a basketball background at 6'7". He took an Oxford official visit late in the process and the Rebel offensive line haul is quietly one of the best in the country. Lane Kiffin and company should have a rock solid day.
7:47 am - 247Sports is reporting Florida State offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham will accept the same position on Dan Lanning's staff at Oregon. What timing as FSU looks to compete for a top 10 recruiting class.
7:42 am - A signing day flip is in. Baltimore native and defensive lineman Andre Roye was committed to Penn State but just signed with in-state Maryland, per the Terps.
7:40 am - The first undecided SI99 recruit to make a decision is Naples (Fla.) High School star defensive back Devin Moore. A rangy ball-hawk who started on varsity for four years, he was committed to Notre Dame for some time but just became the early prize in Billy Napier's first class at Florida. The Gators just started what could be a big day relative to what it came into signing day with.
7:15 am - The first (sort of) flip of the day is in. Xavier Townsend, who decommitted from Iowa State of late, signed with Gus Malzahn and UCF. The Tampa native burst onto the scene as a junior and caught national attention in dominating a game televised by ESPN against New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman and Arch Manning in which he totaled 334 yards and five touchdowns from scrimmage.
7:06 am - The first SI99 National Letter of Intent to be seen is that of Jaeden Gould, the defensive back out of New Jersey who committed to Nebraska on Tuesday and signed first thing Wednesday morning. Gould went in-depth on the decision.
7:00 am - The biggest shift in momentum leading up to signing day may lie with Billy Napier and the Florida Gators. Entering the day with just seven verbal commitments, the staff has hit the ground running and is in play for many big names over the course of the day, including flip candidates at Georgia (Shone Washington, Julian Humphrey), SI99 linebacker Shemar James and No. 1 safety Kamari Wilson, among others. Late Tuesday evening, a source told SI to expect a strong first impression at UF.
"Don't be surprised if there are several flips to UF," the source said.
6:45 am - After a big weekend on the offensive line, adding three verbal commitment including SI99 recruit Kelvin Banks, Texas continues to trend in the right direction. Steve Sarkisian and company are in the mix for multiple elite recruits Wednesday and could be on the verge of a top five recruiting class by day's end. There is even some chatter on keeping elite in-state defensive back recruit Terrance Brooks, the No. 1 nickel in America, within state lines despite a longstanding pledge to Ohio State.
6:30 am - Miami could surprise on Wednesday beyond being in the running for several prospects it previously sat on the outside looking in for. Local pass rusher Nyjalik Kelly is the first big Miami domino to eye and he is expected to make the call between UM, Florida State and others shortly after 10:00 am. The nation's No. 1 slot receiver, Kevin Coleman, will make a similar call between the Canes and Seminoles, but it won't likely be revealed until the All-American Bowl in January.
4:00 am - One of the transition coaching staffs expecting to lock in a headlining recruit is Duke's under Mike Elko. One of the later hires in the wild coaching carousel, the program has only suffered a pair of decommitments since transitioning from David Cutcliffe. The veteran coach's biggest get in the 2022 cycle, Bronx (N.Y.) Cardinal Hayes quarterback Henry Belin, was considering not signing this week in order to look into other programs reaching out like Ole Miss, Syracuse and Rutgers, but communication with Elko has changed his plan. Expect him to sign Wednesday morning.
"I've talked to Coach Elko pretty much every day since the night he got signed," Belin said. "I am gonna go ahead and sign. I’m confident in Coach Elko and what he’s gonna do with the program."
Midnight - LSU has landed the first commitment of the Brian Kelly era. In-state wide receiver Landon Ibieta, a longtime commitment to Miami, picked up a Tiger offer within the last week and was in Baton Rouge over the weekend before announcing his commitment Tuesday evening. It may not be a banner day relative to normal recruiting expectations, but multiple uncommitted Louisianans are expected to ink with the Tigers Wednesday.
Overnight - The European prospects have begun signing National Letters of Intent, as those with the opportunity to sign can begin doing so at 7:00 am local time. Players from Denmark, Germany and Sweden are among those officially on board to kick off their respective program's signatures. Of course, Australia is nearly 16 hours ahead of America on the clock, so specialists from the nation were first in the door.