College football’s 2nd signing day: Who ended up with the top classes in the Big Ten and nation?
What used to be the biggest day of the year in college football recruiting has become an afterthought.
With more than 80% of FBS prospects now signing during the three-day early period in December — and an even higher percentage of blue-chip recruits doing so — the first Wednesday of February has taken on the feel of hitting the stores the day after Christmas to hunt for bargains.
Still, there was some activity on the traditional national signing day. A handful of top national and local prospects announced their decisions, some teams put finishing touches on their classes and recruiting crowns were handed out.
Here’s a wrap-up of the final class lists and rankings for Notre Dame, Illinois, Northwestern and Northern Illinois, plus the Big Ten rankings, top 25 national classes and where the country’s consensus five-star recruits and the state’s top 50 are headed.
All rankings are based on the 247Sports composite — which aggregates ratings from the major services — as of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
*-already enrolled
Notre Dame
Signees: 24.
Ranking: 10th nationally.
The Irish signed their entire class in December, and coach Marcus Freeman and his staff are already well into the 2024 cycle with seven commitments.
Notre Dame’s biggest splash in January came in the transfer portal, where it landed Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman — the ACC record holder for career touchdown passes — Oklahoma State safety Thomas Harper and Ohio State edge rusher Javontae Jean-Baptiste.
An oddity of the Irish newcomers: two wide receivers named Kaleb Smith (a three-star high school recruit from Texas and a transfer from Virginia Tech).
Sullivan Absher, OL, Belmont, N.C.
*Jaiden Ausberry, LB, Baton Rouge, La.
Micah Bell, CB, Houston
Cooper Flanagan, TE, Pleasant Hill, Calif.
*Rico Flores, WR, Folsom, Calif.
*Christian Gray, CB, St. Louis
*Jaden Greathouse, WR, Austin, Texas
Brandyn Hillman, ATH, Portsmouth, Va.
*Devan Houstan, DL, Toronto
Charles Jagusah, OL, Rock Island Alleman
*Braylon James, WR, Austin, Texas
Jeremiyah Love, RB, St. Louis
*Kenny Minchey, QB, Hendersonville, Tenn.
*Ben Minich, S, Cincinnati
Armel Mukam, DL, Montreal
Joe Otting, OL, Topeka, Kan.
*Sam Pendleton, OL, Pfafftown, N.C.
*Adon Shuler, S, Irvington, N.J.
Kaleb Smith, WR, Frisco, Texas
Chris Terek, OL, Glenbard West
Boubacar Traore, DL, Boston
Brenan Vernon, DL, Mentor, Ohio
*Preston Zinter, LB, Lawrence, Mass.
Transfers
Javontae Jean-Baptiste, DL, Ohio State
Thomas Harper, S, Oklahoma State
Sam Hartman, QB, Wake Forest
Spencer Shrader, K, South Florida
Kaleb Smith, WR, Virginia Tech
Illinois
Signees: 23.
Ranking: 42nd nationally, 8th in Big Ten.
The Illini added Spring Valley Hall safety Mac Resetich to the group that signed in December — which included four-star Simeon wide receiver Malik Elzy, who didn’t announce his decision until the Jan. 7 Adidas All-American Bowl.
Illinois was a finalist for Marist defensive tackle Jamel Howard, who recommitted to Wisconsin on Wednesday.
Coach Bret Bielema’s most important addition since the early signing period, at least in the short term, was landing former Ole Miss quarterback Luke Altmyer in the transfer portal. The former four-star recruit has three years of eligibility remaining and is expected to succeed Tommy DeVito as the Illini starter.
Zach Aamland, OL, South Brunswick, N.J.
Alex Bray, DL, Chesterfield, Mo.
Jaheim Clarke, DB, Fort Myers, Fla.
Collin Dixon, WR, Tallmadge, Ohio
*Declan Duley, P, El Paso, Ill.
Malik Elzy, WR, Simeon
*Kaden Feagin, RB, Atwood, Ill.
*Nate Guinn, TE, Vero Beach, Fla.
*Jojo Hayden, LB, East St. Louis, Ill.
*Brandon Henderson, OL, East St. Louis, Ill.
Saboor Karriem, DB, West Orange, N.J.
*TJ McMillen, OL, Wheaton St. Francis
Mason Muragin, DL, Macomb, Mich.
*Kaleb Patterson, DB, Pearl River (Miss.) CC
Mac Resetich, DB, Spring Valley, Ill.
Dezmond Schuster, OL, Hutchinson (Kan.) CC
*Trey Smith, OLB, Ocoee, Fla.
*Cal Swanson, QB, Ardmore, Okla.
*Zach Tobe, DB, Ocoee, Fla.
Jeremiah Warren, DL, Belleville, Mich.
*Kenari Wilcher, ATH, Clewiston, Fla.
Transfers
Luke Altmyer, QB, Mississippi
Tanner Arkin, TE, Colorado State
Denzel Daxon, DL, Ohio
Nicario Harper, DB, Louisville
John Paddock, QB, Ball State
Northwestern
Signees: 20.
Ranking: 45th nationally, 10th in Big Ten.
The Wildcats didn’t add any high school recruits to the 20 they announced in December, though coach Pat Fitzgerald did reach into the transfer portal last month for former Vanderbilt and Arizona State wide receiver Cam Johnson.
With new defensive coordinator David Braun and defensive line coach Christian Smith in place, Northwestern might look during the next transfer window in May for some help up front, where it lost three players to the portal.
Ricky Ahumaraeze, WR, Liberty, Mo.
Juice Cryer, LB, Katy, Texas
Alexander Doost, OL, Phoenix
Jack Fitzgerald, TE, Loyola
Joshua Fussell, DB, West Chester, Ohio
Tyler Gant, DL, St. Louis
Nigel Glover, LB, Clayton, Ohio
Chico Holt, TE, Houston
Michael Kilbane, DL, Lakewood, Ohio
*Jordan Knox, OL, Rock Hill, S.C.
Caleb Komolafe, RB, Katy, Texas
J.J. Lewis, DB, Lawndale, Calif.
*Camp Magee, TE, Orlando, Fla.
Dylan Roberts, DL, Phoenix
*Dylan Senda, OL, Livonia, Mich.
Cole Shivers, DB, Scottsdale, Ariz.
*Damon Walters, DB, Bolingbrook
Transfers
Cam Johnson, WR, Arizona State
Northern Illinois
Signees: 28.
Ranking: 97th nationally, 5th in the MAC.
The Huskies added nine signees to their 2023 haul Wednesday, including six in-state recruits: Rockford Jefferson tight end Tyler Gaines, Rochelle running back Garrett Gensler, Oak Forest defensive back Tyler Gentile, Richards wide receiver James Smith Jr., DeKalb defensive back Ethan Tierney and Lake Zurich kicker Danny Vuckovic.
Coach Thomas Hammock also announced last month the addition of five transfers, including former Iowa running back Gavin Williams and Tyler Jackson, an all-conference linebacker at Lamar.
Kobe Askew, WR, Cataula, Ga.
*Santana Banner, DB, Flint, Mich.
*Grayson Barnes, TE, American River (Calif.) CC
Phillip Baynes, LB, Social Circle, Ga.
*Azhaun Dingle, RB, Butler (Kan.) CC
Tyler Gaines, TE, Rockford Jefferson
Garrett Gensler, RB, Rochelle, Ill.
Tyler Gentile, DB, Oak Forest
*Zach Gordon, K, Lillington, N.C.
Bryce Harrison, TE, Apopka, Fla.
Mark Hensley, DL, Labadie, Mo.
*Ridge Howard, LB, Elkhart, Ind.
Landon Hron, OL, Hartford, Wis.
Chase Hutchinson, LB, West Des Moines, Iowa
Michael Jimmar, OL, Plainfield East
*Mason Kidd, QB, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Thomas Paasch, OL, Green Bay
Jaylen Poe, RB, Dallas, Ga.
RaSean Randall, DL, Detroit
Mahki Rolle, DB, North Miami Beach, Fla.
*Nevaeh Sanders, DL, Iowa Western CC
Luke Skartvedt, OL, Indianapolis
James Smith Jr., WR, Richards
Jay’shon Thomas, TE, Cataula, Ga.
Ethan Tierney, DB, DeKalb, Ill.
Danny Vuckovic, K, Lake Zurich
Jacob Welch, OL, Johnsburg, Ill.
Transfers
Gabriel Amegatcher, CB, Nebraska-Kearney
Cam’Ron Dabney, CB, Kansas
Tyler Jackson, LB, Lamar
Davis Patterson, WR, Notre Dame College (Ohio)
Gavin Williams, RB, Iowa
Big Ten
Michigan has reigned over the conference for two years now on the field, but Ohio State continued its dominance in the recruiting rankings, signing the Big Ten’s top class for the 12th time in 13 years.
Penn State reeled in one of Wednesday’s biggest prizes in four-star offensive lineman Chimdy Onoh, beating out Michigan State, Ole Miss and Rutgers. And Wisconsin brought Jamel Howard back into the fold after the 320-pound Marist defensive tackle decommitted from the Badgers in November following coach Paul Chryst’s firing.
Ohio State (20 signees)
Penn State (23)
Michigan (24)
Michigan State (16)
Nebraska (28)
Maryland (25)
Iowa (22)
Illinois (23)
Minnesota (21)
Northwestern (20)
Rutgers (19)
Wisconsin (15)
Purdue (16)
Indiana (15)
Nation
For the 10th time in 13 years, Alabama is the recruiting champion. (And the Crimson Tide finished with the No. 2 class in two of those years.) Nick Saban signed an astounding nine of the 39 consensus five-star recruits, and Alabama (14) and Georgia (12) combined to land more than a quarter of the nation’s top 100 prospects.
All but three five-stars signed in December. New Colorado coach Deion Sanders flipped cornerback Cormani McClain from Miami last month, and jumbo athlete Nyckoles Harbor picked South Carolina over Oregon on Wednesday. Tight end Duce Robinson announced he’s delaying his decision until late spring as he considers the MLB draft along with Georgia, USC and Texas.
Four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada, who was released from his letter of intent with Florida after an NIL deal with a booster-run collective fell through, signed with Arizona State.
Alabama (28 signees)
Georgia (26)
Texas (24)
Oklahoma (26)
Ohio State (20)
LSU (25)
Miami (25)
Oregon (29)
Tennessee (25)
Notre Dame (24)
Clemson (26)
USC (21)
Penn State (23)
Florida (20)
Texas A&M (19)
South Carolina (24)
Auburn (21)
Michigan (24)
TCU (24)
Florida State (18)
Utah (20)
Arkansas (20)
Michigan State (16)
Nebraska (28)
Mississippi State (27)
5-star recruits
Arch Manning, QB, New Orleans — Texas
Keon Keeley, Edge, Tampa, Fla. — Alabama
Nico Iamaleava, QB, Downey, Calif. — Tennessee
Zachariah Branch, WR, Las Vegas — USC
Dante Moore, QB, Detroit — UCLA
Caleb Downs, S, Hoschton, Ga. — Alabama
David Hicks, DL, Katy, Texas — Texas A&M
Jackson Arnold, QB, Denton, Texas — Oklahoma
Kadyn Proctor, OL, Des Moines, Iowa — Alabama
Francis Mauigoa, OL, Pago Pago, American Samoa — Miami
Adepoju Adebawore, Edge, Kansas City, Mo. — Oklahoma
Malachi Nelson, QB, Los Alamitos, Calif. — USC
Cormani McClain, CB, Lakeland, Fla. — Colorado
Suntarine Perkins, LB, Raleigh, Miss. — Mississippi
Zalance Heard, OL, Monroe, La. — LSU
Peyton Bowen, S, Denton, Texas — Oklahoma
Duce Robinson, TE, Phoenix — Uncommitted
Anthony Hill, LB, Denton, Texas — Texas
Nyckoles Harbor, ATH, Washington — South Carolina
Damon Wilson, Edge, Venice, Fla. — Georgia
Jurrion Dickey, WR, East Palo Alto, Calif. — Oregon
Cedric Baxter Jr., RB, Orlando, Fla. — Texas
Samson Okunlola, OL, Brockton, Mass. — Miami
Justice Haynes, RB, Buford, Ga. — Alabama
Desmond Ricks, CB, Chesapeake, Va. — Alabama
James Smith, DL, Montgomery, Ala. — Alabama
Raylen Wilson, LB, Tallahassee, Fla. — Georgia
Rueben Owens, RB, El Campo, Texas — Texas A&M
Johntay Cook II, WR, DeSoto, Texas — Texas
Yhonzae Pierre, Edge, Eufaula, Ala. — Alabama
Hykeem Williams, WR, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — Florida State
Monroe Freeling, OL, Mount Pleasant, S.C. — Georgia
Peter Woods, DL, Alabaster, Ala. — Clemson
Qua Russaw, Edge, Montgomery, Ala. — Alabama
Brandon Inniss, WR, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — Ohio State
Dashawn Womack, Edge, Baltimore — LSU
Joenel Aguero, S, Lynn, Mass. — Georgia
Jalen Hale, WR, Longview, Texas — Alabama
Jordan Hall, DL, Jacksonville, Fla. — Georgia
Illinois top 50
Charles Jagusah, OL, Rock Island Alleman — Notre Dame
Jyaire Hill, DB, Kankakee — Michigan
Miles McVay, OL, East St. Louis — Alabama
Malik Elzy, WR, Simeon — Illinois
Kaden Feagin, RB, ALAH — Illinois
Chris Terek, OL, Glenbard West — Notre Dame
Damon Walters, DB, Bolingbrook — Northwestern
Trey Pierce, DL, Brother Rice — Michigan
Paris Patterson, OL, East St. Louis — Arkansas
Kahlil Tate, DB, Kenwood — Iowa
Anthony Birsa, OL, Joliet Catholic — Northwestern
John Nestor, DB, Marist — Iowa
Frank Covey, WR, Prospect — Northwestern
Nicholas Deloach, DB, Cahokia — Missouri
Brandon Henderson, OL, East St. Louis — Illinois
K’Vion Thunderbird, LB, Kenwood — Arizona State
Jojo Hayden, LB, East St. Louis — Illinois
Aidan Gray, QB, Naperville North — Northwestern
Mac Resetich, DB, Spring Valley Hall — Illinois
TJ McMillen, OL, Wheaton St. Francis — Illinois
Teegan Davis, DB, Princeton — Iowa
Jamel Howard, DL, Marist — Wisconsin
Pat Farrell, OLB, St. Rita — Illinois
Cannon Leonard, OL, Iroquois West — Iowa
Cooper Starks, OL, Girard — Vanderbilt
Christian McKinney, LB, Homewood-Flossmoor — Miami (Ohio)
Logan Lester, WR, Kenwood — Western Michigan
Anthony Cunningham, DL, Belleville East — Iowa State
Kiwaun Davis, DB, Kenwood — Washington State
Robert Jones III, QB, Oswego East — Navy
Asher Tomaszewski, DL, Mount Carmel — Kansas State
Michael Jimmar, OL, Plainfield East — Northern Illinois
Jailen Duffie, DB, Warren — North Dakota State
Ryan Sims, WR, Marist — Miami (Ohio)
Dash Dorsey, WR, Wheaton St. Francis — Kent State
Keshon Singleton, WR, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin — Air Force
David Olano, K, Naperville North — Illinois
Conor Talty, K, St. Rita — Alabama
Andrew Laurich, DL, Yorkville — Colorado State
Jacob Welch, OL, Johnsburg — Northern Illinois
Danny Novickas, DL, Mount Carmel — Ohio
Lynel Billups-Williams, WR, Crete-Monee — Miami (Ohio)