Signing day's best: Live news and updates
— -- The early signing period is here. New coaches at new homes will have their recruiting prowess tested, and future College Football Playoff teams start building Wednesday.
Here's what you need to know:
Georgia's big day continues
ESPN 300 running back James Cook also signed with Georgia on Wednesday after rumors that he could be looking around at other schools, including Florida State, who he had previously been committed to. Cook is the No. 55 ranked prospect overall and the second ESPN 300 running back commitment in the class to go along with Zamir White. Cook is the younger brother of former Florida State star Dalvin Cook, so signing him and locking him in to the Georgia class is a big deal for coach Kirby Smart and his staff.
After that, Georgia vaulted to the top spot in the class rankings.
At the 4 p.m. update, here are the top five classes:
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Texas
- Penn State
- Miami
Tide land first 2018 five-star
Five-star defensive lineman Eyabi Anoma committed to Alabama on Wednesday, choosing the Tide over Michigan and Maryland. The No. 4-ranked prospect gives Alabama 12 ESPN 300 commitments in the 2018 class and is the first five-star commit for the Tide.
Buckeyes lose two top targets
ESPN 300 quarterback Emory Jones announced his commitment to Florida on Wednesday. The No. 20-ranked prospect had been committed to Ohio State, but after looking around at other schools and visiting other programs, the Buckeyes signed a different quarterback in the class with Matthew Baldwin.
A source told ESPN.com that the Buckeyes did not even send Jones a national letter of intent and had planned on only signing Baldwin in the class.
The commitment gives new Florida head coach Dan Mullen six ESPN 300 commitments in the 2018 class, and maybe more importantly, an outstanding option at quarterback.
ESPN 300 offensive lineman Jackson Carman committed to Clemson on Wednesday. The five-star prospect chose the Tigers over Ohio State and USC and is only the third top-ranked prospect from the state of Ohio to choose a school other than Ohio State since 2011.
He gives the Tigers three commitments ranked as five-stars and eight ESPN 300 commitments overall.
High hopes for Irish QB
The suspense is killing us ...
Parsons comes back
The five-star was once committed to Penn State. Then he decommitted, but eventually, he came back to the Nittany Lions.
Star-studded welcome
You know who's excited about Oklahoma signing ESPN 300 RB T.J. Pledger? Sooners great Adrian Peterson.
Other signings
It was a smooth morning for Texas, which was able to sign B.J. Foster, the top-ranked prospect in the state of Texas. Foster had been committed to the Longhorns for quite some time, but that signing is significant because the Longhorns had not signed the No. 1 in-state prospect since offensive lineman Darius James in the 2013 class.
Stanford made a big splash in Alabama by landing ESPN 300 defensive end Andres Fox, who is the No. 133-ranked prospect overall. Fox had big offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Penn State and others but decided to head west to play for the Cardinal. The 6-foot-4, 232-pound lineman gives Stanford five ESPN 300 commitments in the 2018 class.
Early signing period began with one of the biggest senior risers in the class committing to Alabama. DT Christian Barmore, No. 75 overall, picked the Tide over Baylor, Tennessee and Georgia.
Elsewhere in the SEC, Georgia lost a commitment, to the delight of Ole Miss: ESPN 300 wide receiver Elijah Moore. The No. 160-ranked prospect out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had been committed to Georgia, but he flipped his decision on the first day of the early signing period.
The commitment gives the Rebels two ESPN 300 commitments with Moore and California quarterback Matt Corral, who flipped his commitment from Florida.
New coaches, new places
The coaching carousel started early and brought new coaches to several big-time programs. Coaches like Willie Taggart (Florida State), Chip Kelly (UCLA), Dan Mullen (Florida), Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M) and Scott Frost (Nebraska) have had to hit the ground running at full-speed recruiting ahead of the early signing period and building new staffs. They have some big things to accomplish on the trail.
