College football’s early signing period is underway.
The vast majority of top high school recruits are making their college choices official Wednesday through Friday, while the now-less-popular regular signing period maintains its traditional opening date of the first Wednesday in February (Feb. 4 in this cycle).
Here’s a look at the players Notre Dame, Illinois and Northwestern signed Wednesday and what their new coaches had to say.
Class rankings are according to the 247Sports composite, which aggregates rankings from major recruiting websites, as of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Notre Dame
Signees: 27
Class ranking: No. 3 nationally
Coach Marcus Freeman said: “We were very intentional about who we targeted. As you look at (last) summer, we had 28 official visitors and 27 of those guys committed. We didn’t waste a lot of time. We were on the right guys. Nobody decommitted. They bought into what this place has to offer, and I’m excited for what their future holds.”
(On the impact of making it to last season’s championship game) “For a lot of young people, they watched the run we made last year and they see it with their own eyes. It’s not their parents that said, ‘Oh, yeah, I remember when Notre Dame was winning national championships or was on that type of level.’ These young people are seeing it and believe they can reach that type of individual goal and team goal in the current landscape of college football.”
Class notes: Four Notre Dame signees are composite five-star recruits: edge rusher Rodney Dunham, TE Ian Premer, CB Khary Adams and safety Joey O’Brien. … The Irish signed at least three sons of former NFL players — WR Devin Fitzgerald (11-time Pro Bowl WR Larry Fitzgerald), LB Thomas Davis Jr. (three-time Pro Bowl LB Thomas Davis Sr.) and WR Kaydon Finley (former Packers TE Jermichael Finley) — as well as CB Ayden Pouncey, a second cousin to former Pro Bowl centers Maurkice and Mike Pouncey. … WR Dylan Faison is the brother of current Irish WR Jordan Faison. Like his brother, Dylan also plans to play lacrosse at Notre Dame. … The Irish signed six offensive linemen, including three from Michigan and two from Pennsylvania.
- Khary Adams, CB, Baltimore
- Ja’Kobe Clapper, LB, Cincinnati
- Thomas Davis Jr., LB, Weddington, N.C.
- Rodney Dunham, Edge, Charlotte, N.C.
- Ebenezer Ewetade, Edge, Raleigh, N.C.
- Dylan Faison, WR, Weston, Fla.
- Kaydon Finley, WR, Aledo, Texas
- Devin Fitzgerald, WR, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
- Bubba Frazier, WR, Savannah, Ga.
- Preston Fryzel, TE, Holland, Ohio
- Sullivan Garvin, OL, Allegan, Mich.
- Elijah Golden, DL, Sarasota, Fla.
- Noah Grubbs, QB, Lake Mary, Fla.
- Tiki Hola, DL, Bastrop, Texas
- Grayson McKeogh, OL, Perkasie, Pa.
- Tyler Merrill, OL, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
- Ben Nichols, OL, Davison, Mich.
- Joey O’Brien, S, Lafayette Hill, Pa.
- Javian Osborne, RB, Forney, Texas
- Gregory Patrick, OL, Portage, Mich.
- Ayden Pouncey, CB, Orlando, Fla.
- Ian Premer, TE, Great Bend, Kan.
- Nick Reddish, S, Charlotte, N.C.
- Brayden Robinson, WR, Red Oak, Texas
- Chaz Smith, CB, Knoxville, Tenn.
- Charlie Thom, OL, Darien, Conn.
- Jonaz Walton, RB, Carrollton, Ga.
Illinois
Signees: 30
Class ranking: No. 21 nationally, No. 6 in Big Ten
Coach Bret Bielema said: “We always start in state here. We have a number of players we were able to go after, and now we were able to land (them). It was different four or five years ago when we started attacking in state. We had to talk about how we could build something and how we could win hopefully. And now they have tangible evidence of that.”
(On the importance of resources) “Revenue is a big part of recruiting now. You can’t ignore that. … I’ve told (athletic director) Josh (Whitman) and the administration this: I’m not asking for more money than everybody else. I’d just like to be on par with everybody else. Because if we can get in the same fight, I think we can win a lot of them.”
Class notes: The national ranking of No. 21 is the highest in program history, according to Illinois, topping the No. 22 classes in 2007 and 2008. … The Illini flipped four-star OL Champ Smith from UCLA on Wednesday. … Smith is one of seven offensive linemen Illinois signed, including three from the junior college ranks. “I knew I was losing a lot of offensive linemen,” Bielema said. “And some of these guys we feel can come in and play for us immediately.” … Safety Isaiah Williams should be a familiar name to Illini fans. Isiah “Juice” Williams played QB at Illinois from 2006-09, leading the Illini to the Rose Bowl as a sophomore, and Isaiah Williams played QB and WR in Champaign from 2019-23. … All but five signees are expected to enroll early, according to Illinois.
- Jacob Alexander, Edge, Lincoln-Way East
- Kenyon Alston, WR, Orlando, Fla.
- Tony Balanganayi, DL, Palatine
- Javari Barnett, RB, Tampa, Fla.
- Kayden Bennett, Edge, Windsor, Conn.
- Michael Clayton II, QB, Orlando, Fla.
- Kaedyn Cobbs, LB, Denton, Texas
- Parker Crim, DL, Lima, Ohio
- Jacob Eberhart, S, St. Louis
- Davon Grant, WR, DeKalb
- Jack Gray, P, Adelaide, Australia
- Nick Hankins Jr., CB, Belleville West
- King Liggins, DL, Brother Rice
- Maika Matelau, OL, Mt. San Antonio College (Calif.)
- Jakwon Morris, CB, Northwest Mississippi CC
- Kai Pritchard, OL, Little Egg Harbor, N.J.
- Nasir Rankin, WR, Morgan Park
- Kingston Shaw, Edge, Apopka, Fla.
- Champ Smith, OL, Fort Pierce, Fla.
- Jaylen Stewart, Edge, Houston
- TJ Taylor, OL, College of the Canyons (Calif.)
- Casey Thomann, OL, Richland County
- Almirian Thomas, CB, Fort Myers, Fla.
- Cameron Thomas, LB, Cincinnati
- Will Vala, TE, Downers Grove North
- Landen Von Seggern, OL, Omaha, Neb.
- Alfred Washington, OL, Northeast Mississippi CC
- Nelsyn Wheeler, RB, Grand Island, Neb.
- Isaiah Williams, S, Houston
- Tony Williams, LB, Jacksonville, Fla.
Northwestern
Signees: 21
Class ranking: No. 55 nationally, No. 14 in Big Ten
Coach David Braun said: “This time last year, we still had a lot of work to do in terms of filling out our structure and how we needed to operate in the new landscape of college football. Having (general manager) Christian Sarkisian on board and his staff, we definitely have fine-tuned some things. … But we do still pride ourselves on being a developmental program. You see it most specifically with our O-line and D-line class. There’s a lot of length, a lot of athleticism, a lot of growth potential, but there’s a lot of young men you wouldn’t call a finished product.”
(On the influence of revenue sharing) “In this new environment, revenue share has to be a part of it. If we want to remain competitive, it’s the landscape that we’re operating within. We don’t want young men that their main driving force is the revenue share, but ultimately we know it’s part of the decision-making process and we better find a way to be competitive in that environment.”
Class notes: Northwestern added a pair of defensive linemen this week, flipping edge rusher Ronald Derrick III from Arizona State on Tuesday and extending a late offer to DT Tre Hoskins, who is from Warsaw, Ill., but goes to school across the Mississippi River in Hannibal, Mo. (Mark Twain’s hometown). … TE Tom McGlinchey, who played QB in high school, is the brother of Broncos OT Mike McGlinchey. … The Wildcats plan to convert the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Jacob Miller from TE to OT as he adds weight. … Miller is one of six offensive linemen Northwestern signed — 28.6% of its class. … Braun said 10 signees will enroll early.
- Leighton Burbach, OL, Norfolk, Neb.
- Nick Costa, DL, Mullica Hill, N.J.
- Gabe Davis-Ray, S, Columbus, Ohio
- Ronald Derrick III, Edge, Waco, Texas
- Hayden Flavin, OL, Clarkston, Mich.
- Owen Fors, OL, Barrington
- Jack Fuchs, OL, Hendersonville, Tenn.
- Tre Hoskins, DL, Hannibal, Mo.
- Owen Jakubczak, OL, Fremd
- Amare Jordan, LB, Cedar Park, Texas
- Calvin Lorek, DL, Loveland, Ohio
- Jaden McDuffie, WR, Edgewater, Md.
- Tom McGlinchey, TE, Warrington, Pa.
- Jacob Miller, OL, Hamilton, Mo.
- Max Mohring, LB, Downingtown, Pa.
- Sean Morris II, RB, Compton, Calif.
- Johnny O’Brien, QB, Fremd
- Keaton Reinke, WR, St. Charles North
- Noah Sur, K, Fenwick
- Jaden Vaughn, CB, Houston
- Nick Zalewski, Edge, Worthington, Ohio
