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Winners, losers from college football's early signing day
Five-star WR Jeremiah Smith Jack Williams/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK

Winners and losers from college football's early signing day

By Eric Smithling  |  Last updated 12/21/23

 With early signing day here, what programs are rejoicing and which ones are spiraling? Here are the winners and losers from an action-packed day.

Winner

Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith: The No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class chose the best place to begin his time in college when he signed his letter of intent to play for Ohio State. Multiple current NFL wide receivers played for the Buckeyes in the recent past, including Michael Thomas, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Terry McLaurin and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Marvin Harrison Jr. will likely follow in a couple of months, then Smith a few years down the line.

Loser

Florida head coach Billy Napier: No one had a worse early signing day than Napier, who watched his incoming class drop from potentially No. 3 to No. 15 overall with defensive lineman Amaris Williams and Adarius Hayes flipping their commitments to Auburn and Miami, respectively. Oh, and five-star quarterback D.J. Lagway, an early commit, hasn't signed his letter of intent after receiving a late recruiting push from USC. With a brutal schedule next season, Napier faces an uphill climb to make it past 2024 in Gainesville.

Winner

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day:  To understand how exhausting the college recruiting cycle can be, look no further than Day's reaction to learning Smith had agreed to play for the Buckeyes.

He appeared both drained and relieved upon hearing the news. Landing the nation's top recruit should quiet Day's critics in Columbus through the holiday season and make his beer taste a heck of a lot better. 

Loser

Texas A&M: It's not a good sign for Aggieland that one of the program's top commits, defensive lineman Dealyn Evans, gushed about Texas on the first day of early signing period.

"It's my dream school. Been liking them since I was real young. Four years old," said Evans, who has yet to sign his letter of intent. With the Longhorns moving to the SEC, Texas A&M appears to have returned to being irrelevant in its own state.

Winner

Nebraska: The biggest splash of the early signing period came out of Lincoln when five-star quarterback prospect Dylan Raiola surprised nearly everyone by spurning Georgia for Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have the cycle's No. 18 recruiting class, which also includes seven four-star recruits. It's the program's highest ranking since it landed the No. 17 class in 2019.

Loser

Florida State: The Seminoles' December went from bad to worse when five-star safety K.J. Bolden flipped his commitment from Florida State to Georgia. Earlier this month, the program was snubbed from a spot in the College Football Playoff and Bolden's decision adds salt to Florida State's festering wound.

Winner

Georgia: The Bulldogs, Florida State's Orange Bowl opponent, were the big winner of Bolden's flip. Georgia entered the day with the nation's top recruiting class and Bolden made it even better.

Loser

Mississippi State: Bulldogs first-year head coach Jeff Lebby received a wake-up call that his job in Starkville won't be easy. On Wednesday, the team lost four-star QB commit Josh Flowers to Arkansas State of the Sun Belt. Per ESPN, Flowers is only the sixth prospect in the ESPN 300's history (2006-present) to sign with a Sun Belt program.

Winner

Buford offensive lineman Dale Greene's hair: Green received offers from UAB, Charlotte, Memphis and Florida Atlantic, but he might have a brighter future as an Aveda or Head & Shoulders model.

That glorious mullet doesn't belong under a helmet. It deserves to flow freely for the world to see. 

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