| National Signing Day 2016 |
The latest developments on college football signing day (all times CST):
8:25 p.m.
The last major recruit to make a signing-day decision was linebacker Caleb Kelly from California.
He picked Oklahoma over Notre Dame and Oregon and became the highest-rated player of Bob Stoops' class.
The last remaining five-star player is Demetri Robertson, an athlete from Georgia who has said he planned to delay his choice. Robertson is considering Georgia and Notre Dame among his options.
5 p.m.
THE FINAL (unofficial) STANDINGS: Recruiting ratings can move even after signing day if some highly rated players sign late.
Demetris Robertson, a top-notch athlete from Savannah, Georgia, rated either a five- or four-star by the recruiting services, has said he won't sign for a few days. When he does, he could move the numbers.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
But using the numbers available at 4:30 p.m. and taking an average of the four most popular web sites that rank the classes (Rivals, Scout, 247Sports and ESPN) here is a "consensus" top 25.
1. Alabama
2. Florida State
3. Ohio State
4. LSU
5. Michigan
6. Mississippi
7. Georgia
8. Clemson
9. USC
10. Auburn
11. Texas
12. UCLA
13. Florida
14. Notre Dame
15. Tennessee
16. Baylor
17. Texas A&M
18. TCU
19. Penn State
20. Oklahoma
21. Stanford
22. Nebraska
23. Oregon
24. Arkansas
25. North Carolina
3:15 p.m.
Remember when LSU almost fired coach Les Miles back in November? Well, it didn't hurt recruiting. LSU's highly rated class took a couple of hits on signing day, most notably losing stud linebacker Erick Fowler to Texas.
LSU locked up its loaded class filled with the top talent in its state, including nine of the 10 highest rated players, and came away with a class that will rank in the top five national, according to most of the experts.
2:55 p.m.
There was some talk that Michigan State's recruiting class could end up in the top 10 this year -- which would be unusually high for a program that has been hugely successful of late despite middling showings in the signing day rankings.
By the time coach Mark Dantonio spoke Wednesday, the Spartans were down around the edge of the top 20 in some of the major recruiting rankings -- solid, but not spectacular.
"When I retire from here, I'm going to get a job in one of those places and I'm going to run my own service," Dantonio joked.
2:50 p.m.
Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze told Sports Illustrated that Arkansas coach Bret Bielema apologized to him for a comment he made earlier in the day on ESPN that sounded as if Bielema was being crictial of the way the Rebels and Florida recruit.
Bielema said: "Florida is kind of the new Ole Miss. They're doing some things recruiting that kind of shocks you a little bit."
Bielema later said he meant it as a compliment to the Gators: "This past week, we were competing versus them for a lot of guys, and we hadn't seen that before."
2:40 p.m.
De La Salle (Ca.) High School teammates Devin Asiasi and Boss Tagaloa announced their commitments at the same ceremony. One is staying in California, the other is leaving the state.
Asiasi, a tight end, picked Michigan over UCLA and USC. Tagaloa, a defensive tackle, picked UCLA.
2:23 p.m.
As it reaches midday on the West Coast, UCLA is poised to finish strong. The Bruins scored big with California five-star linebacker Mique Juarez, who was also considering Ole Miss and Alabama.
2:17 p.m.
Not all the best players pick Alabama. Auburn landed one of the top defensive tackles in the country when Derrick Brown from Georgia picked the Tigers over the Crimson Tide and Georgia. No one will cry for the Tide, of course. A little earlier, defensive end Terrell Hall from Washington, D.C., chose the Tide over Maryland.
2:05 p.m.
USC went all the way across the country to grab offensive tackle E.J. Price from Atlanta away from Auburn and Georgia.
1:40 p.m.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh announced that the Wolverines will hold part of their spring practice in Florida. Always recruiting! MEANWHILE, IN COLUMBUS: While Harbaugh turned Michigan into a signing day spectacle, it was a quiet morning for Ohio State and that was just fine for Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes. Ohio State lost out on a highly rated defensive back to Florida State, but otherwise a class that came into the signing day figuring to be one of the best in the country ended it as just that.The most notable name in the Buckeyes' latest class -- Nick Bosa, the brother of Ohio State All-American Joey. Like his big brother, Nick Bosa is defensive end.
1:10 p.m.
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema is never shy about sounding off on opponents. During an interview on ESPN2 he took aim at Florida -- and Mississippi. "Florida is kind of the new Ole Miss. They're doing some things recruiting that kind of shocks you a little bit." Another blue-chipper for Alabama. Linebacker Mack Wilson picked the Crimson Tide. Not a big surprise, though when Kirby Smart left Alabama to become head coach at Georgia there was some speculation Wilson could end up in Athens with the former Tide defensive coordinator. Wilson joins buddy and fellow linebacker Ben Davis, who committed to the Tide earlier in the day. The two took their official visit together.
12:40 p.m.
The top junior college recruit in the country picks Tennessee. Jonathan Kongbo, a defensive end who played for Arizona Western College, chose the Volunteers over USC and Florida State. Kongbo committed to Tennessee last year, the de-committed earlier this year before ultimately signing with the Vols.
12:12 p.m.
Rashan Gary, the nation's No. 1 recruit, picks Michigan. The defensive tackle from Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey made his announcement on ESPN. Michigan was the presumptive front-runner. His old high school coach works for the Wolverines, Michigan's star defensive back Jabrill Peppers also went to Paramus Catholic and there are several other New Jersey players heading to Michigan in this recruiting class. Clemson was in the running, as well as a few Southeastern Conference schools.
11:39 a.m.
Offensive tackle Landon Dickerson picks Florida State over Alabama and Tennessee, adding to a great day for Jimbo Fisher and the Seminoles. A little earlier, Florida State flipped defensive tackle Shavar Manuel, who had been expected to sign with the rival Gators. After losing out to Ole Miss on highly touted receiver A.J. Brown, a Starkville native, Mississippi State got a big win on signing day by landing defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, who was considered the top prospect in the Magnolia state.
11:11 a.m.
The sleepover worked. Quinn Nordin, the nation's No. 1 kicker, signed with Michigan. Nordin, you might recall, was previously committed to Penn State but Jim Harbaugh lured him away with a sleepover. During the Wolverines' signing day extravaganza in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh said his bed at the Nordin's home was one of the most comfortable he has ever slept in.
11 a.m.
Always nice to take a player from a conference rival. Running back Vavae Malepeai from Hawaii flipped from his Oregon commitment to go to Southern California. The Trojans also lured Jamel Cook, an athlete who could wind up in the secondary, away from his Florida State commitment on signing day and beat Michigan for defensive end Connor Murphy.
10:45 a.m.
Rashan Gary, the top-rated recruit in the country from Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey, is scheduled to announce his choice between Michigan, Clemson and an SEC school at about 12:10 p.m.
10:40 a.m. by Steve Megargee
Tennessee added former Miami interim head coach Larry Scott to its staff last month, and the move apparently is already paying dividends. Tennessee signed two Florida residents who previously had been committed to Miami. The two players to make the switch were athlete Tyler Byrd of Naples and wide receiver Latrell Williams of Lake City. Scott, who served as Miami's interim head coach for the final six games of the 2015 season after Al Golden was fired, is Tennessee's new tight ends coach.
10:30 a.m.
The scores keep on coming for Texas. Linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch picked the Longhorns over Notre Dame and Stanford.
10:26 a.m.
Receiver Drake Davis is heading to LSU. He picked the Tigers over Alabama.
10:20 a.m.
Receiver Nate Craig-Myers from Tampa pulled out a mini-statue of Aubie, Auburn's costumed Tiger mascot, to choose Auburn over North Carolina.
10:09 a.m.
Receiver A.J. Brown is one of the best prospects in the state of Mississippi and he grew up in Starkville, home of Mississippi State. But he's going to Ole Miss. "I was going to stay (home), but I felt like they didn't do a good job of recruiting," Brown told the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi. "I didn't feel wanted."
9:50 a.m.
Linebacker Dontavious Jackson from Texas is heading to Florida State. Charlie Strong and the Texas made a later push to get Jackson, but the Seminoles closed the deal on him. It's the third big signing day commitment for the `Noles who also landed defensive end Brian Burns and cornerback Carlos Becker, who was considering Ohio State.
9:45 a.m.
Deontay Anderson won the day as far as spectacular commitments go. The four-star safety released a video on Bleacher Report of him skydiving, landing and opening up his jump suit to reveal and Ole Miss T-shirt.
9:23 a.m. by Steve Megargee
Houston lost one of its prize commitments when wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland switched his college choice to Florida. The receiver from Houston was rated as the nation's No. 33 prospect in a composite ranking of recruiting websites compiled by 247Sports.
The Cougars did get a signed letter of intent from defensive tackle Ed Oliver, the nation's No. 6 overall recruit according to the 247Sports Composite. The Oliver signing was expected but it's still quite a coup for a program outside the Power 5.
9:11 a.m. by David Brandt
Linebacker Ben Davis from Alabama was the first five-star commitment of the day for the Crimson Tide. No surprise. Davis came into the day undecided but seemed to be leaning toward the Tide. Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Notre Dame were in the mix. The national champs are also adding two highly-rated players for its secondary in Nigel Knott and Shyheim Carter. Knott, a star cornerback at Germantown High School in Mississippi, picked the Tide over Mississippi State. Carter, a cornerback from Louisiana, picked the Tide over Mississippi.
8:58 a.m.
Long considered an LSU lean, EDGE defender Erick Fowler flips and commits to Texas. The Manor High School product also held offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and TCU.
9:55 a.m. by Paul Newberry
Georgia has signed the son of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. Running back Elijah Holyfield announced Wednesday he'll play for the Bulldogs. The 5-foot-11, 209-pounder starred at Woodward Academy in suburban Atlanta. Now, he's looking to make a name for himself at Georgia, which adds some much-needed running back depth following a season-ending injury sustained by Nick Chubb.
8:48 a.m. - by Stephen Hawkins
Parrish Cobb, a 5-foot-11, 178-pound cornerback from Waco's La Vega High School, is staying home to play at Baylor. Cobb had verbally committed to Oklahoma before his senior season last fall, but changed his mind this week. He made it official early Wednesday morning when he signed a letter of intent with his hometown Big 12 team. Cobb had 56 tackles and four interceptions for La Vega, which went 16-0 and won a Texas Class 4A state championship. He was also a receiver with seven touchdown catches, plus returned kicks.
8:33 a.m.
Ring up another one for Charlie Strong and Texas: S/LB Brandon Jones, the Lone Star state's defensive player of the year, picked the Longhorns over Texas A&M and Baylor.
8:15 a.m.
Trayvon Mullen, a cornerback from Florida, picks Clemson over LSU and Florida State. The Tigers had three starting defensive backs, including star cornerback Mackensie Alexander, enter the NFL draft early. Mullen could step right in.
8:06 a.m.
Say this about Texas coach Charlie Strong: He is a closer. The Longhorns may end up with the highest-rated class in the Big 12. The Longhorns scooped up defensive linemen Chris Daniel and Marcel Southall early Wednesday and D'Andre Christmas-Giles late Tuesday night.
The bad news: That surge might not be good enough for Texas to crack the top-10 nationally. It's not just Texas feeling the squeeze with more competition (i.e. the SEC) in-state for top talent. The entire Big 12 is fighting to keep the Lone Star state from being poached.
8 a.m.
Florida and Florida State typically butt heads for top in-state recruits. Defensive end Brian Burns picked the Seminoles over the Gators.
7:48 a.m.
Mecole Hardman Jr., who gets compared to USC star cornerback Adoree Jackson, committed to Georgia over Tennessee and Alabama. The first good news of the day for new Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart. Hardman used cakes instead of baseball caps to make his pick, but then jumped through a Georgia banner to commit to the Bulldogs.
7:15 a.m.
The first uncommitted blue-chipper of the day is following in his father's footsteps. Safety Nigel Warrior, the son of former Tennessee star Dale Carter, chose the Volunteers.
7 a.m.
The consensus top recruit in the country will have a stage to himself to announce where he will be attending college. Defensive tackle Rashan Gary from New Jersey is scheduled to disclose his pick at about 1:15 p.m. on ESPN. Not just on ESPN, but at ESPN. Gary will be at the network's studios in Bristol, Connecticut. Fans of Michigan, Clemson and some SEC schools will be locked in for the big reveal.
6 a.m.
College football's annual restocking of the shelves is here. National signing day is just the start of the period in which high school prospects can sign a letter of intent that binds them to their chosen school. But for most top recruits and FBS teams, signing day is the end of the process, when all those verbal commitments become official. This signing day begins with the nation's No. 1 recruit uncommitted, LSU in position to be the recruiting champs and Texas trying to finish strong. And of course, Alabama is expected to clean up.
NBC 5's Todd L. Davis contributed to this report.
