College Football Live - CFB Live - Signing Day Special

Episode Date: December 3, 2025

Join our crew Matt Schick, Tom Luginbill and Craig Haubert for College Football Live, National Signing Day Special. Many talented students-athletes will sign their letter of intent today and our crew will breakdown some of the star-studded athletes in class of 2026. We'll have special guest join the show and go in depth on the top-prospects and the conference they'll be joining next season. All that and more on CFB Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi there. Surprise. 30 for 30 presents Booyah. Can I get a witness from the congregation? You can't stop authenticity. Booya! Stuart was exactly like you saw him on camera, off camera. He dialed it up 10%. Can you imagine the impact of young black boys and girls looking at that going, I feel seen.

He changed the culture. He changed sports. Booja, presented by Modelo. Premiers on December 10th at 9 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. breaking news everybody it's national signing day early signing period for high school recruits these are your top 10 classes right now kirby smart looking for his 10th straight top three class at georgia lincoln riley looking for a number one class. Tennessee has moved into the top 10 over the last hour. Reminder, nine of the last 10 national champions at a four-year average recruiting rank in the top 10. Conference championship games this weekend, coaching Carousel still ongoing. College football playoff just around the corner.

What a perfect time for National Signing Day. Matt Schick, National Recruiting Director, Tom Luganbill, and Recruiting Coordinator Craig Hubbard. Guys, we have seen this day change throughout the course the last five to 10 years. What's the significance of today as opposed to in the past? Well, I think more so than anything else is you've now got to establish relationships that you may be coming full circle to a year or two years from now on guys that you don't get, right? It's one thing to sign the class and you want to get the best class you can. The question is, how do you keep them all?

How do you keep them all happy? How do you prevent them from moving into the transfer portal? And then when guys that you lose out on go into the portal a year, two, year from now all of a sudden you you come full circle and you have a shot at getting that guy back to help your program today's basically turned into rent a player for a little while day i mean that's basically what we're doing yeah for me the biggest ramification is we're seeing it during the season with if teams are unhappy with their head coach how quickly they're moving away from them in order to be able to try to get a jump on the early signing period and this year in particular

I mean, roughly just short of like two dozen coaching changes at the FBS level has really made even going into this three-day period a little bit more hectic than it had been maybe a year ago because there are so many coaching changes. And those relationships those players had built with those coaches are now following them over. And now kids who are at schools where their coaches left are wondering what's my future going to be like. So I think there's a little bit movement with all the coaching changes. And remember, the early signing period used to me mid-December. Now we're on the week of the conference championship games. Recruiting has changed. The calendar has changed. One thing that has not changed helps to have a good quarterback in order to take you where you want to go in the national landscape. The top quarterbacks in this class, Kishon Henderson, converted wide out from outside of Houston. It's been committed to the hometown cougars since May of last year. Dia Bell, American Heritage, son of former NBA star Raja Bill, signed with Texas. But the big news, a big flip over the last 24 hours. Jared Curtis, number two quarterback overall out of Nashville Christian. Flips from Georgia, going to stay at home and play at Vanderbilt.

He was a two-time commit to Georgia. But signs today with Clark Lee and the Commodores. He made the announcement yesterday on social media. What is the significance of that flip? Vanderbilt's no fluke. Not on the field, not in recruiting circles. I think when you've performed the way that they have on the field and you've kind of changed the national narrative and there's buzz now and there's excitement

and that coincides with a revamped, remodeled stadium, and there's just this feel that didn't exist before. If you can get a Jared Curtis in the full, get him on campus, get him a little bit interested, we are now living in a world where Vanderbilt can beat Georgia on a recruiting prospect, Craig. I mean, I don't know if I ever thought over the last 21 years, I'd be saying that, especially at about a quarterback.

Yeah, I mean, it's a statement pickup for Vanderbilt, no doubt about it. I think, though, the interesting thing is, how does he fit? Because one thing about Diego Pavia is he's a magician. And Jared Curtis has elite arm talent. Probably I don't know if there's anybody that I've seen throw the ball in this class that makes me go, wow, the way Jared Curtis can.

The difference is he plays at Nashville Christian, which is a powerhouse. But it's at one of the lower levels within the state of Tennessee. My question is, Tom, is can he make that jump? Because I think part of the reason why he's going to bailout because there's a chance to play right away where there probably isn't at Georgia. That's exactly right. And you're right. The level of the competition has is going to be a big uptick.

But that's also a big swing for everybody that's leaving the high school ranks, particularly at the quarterback position, because it's not all about physical attributes. It's going to be about mental toughness and competitive temperament. Can you handle being away from home for the third time? Obviously, you've got name image and likeness and all those other distractions that are involved in the decision. But what I will say about him athletically, he may not be a dynamic runner, but he's a really good runner. And I think that's what they're looking for out of that. that offense may not be Diego Pavia, but I think he's a good enough athlete to do

what they want to do. It's been a great week for Vanderbilt Clark League. It's the new contract, the new extension. They might miss out on the playoff, but they're certainly not missing out on this top quarterback. Eli Letterman with more on this. How did this flip come to be, Eli? Well, guys, this was a winding recruitment all the way back to really two years ago when Jared Curtis initially committed to Georgia. He decommits last fall, recommits, recommits, joins that class this past spring. And then this fall, we've got Vanderbilt jumping in. They escalated their efforts in October with Jared Curtis, hometown kid from Nashville.

And slowly but surely Vanderbilt shipped away. And the big development here, I think, ultimately, was Clark Lee signing that six-year contract extension last week. That was a sticking point for Jared Curtis's camp. Once that was done, the wheels were greased for Jared Curtis to make. It would have been a historic clip to Vanderbilt. An amazing season, a 10 and 2 season, and pick up a five-stop. Flipping him from Georgia. More from Eli here in just a moment. Let's discuss more of these top quarterbacks here in this class of 2026. Kishon Henderson out of Texas, number one quarterback

in the Sports Center next top 300. Why is he the best? Well, he and I have gone back and forth on this guy quite a bit because, you know, you see these guys on the field, but then you also see him in a camp and combine setting. And then there are some guys in a camp and combine setting that are not as pretty or don't look as productive as you see from some other guys. Then you turn on the tape, particularly this last fall, this is one of the most productive high school quarterback seasons we have seen in quite some time. 54 total touchdown. Trust me, I know.

And when we were putting together the last edition of ESPN SE-NX-300, this was a guy. I looked at the numbers and I was like, okay, forget what he looks like when you're throwing in shirts and shorts, and this is why you always got to defer back to the tape. This guy just makes plays and credit, credit the University of Houston for being. being in a position to have this type of player in this day and age of college football with Willie Fritz going into year three to try to take this program to another level. They never wavered on him being a quarterback, and I think that really helped. And last time they signed a five-star, Ed Oliver, it worked out pretty well.

Yeah, it did, yeah. Let's go to one of these other great quarterbacks, a guy that Craig, you and I got to see there at St. Thomas Aquinas earlier this season at an event down there in Florida. It's from American Heritage. It's Dia Bell, son of Rajabelle, who had an injury. in his junior year had an injury that cut short his senior year. So not a ton of starts has reclassified. He's supposed to be there apparent to Arch Manning, is he? Yeah, we've shuffled these three top quarterbacks around quite a bit. And I think I would make the

argument of the three Diabelle may be the most well-rounded. The reason why he's probably felt a third is, as you mentioned, Matt, the last two years he's had injuries. But he's the highest rated quarterback out of the state of Florida since Tim Tebow. And one of the things, You talked about his dad, Raja Bell. I was talking with his head coach at American Heritage. He was saying that basketball background has actually held him in his pocket moving, moving up, moving around. He's athletic enough to buy second chances. And what we just talked about with Jared Curtis, I think the best thing that happened with Arch Manning struggling this year is he's likely to come back.

And to get a year to develop behind Arch will be the best thing that could happen to Diabelle and further accentuating his strength. Especially when you only have 25 varsity starts under your belt going into. the college level. Those quarterbacks signing today. Big story today is who is not signing. Being back in Eli, Eli, Lamar Brown, the number one recruit in the country out of Baton Rouge, committed to LSU. What's the latest? Well, we reported last night that Lamar Brown, the number one overall recruit in the country, was not expected to sign during the early signing period this week, and that remains the case for now, but it's a fluid situation. And, you know, we know that Lamar Brown is a guy who wants to be at LSU.

He attends high school on the LSU campus. He's from just outside of Baton Rouge. But as you guys were talking about earlier on the show, this is a moment in college football and recruiting where the leverage is changing. And these prospects now do have certain kinds of leverage. And as Lane Kiffin fills out his coaching staff, Lamar Brown and other members of this defensive class,

want to hold tight and see what's going to play out in terms of who's going to be coaching them on the defensive side of the ball. So, again, fluid situation. I think we could see change. for now Lamar Brown, not expected to sign with LSU this week. Yeah, we will talk to Lamar Brown in about 20 minutes and get the latest from him as well. Eli, thanks so much. We'll catch up with you in just a little bit for more on some news involving signing day.

Coming up, Big Ten, looking for a third straight national championship, but it's a surprise team with the top rank class in the conference. That's coming up next. College Football Live, Signing Day special is brought to you by. Liberty Mutual Insurance, only pay for what you need. Talk about stepping up. It's time to level up your game. Introducing the all-new ESPN app.

All of ESPN, all in one place. Your home for the most live sports and the best championship moments. The electricity is palpable. Step up your game with no annual contract. required. It's the ultimate fan experience. Level up for more on the ESPN app or at stream.espn.com. Sign up now. Sports Center next top 300 prospects. They got the number one corner,

Albert Hill out of Ohio. They flipped wide out, Peyton Dixon White, out of modern day from Ohio State earlier today. Let's welcome in Eli Letterman yet again. And Eli, they haven't had the number one class in 18 years. How is Lincoln Riley and USC put this program in position to do it again? Well, I think it starts about 10 months ago when, USC poached general manager, Chad Bowden from Notre Dame.

He's one of the rising stars of this front office revolution in all of college football. And really, the moment he arrived in Southern California is when this class took off. And I think what a lot of folks expected, because we've seen it before at USC, was to see a class fill up with top talent and then lose it all by the time we got to this time of the year in the signing day. And that is the piece that has been huge for USC. They've held on to this class. They've maintained it. And we are talking now not only about a class that will be their first number one. since 2007, but their most in-state commits from California, a place that who would have

ever thought USC would ever struggle in, they've got 20 in-state commits this year. And it appears to be at least a bit of a new dawn for USC recruiting. Thank you, Eli. There was some conjecture about, hey, Lincoln Riley, is he going to look elsewhere? No, he's pretty firm here on 2026. What do you make of this class? Well, when five of your top seven highest-graded players in the class rank within the top five at their respective position, I think you're on the right track.

And I think when you look at USC, what's been the difference? Where's the area that they have struggled to match up to get over the hump? It's been up front on both sides of the football. This has not been your granddaddy's USC in terms of the trench play. So we know they're going to get skill. You know you're going to have quality quarterback play, but you've got to address those areas in the trenches on both sides of the football. And to get back to owning California.

You know, 20, 25 years ago, in the state of California, If SC wanted a guy, it was everybody else's problem to go find somebody else. You know, you can't lose a Bryce Young to Alabama. You can't lose a Kavan Tibido to Oregon. I think this is a big statement from the state of California perspective. Yeah, Tamu Tupui from Marta Day. We had a chance to see him. He's a difference maker in the train.

He's the type of player you need to compete in a Big Ten in terms of having a 300-pounder that can move around. And then you think of a player like Elijah Page that came in, started as a red shirt freshener, Now as a red shirt sophomore, you go to IMG and you get a player originally from the state of California and Keenei Pepe who can evidentially be Pages replacement. I love what they're doing here in the trenches. And really, Jared Curtis flipping to Vanderbilt was big for Vanderbilt, but it got Georgia off of USC's heels for that number one class as well and really helped secure. And if USC can finish number one, it'd be the sixth time, just the sixth time since 2006 that a non-SCC team finished with the number one class. Ohio State, not the number one class, but still a top 10 class.

Wash, rinse, repeat here. Chris Henry Jr., top wide out here in this class. We got to see him with Modder Day. I know his letter maybe not officially in yet, but you're not too alarmed by that. Yeah, as we've come on air, none of the modern day players paperwork has come through yet. They're probably doing something. I know there's a lot of buzz, particularly around Oregon. You should never count out Oregon.

But I think, you know, when you're talking about a receiver with Ohio Roots, Remember, he went to modern day, Chris Henry, but he is from Ohio. And what they have done at that school at the wide receiver position, it would truly be one of the most a miracle if Oregon can pull that off. And he's not a burner, but good luck trying to cover him. If he's contested, he goes up and get amazing body control. He's T. Higgins. When T. Higgins came out of the state of Tennessee and went to Clemson,

very similar player right there. And this all happens despite Brian Hartline moving on to become the head coach at South Florida. Yeah, they've been prepared for that. Brian Hartline, according to Ryan Day, is going to coach throughout the rest of the college football playoff. He's going to have a couple of jobs to do. But as Ryan Day says, it has been done before. We have seen coaching changes throughout this process, throughout this recruiting process. None more so significant than what happened at Penn State. Boy, what happened there?

The first, really the first large domino to fall with James Franklin being fired. But they are truly the last major. program with apologies to to a couple of others that are still looking for a head coach. And Penn State entered today with five players committed. I believe they're down to three. Down to three. What's going on? However, it was two.

Now they're up three. All right. Peyton Falzoni came back to quarterback who at one time was committed to them prior to just now decommitting from Auburn's class. He recommits to Penn State. But yeah, I mean, listen. The silver lining is it's three, four star players, right? And right now, James Franklin's going, how do I get those remaining two?

We got room for those remaining two, don't we? So at the start of October, Penn State's class was number 17. Now it's outside of the top 70, obviously, with three players. I just, I don't understand how you make a change with a coach who maybe not met your expectations, but was successful, was not embarrassing the program without a plan. plan B in place. And yes, you have the portal. Penn State is not a 60 players in, 60 players out type program. Right. The way you look at Ohio State, you look at Oregon, you look at Michigan, you look at Illinois on the rise, you look at Indiana on the rise.

This one class could hinder Penn State for a few years. Oh, there's no question because you're right. They're not a roster turnover team. They're a high school foundation development team and they pick their spots where they need to add depth or strength or increased talent in the transfer portal. And here's the reality of the transfer portal for them in January. There's not going to be enough players that are to the 10, 11-win standard that James Franklin has set to create that 60-player roster. There's not going to be enough of them. Will they have a coach by the portal? We're hoping so.

They have three more recruits than head coaches right now at Penn State. Penn State's loss is certainly Virginia Tech's gain. Coming up, James Franklin, hitting the ground running in Blacksburg. We will talk to the head hokey next. After more than 11 years at Penn State, included a trip to the national semi-final game last year. James Franklin was let go in Happy Valley in October. He said he wanted the coach again.

He didn't have to wait long. Hired at Virginia Tech last month. And while Penn State is still looking for a coach, James Franklin has wasted no time in putting his first class together in Blacksburg. And James Franklin joins us now. Coach, thanks so much for being with us here on National Signing Day. As much as money has entered the conversation of recruiting over the last few years, it's still about relationships.

How would you describe the conversations that you have had with recruits, specifically the ones that you were able to flip from your old job to your current one? Well, it's still about relationships unless the gap of money is too wide. And I've been apart a few of those as well. But yeah, I think that was a big part of this, right? Like most of the guys that we are signing today are guys that we've had relationships with two plus years. with them, with their parents, with their high school coaches, we've established really strong relationships and trust and comfortability. And now, obviously, you know, we're in a different

situation and a different brand with Virginia Tech. That for most of us, you guys on the show, we grew up with a Virginia Tech that was kicking butt and taking names, and this is going to be the type of class and type of young men that are going to help us restore that. Coach Tom Lugan Bill here, I know that you referenced that money gap. And one of the attractive things about this Virginia Tech job was the announcement a couple of months back of the investment into football, into the revenue producers, and making football the front porch of the university. How significant, as you were doing your homework on this job, is that alignment top to bottom to help this program take the next step? Yeah, that was a big part of it. What was good and helpful is when I started talking to schools about my next opportunity,

it was very obvious for Virginia Tech. They had a plan. We've already seen it's been public that they had made a decision to invest more in football for a number of different reasons. Possible conference realignment, the new ACC revenue sharing plan in terms of viewership, a lot of different reasons that you want to. you want to stay, you know, a part of these types of conversations, and that's going to be critical for Virginia Tech moving forward.

So that was helpful. You know, when I sat down and met with them, they already had a plan when it came to staff budget, when it came to coaches' budget. They had already done their benchmarking into ACC nationally. And then from an NIL perspective, so when I made my ass and requests when the time came, they weren't far off from what they had already planned. But I think you guys know, too, you know, there's a difference between being competitive and we've made a move to be competitive.

But I think you guys, you follow this closely enough. You know, there are 10 programs out there in a country that are different than everybody else, like significantly different than everybody else. And that's what everybody's trying to do is find different ways to be creative and strategic into closing those gaps, so we have a chance to be as successful as anybody else.

Coach, Craig Harvard here, you know, the DMV is probably one of the more underrated talent pools and probably nobody gave Maryland fits more than you did when you were at Penn State. Now you're actually closer by there in the state of Virginia. You can just talk about your relationships there and how you plan to kind of further utilize the DMV even a little bit closer at home now at Virginia Tech? Yeah, I think, you know, I remember being at Maryland with Ron Vanderlinden, and Ron got let go and Ralph Friedgen came in.

And at that point, the DMV wasn't really being recruited the way it is now. It was amazing. we'd be in camp and how many guys that we'd have that ran 4-4 or 4-3 or jump 38 vertical jump and just guys in the area that nobody was really recruiting and nobody knew about that that's not the case anymore everybody goes into the DMV and hits it hard obviously that was a very important area for us at Penn State and had been for a long time and you know if you look at Virginia Tech it's it's been critical in our history as well so it's going to start at home in our state of Virginia, but obviously we're going to have to do a great job in Maryland,

in D.C., the DMV, as well as all the surrounding states, North Carolina. We'll get into South Carolina a little bit more than we did when we were at Penn State. We've got to dominate the footprint, but then we also have to recruit nationally, but it's hard to recruit nationally if you're not taking care of your home state first. Off to a great start. It's going to take some time getting adjusted to seeing the VT there on the shirt, but you've adjusted well. James, really appreciate it. Guys, I appreciate it.

They've been telling me the maroon brings out my eyes. We can attest to that. There's James Franklin. There they are in the sixth spot in the ACC. Miami there is the top class. How about North Carolina? We've got a lot to talk about here. First, Miami.

Entering today more than a dozen top 300 commits and a top 10 class. Now they're 11th overall. 15 players, either four or five star. Mario Cristobal, I know they're stuck on that number 11, 12 in the college football playoff rankings, but this is a good spot for them in the, in the recruiting rankings. Well, yeah, despite what's taking place right now with the discussion in the college football playoff. Well, let's, Maro Cristobald's probably done his best job. It used to be you put a fence around those three counties down there in South Florida. You didn't

let anybody else in. All right. And then that started to shift a little bit more. And some of those players started to leave the area. Now he's doing the best he can, I think, in today's climate with all the competition, it's trying to get back to that. And so high profile players that understand what the Miami standard is, that don't want to leave South Florida is the way you get this thing back. Yeah, and, you know, I think you've got to also have a national approach. If you're going to commit for a national championship, the one that jumps out to me is Jackson Cantwell going into Missouri.

You look at a player like a Francis Maui and Goa who was plug-and-play players as a freshman, Cantwell can be that next guy. He's an absolute monster. He's got great feet. I think he's a little bit further along in a run game than he is in pass pro, but I think he could be a quick learn because of the type of athlete that he is there. So I think that's a big piece. And then flipping a player like a Van Spafford from California who was committed to Georgia,

who brings outstanding speed. I think he's really got some pieces at the top of his class to kind of continue to try to raise that program and get him into that consistent playoff mix, maybe not always on a cusp. Well, the thing about Cantwell, too, is he's six foot eight at 3.15. He looks like a stream of a man. He's a mountain. I know, but he actually looks thin. I mean, he's going to get up in a 330, 335 range quickly.

I mean, his mother and father were like elite shot putters. Well, there you go. Dad was an Olympian. Mama was two. Yeah, I've never felt smaller or smelt smaller than standing next to Jackson Catwell, the Under Armour All-America game. Let's go to North Carolina here where Bill Belichick, the first one, didn't go as according to plan.

But right now, we are seeing them make some inroads in recruiting. Upwards of 10 top 300 commits, a flip from Texas, a flip from Alabama as well, Lugues. How would you assess Bill Belichick's class? Listen, I think this entire program learned an awful lot over the last calendar year. The ins and outs, the nuances, the differences between college football and the world that they're living in now versus the national football league. And we know about the investment. So they're going to be able to go down the stretch against their peers and financially be competitive, which Craig, I think is one of the reasons why you're seeing the flips today. A flip from a defensive lineman that was committed to Alabama, defensive landman that was committed to Texas.

They're going to take this thing all the way of the end, and they've got the resources now to do it. Yeah, the one thing that's really stood out to me about this class is the way it's ebb and flowed. I mean, there have been a lot of in and a lot of out. This class, you'll see a lot of classes come together and they'll stay kind of stagnant, like a Syracuse. built their class early and they held on to it. This class said players come in. You see, they probably have told somebody we're going to part ways. Some kids have probably decided to go in their own and they've replaced them.

What I do like about it, though, Tom, is the emphasis is on high school recruiting. Right. Didn't know which way they're going to go. Were they going to try to continue to quick fix through the portal? I think they know they need to build a foundation of high school. And I think if you're a North Carolina fan too, you're like the way they're building this would make me believe that Bill Belichick's all in. Yeah, yeah. Hopefully they're for the long haul, right?

Nine of the last 10 national champions had a four-year average recruiting rank in the top 10. When you look at the college football playoff rankings, you do see a little bit of that crossover as we see our playoff rankings, taking a look at these rankings, presented by AT&T. Here's the top 12 heading into the conference championship weekend, Ohio State, Indiana, locking down the top two. A&M fell from three to seven after losing to Texas on Friday. Right now, Notre Dame owns the final at large spot. BYU and Miami right there on their heels. Sunday we'll have the exclusive reveal of the final college football playoff top 25 rankings and a three hours special. ESPN, ESPN app.

The hunt for the number one team is on. The number one class is on. How about the number one player? Lamar Brown committed to LSU, not signing today. We'll talk to the number one recruit in the country next. That's a big hat. It's V-Weak at ESPN when we highlight the urgent need for cancer research. Thanks to Principal Foundation's generosity, you can double your impact.

They're matching up to $1 million in donations during V-Weak. If you're able, please visit v.org.org-d-donate. 100% of donations go directly to cancer research. Our national signing day coverage continues. Our top 10 classes, you see Notre Dame, number four class ranking, tied for their highest in the 300 era. Oregon, third consecutive top five class. USC closing in on the number one class. What about the number one player? Lamar Brown gave his verbal pledge to LSU on July 10th on Sports Center.

A lot's happened since then. Ryan Kelly was fired just this past weekend. Lane Kiffin was hired and through it all, Lamar Brown has been. remain committed to the Bayou. The Baton Rouge native joins us now. Lamar, thanks so much for committing to this interview. How would you describe your recruitment over the last month or two since the coach you committed to was let go and Lane Kiffin was hired?

I wouldn't say it was challenging. It was a lot of schools coming to push, but I stayed placed with my commitment and still committed to LSU. Well, on Sunday, Lane Kiffin boards the plane to Baton Rouge to take the reins. at LSU and that night there was video emanating from LSU with you and Lane Kiffin waving to the fans, waving to the media. There you see Lane there. Walk us through that day and that night in your meeting with Coach Kiffin.

Well, it started off me. I'm leaving practice and then my agent called me asked that I want to go meet him. So I went met him. We talked about things where he bringing into LSU. And then it just was a great meeting for the first time because he didn't really recruit him from Ole Miss. So we had the news earlier and you're on record as saying you are not signing today. Why not? Yes. I felt like I needed time to see where I really want to be and get close to this new closer staff. You know, like I said, I wasn't really recruited by them from the

previous place there was at, but just felt like I didn't need the time and not actually like locked in. Just just thinking God for this moment. How does Lane Kiffin not having recruited you when he was at Old Miss, impact your decision or thought process about sticking with him at LSU? Just the type of coach yard, like what he just did at Ole Miss, did some great days. And I feel like he can do that here. It just, I just got to make the right decision for me. And that's where I'm at right now with my head and everything, with my parents and other people. Quickly, any other visits you've got in mind or a timeline here for your recruitment?

Oh, no, sir. I would not have taken out of work for this. Okay. And when do you want to make this decision by? Um, I haven't really set that up yet. I have to talk to my agents about that. Okay. Lamar, best luck on your recruitment and also in your state semi final this weekend.

Yes, sir. Thank you. All right. That's Lamar Brown, number one player in the country. In LSU, not the only program to hire a new coach recently. Five SEC schools with new faces. Three from the American Johnson. Somerall from Tulane, Alex Scholesh from South Florida, Ryan Silverfield from Memphis,

Kentucky, Tabs, Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, Stanford, named former Cardinal quarterback Tavita Pritcher as their new head coach. We have seen coaching changes, guys, happen sooner and sooner. With this early, early signing period, first week of December, how have you seen that with coaching changes impact signing day and their recruitment of these players? Well, I think it's difficult because there's no clear. break because of the calendar, right? There's no easy way to do this without creating some form of a mess in your wake.

But I think the number one thing you've got to do initially is you've got to evaluate players. And I mean immediately. And in the case of a John Sumerall, Elaine Kiffin, an Alex Golich, those guys were in a position in their current jobs behind the scenes, knowing what may take place to get on that, to be able to make those inroads, make those, have those discussions, start to get a sense of, okay, what will. what I do if I got this job so that you can hit the ground running from a player perspective, knowing you still have the transfer portal in January. But listen, there's no easy answer to do this right now. You're going to have to deal with the ramifications of the move. And then the player movement now, because of their ability to freely transfer,

it's just all part of this big mess we're living in. Yeah, unless you go back to February, it's right. Even when it was in mid-December, you had a few more weeks, but it was maybe it was telling prospects wait and hold to February. Let's talk this over. I think, you know, though, interesting for LSU is Lamar Brown is a great litmus test because, again, you can

literally see Tiger Stadium from his home football field. Like you could, you make a right at the football facility and there is their football field. So he is literally right there. And by all intentions, I think he's planning to be there. He's never really wavered even when they decided to make that

change. But if this doesn't work out, it would be a very interesting kind of telltale sign of where this may or because you cannot be successful at LSU if you are not successful in Louisiana. Well, there's no question. You have no power for competitor and the state is just loaded in every nook and cranny with elite level players. I think the other thing in all of this is all of these coaches to some degree and the staffs that they've decided to put together, they all have previous existing relationships with these prospects. At one point or another, at some location, somewhere on the trail,

you're not going in blind. You're not going in cold calling a lot of these guys. There's been a previous established relationship that you can fall back. That's how Virginia Tech built their class. That's exactly right. And you also learn which programs may be our coachproof, right? Oh, absolutely. LSU, certainly one of them.

We talked about that over the years, yeah. Yeah. LSU right up there, Florida and John Summerall making inroads there trying to hold those recruiting classes together. They're there in the top seven, eight overall in the SEC. These are your top classes in the southeastern conference. The SEC seven teams with at least 10 sports center next 300 commits. Start with Texas of those top five classes, the number one class. We talked about Diabelle.

What else Craig Hobart impresses you about what the Longhorns are putting together? Yeah, well, that may have loaded up at the four-star position. I mean, Richard Wesley out of California. This is a young man who I watch him. Reminds me a lot in his physical ability and versatility of Robert Kanditchie going back a few years who played at Old Miss. But he's a player who could be that edge, maybe learn from Colin Simmons, could be that D-N, could slide inside as well. So I really love what they're kind of doing there. Derek Cooper running back.

He's a guy had a great season. I love this player at the position because he's the most versatile. He's not only could be a thousand-yard rusher for you, he could also be 23rd. 30 catches for you out of the back field as well. So I really like what they're doing in terms of bringing in some impact players. More than 500 tackles in high school for Tyler Atkinson as well, who's a big game change. Well, it's one thing that we always seem to point to and have on this show for almost 20 years is what positions are your highest ranked players at, right? And in a class like the Texas Longhorns, you mentioned Richard Wesley, all right?

You've got James Johnson, the defensive tackle, top 10 player, okay? Outside linebacker, Tyler Atkinson, an absolute tackling machine. The offensive line has been addressed. So their best players are at the most premium position, number 13 corner in the country in Samari Matthews. The list goes on and on and on. And so when you see the class starting in here and building outward, that's where you know you've got championship level players.

Sticking in the SEC, tough act to follow with Nick Sabin, one of the greatest coaches, if not the greatest of all time, greatest recruiter of all time. Kaelin DeMore walks in and looks like he's going to put together his third consecutive top 10 class. Yeah, I mean, I think following the best ever is very difficult to do. And I think he's doing a really good job doing that. We talked a little bit earlier with James Franklin about the importance of the DMV. They went into that area at a St. Francis Academy and got Jira Edwards,

who I think is a plug-and-play type player for them on defense because of his side and speed combination, the ability to be able to play in space, to be able to come up, play near the line of scrimmage. He's an outstanding player, Xavier Griffin. They've gone into Gainesville High School, gotten a few players. He could be that edge-type player. So really like what he's kind of continued to do to keep them operating as a playoff contender

and is one of the best recruiting programs in the country. All seven of their top-ranked players rank within the top ten at their respective division nationally. And I think, you know, when you look at the success, too, that Kane-Wamack, the defensive coordinator, has had, particularly on the defensive back end, each year they get younger and they get better. This year is Deshaun Lee.

Last year it was Zabian Brown. Super long. They're, oh, man, I'm telling you, they've got guys now and they've done a really good job of crushing this from a high school foundation standpoint. And then if you need to, you go out and you get yourself a Jeremy Bernard. You get somebody like that to supplement it through the portal. And that portal period coming up in about a month,

Oklahoma, I know Craig was a program you were very high on. Brent Venables, a lot of expectations coming in, perhaps, hey, make or break type of season. They're going to make the college football playoff and certainly making some inroads in recruiting. And Oklahoma is a great example of why you always say, Tom, recruiting is a marathon, not a sprint. That Oklahoma class got off a very slow start. It really wasn't until the beginning of August when Jake Krell committed to Oklahoma that they really started to take off.

He's a five star. He's one of these guys who's explosive. He's got lunch pail type of demeanor as well, but he can get off the edge and he can bend. And players started to come on board after him. And this was a class, again, that was kind of behind the pack and then moved into a top 20 class. And you watch as they were having success on the field, success started to seep into their. Oh, yeah. And they flipped running back Jonathan Hatton from SEC rival Texas A&M as well.

So that was very important. Let's go to Oklahoma's former stomping grounds in the Big 12. And look at some of the top classes from that conference. Again, we mentioned Kishan Henderson, first time since 2017. The highest ranked quarterback in the ESPN 300 will not sign with the school currently in the Big Ten or SEC. That's Houston. They're 35th overall. But Texas Tech, Joey McGuire, huge in-state wins and perhaps a huge bank account as well down there.

I just chuckle at this because, in a way, tongue and cheek, Joey McGuire is why all these coaches are getting fired because he went in there. They had a plan. The university had a plan. They were fully resourced. The stars aligning with the football operations facility getting completed. And then poof, they may wave a magic wand. And overnight, they're a top five program.

I mean, they've got the blend of donor money. Yep. They've got a guy in Joey McGuire who is the ultimate, like, mayor. Like, I dare you to meet Joey McGuire and not like him. Exactly. And he really runs that. Matt Ruhl, hire him at Baylor. Yeah, that's how we left high school.

Right. Yeah. And, you know, and then they're producing on the field. I know. You could sell a dream and you could sell money. Some players will turn that out. They're winning on the field. It's all coming together.

You look at a player like La Damien Guyton out of Georgia. I made a coveted five star to pull him out of SEC country and to potentially have your replacement for David, Bailey? I mean, this is the type of guy. You go to the portal to get David Bailey. He produces. You get a guy to replace him at a high school that could be long term and give you similar type results. And then Felix Ojo, the offensive tackle with the first one who kind of kicked it off. I think he's a little bit of a developmental player. They're not likely going to have a lot of turnover on their own line, which is perfect. But what they're doing is quite impressive.

Well, in three offensive linemen rank within the top six highest graded players in their class. So clearly loading up there, he knows as well as anybody too. It's just, it's, it's a It's remarkable what they've done, but what it also does is it sends a message that what you're willing to do as an institution is what will afford you the opportunity to actually make it into a reality. If you're not willing to do that, and Texas Tech has proven this now, and where Joey McGuire has done a great job, it's in high school recruiting, but the guys they paid in the portal performed. Yes, they performed. They were right on the guys that they went after in the portal. That's difficult to do. It's not just money. It's the evaluation.

Another key thing is build your campus near oil. Good idea. Oil does tend to help. Ask Texas A&M. All right, let's stick in the Big 12 here. Speaking of recruiting and money, Kalani Sataki, likely getting a nice new contract here. He stays at BYU, decides to turn down the overtures there at Penn State. And boy, when he has rolling here, back-to-back, 11-win seasons and potentially a top-20 class, Craig.

Yeah, I mean, he's done a great, again, winning on the field, recruiting him. Almost some of the same things we said, again, another guy who you get around, he's got a dynamic personality, really likable. And then, you know, going into California to get rider lines. Now, they're going to have to wait a year for him to get on campus, but just as a guy who was extremely successful, extremely productive in high school at Folsom. They got an outstanding tight end and stay from Brock Harris. This guy is tough.

He's got great hands. He runs well. You pair those two together. They got a couple of good offensive linemen in. state from that area. So again, being productive on the field, having a plan, getting good players, winning some battles is all starting to kind of gel together. And then nothing's better than him resigning and kind of just showing how this commitment. Don't forget about stockpiling players for a year, maybe two years, and then all of a sudden they re-show up again. But here's

the thing about this whole deal. I credit BYU here. But Penn State wasn't just going up against the BYU administration to try to take Kalani Sataki. They were going. up against a global Mormon church, all right, that financially, if they chose to do so, which they have in this instance, it said, no, we're not letting this guy go anymore. I also want to make a comment here that I believe in reading reports, the CEO of Crumble Cookie was maybe playing a part in this because they're BYU fans as well. You know, James Franklin at the National Signing Day kind of luncheon today, they served Crumbull cookies. A little poking just a little bit as Penn State tries to pick themselves up.

If it feels like this month is pure chaos, you are 100% correct. But does it need to be that way? We'll talk about the calendar coming up next here on National Citing Day. This weekend's ABC College Football Conference Championship lineup Friday night in the American 8 Eastern Tulane and North Texas. Saturday, BYU, squared off against Texas Tech and the Edward Jones Big 12 title game at noon Eastern, followed by number three, Georgia, number nine Alabama, and the SEC. And finally, it's Duke, as we all expected, playing for an ACC championship, number 17, Virginia. the conference title.

Early signing period, now through Friday. Then we have the playoff rankings, and then we have the transfer portal window, and then the late signing period, otherwise known as the old signing period, which begins February 4th. You've got the draft, you've got free agency,

you've got the playoffs, you've got the coaching carousel, basically all within the span of four or five weeks. Luke, you've covered this for 20 years. What would you change? We got in like two minutes. All right. Listen, let's focus on a positive that we did get right, and that was getting down to one transfer portal period so that when you come out of the month of January and you are going into your winter conditioning program, spring football, and you head into your summer, you know who your team is.

That's a positive. I am, I'm scratching my head as to figure out how you would put that period, though, right smack dab in the middle of the college football playoff. And I understand that there's an academic calendar, an academic calendar. There are semesters. There's a quarter system. There's ways to work around that, and we all know it. But we have got to create some rules for how coaches are contacted and hired and a time frame in where we can make this less messy.

Yeah, I don't. But it's because of that, you need to have one portal window. I haven't met one coach in college. No, you got it. That's not unhappy. That's right. That's right. I'm interested to see how that one window now will play in February.

Do we see other players like maybe potentially Lamar Brown is going to wait until February to see what happens? But I just, here's the thing. We've been doing this now like 20 years. There's no utopia out there. The more they tweak things, the more something else gets broke. And you're never going to please everybody, right? And the one thing that was not on that graphic right there is that the entire month of December is a dead period. So now you open up with the coaching changes, you open up the tampering concerns, right?

and the poaching of other classes of kids that haven't signed in December and are going to wait until February. So, you know, I just wanted to add another mess to that graphic there. I love the tampering word as if that's not going on all the time with coaches as well. Oh, no, that never happens. No, no, no, no. Why it's never been addressed? I've heard this out there as well.

moving the football calendar, the games portion up, have week zero become week one? Everyone plays. And then if you could have conference championship weekend last weekend, Thanksgiving weekend. And then you're basically wrapping up the national championship around the first week of January. And then you put the signing period back in February, slows things down, but allows coaching changes maybe not to be as intrusive. Start the season on the third week of August. Right. Why not?

Thanks for elaborating. Yeah, but I don't think that the old expression goes the toothpaste is out of the tube. Like you're not going back to one in February. Like the early signing period is here. Here to stay? Yeah.

I don't. Okay. I would love it to go back to February. I think it was great for high school football. I think it was great for college football. I don't think it's ever happened. Just be great if there was some pocket, some pocket between what we're doing right now

in the dead period whenever you'd want to make it. And you always, whether you have the late signing period or early or not, you still have the early enrollees. Kids are almost taught if you don't enroll early, you're doing it wrong. So they're on campus by January. Anyway, all right, finishing touches here on National Signing Day, your big takeaway from the 2025 edition. To be honest with you, James Franklin of Virginia Tech, hit the ground running. And obviously, a lot of that had to do with poaching kids that, as he acknowledged, had great relationships with their families throughout a recruiting process, going back sometimes

two to three years. So Virginia Tech looks like in the short term, this was the perfect hire, ideal higher and the timing of it, which Penn State has not handled well, couldn't have been better for the Hokies. Yeah, I mean, off of that, I mean, the Penn State deal, the way the top 20 class went down to less than five players, and being off of that, the way this early signing period has changed a dynamic of how coaches are fired and really how it led to almost two dozen and has really kind of turned into a lot of flips. We're seeing this early signing period really impact how the coaching carousel.

You're also seeing the SEC, yes, gets the most. top 300 prospects, but they're being more spread out a little bit more. Have you seen that impact in NIL? Well, they're being more spread out, yes, because obviously people are able to compete in better. But then where you're really seeing it more spread out is when those guys go out of the high school cycle into college and then come back through the portal. Then it really gets dispersed. More spread out by a non-SCC team sitting on number one. There it is. It's true. Yeah. It'll be the sixth time. Wrap it up a nice bow for you. They're very good. I don't I don't even need to say anything.

What you said it to break? Under Armour All-American game, January 3rd, coming away at 4 o'clock Eastern Time on the YouTube thing.