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College Football Recruiting: 3 biggest winners from 2021 Early Signing Period

By Dante Pryor

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 19: Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans leads his team on to the field before the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 19, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 19: Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans leads his team on to the field before the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 19, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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This week’s college football early signing period saw many winners and losers. Here are three winners from yesterday’s early signing period.

The first day of the early signing period is in the books. For the last decade, the elite teams have taken the lion’s share of the top-end recruits. According to 247Sports, the usual suspects are at the top of the recruiting rankings. Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, LSU and Clemson round out the top five.

Three teams that have made this list are not from the usual suspects of winners.

USC’s class is 15th in the country so far. That is good for second in the Pac-12 behind Oregon. This year’s recruiting cycle is a far cry from their 64th rated class last season. Though most of their signees are from California, the Trojans picked up some good players from Texas, including four-star running back Brandon Campbell. USC also picked up Alabama transfer, four-star defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher from the portal.

UCLA’s class currently ranks just 45th, but the early signing period was about Chip Kelly. The former Oregon coach is not known for being a force on the recruiting trail. However, he flipped four-star defensive end Quintin Somerville from Michigan and beat rival USC for four-star athlete Devin Kirkwood. The Bruins still have time to make headway in the rankings as well.

If no one took Deion Sanders seriously for his ambition to be a college football coach, now is the time to do so. The Tigers have the highest-rated recruiting class by an HBCU in the last five years. In addition to Sanders’ sons playing, “Coach Prime” beat out NC State for JUCO lineman Rasheed Lyles.

Here is a closer look at these three signing day winners.

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