National Signing Day never goes without drama. With NIL, in play this has been one of the wildest early signing days in a long time.
Disclaimer: All rankings are via 247 Composite
Oregon Flips FOUR Prospects
If you’re an Oregon fan, chances are you’re already in a good mood following a day that saw many top prospects Quack. Dan Lanning and co. started the day off strong by flipping Baylor quarterback commit Austin Novosad. Novosad, a four-star prospect by 247 Composite, had flirted with big programs like Ohio State, Texas A&M and Notre Dame. However in the end, it was the Ducks who were able to complete the flip. The relationship with new Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein was the deciding factor, as Lanning said in his NSD presser. Stein was a coach at Lake Travis High School in Texas during the 2019 season while Novosad was at Dripping Springs High School nearby. The next season, he helped recruit Novosad for the UTSA staff.
The Ducks kept on rolling though as they received a commitment from five-star prospect Peyton Bowen. Bowen chose the Ducks in a shocking decision over Oklahoma and Notre Dame. Bowen had been an Irish commit but the expectation was he was going to flip to the Sooners. He is the third-ranked player in the state of Texas and second-ranked safety overall. Oregon followed up the shocker by adding another Notre Dame commit in RB Jayden Limar. Limar is a four-star prospect out of Lake Stevens, Wash. The excitement of playing close to friends and family seemed to be a big part of Limar’s decision. The final flip for the Ducks’ early Flipmas presents was four-star defensive back Daylen Austin. Austin was previously committed to LSU but decided to join “the flock.” Not to mention, Oregon also added five-star EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei to the class.
4-Star EDGE Isaiah Nixon Flips From Florida to UCF
Things just keep on heading south in Gainesville. Florida actually originally flipped Isaiah Nixon from UCF back in June. On signing day, Nixon decided it was time to do a double switch and flip back to UCF. Nixon is a 6-foot-4 edge rusher out of Saint Petersburg, Fla. He instantly becomes the Knights’ highest rated commit in the 2023 class. Nixon continues a growing trend where the Gators and Knights are up against each other for highly-rated Florida prospects.
5-Star CB Cormani McClain Pushes Back Signing
On Wednesday morning, Cormani McClain’s mother tweeted that her son would not be signing on early signing day. Seems innocent enough, right? They actually had a cake already made in Miami colors with “Go Canes” on it at his school’s signing day ceremony. McClain is a five-star defensive back prospect coming in as the ninth-ranked player nationally. Alabama has been in hot pursuit of McClain but Deion Sanders has also come calling. Could Coach Prime pull off a Houdini two years in a row?
4-star WR Malachi Coleman Sticks With Nebraska
Malachi Coleman is a 6-foot-5 athlete and the number one overall player in the state of Nebraska. His recruitment has been a roller coaster to say the least for Huskers fans. Coleman originally committed to Nebraska in October before backing off his commitment on Dec. 1. Coach Prime came calling for Coleman and gave him plenty of things to consider before he ultimately decided to stay home. Matt Rhule needed a recruiting win like this to restore faith and optimism in the program. Coleman deciding to believe in Rhule should signal the start of a new Nebraska.
Ohio State Loses a Recruit
Kayin Lee, a four-star defensive back prospect from Cedar Grove, Ga., decided to flip his commitment from Ohio State to Auburn. Lee had been committed to Ryan Day and the Buckeyes since June. Hugh Freeze prioritized getting the Auburn roster in better shape since taking over a few weeks ago. Lee adds to what is the 19th-ranked class in the country for the Tigers.
